Fundraising 101: Investment Readiness Bootcamp
Raising capital is not just about having a great idea.
It’s about understanding how investors think and knowing whether your startup is actually investment-ready.
This session is designed for early-stage founders who:
Are thinking about raising capital
Have heard “not yet” from investors
Or want to better understand how venture capital works
During this session, we will cover:
How investors evaluate early-stage startups
What makes a company venture-backable
Common mistakes founders make when fundraising
How to approach fundraising more strategically
As part of this session, participants will be introduced to an AI-powered Investment Readiness Toolkit, developed to help founders:
→ Assess if their startup is ready to raise
→ Improve their pitch and narrative
→ Structure their fundraising process
This session is designed to provide practical guidance and accessible tools to support founders at different stages of their journey.
Who is this for
Early-stage founders (pre-seed to seed)
Entrepreneurs exploring venture capital
Builders across the U.S. and Latin America.
No prior experience in venture capital is required.
What you’ll walk away with
A clearer understanding of how fundraising works
A framework to evaluate your startup’s readiness
Practical next steps to move forward
Access to tools and resources developed through this initiative
About the Host
Maria Gracia Agurto is the Founder of Golden Circle, where she supports early-stage founders in navigating the fundraising process and becoming investment-ready.
She has experience as both a founder and working within venture capital ecosystems, reviewing startups across the U.S., Latin America, and MENA.
Through this initiative, she aims to make investment readiness more accessible to founders across the region.
This session is part of a project supported by the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by IREX.