How Startup Investment Really Works

​One of the biggest challenges facing tech founders in the North East is a lack of education about how startup investment actually works - and how that understanding should shape the way founders build their companies from day one.

​This free workshop is for universities, councils, support programmes, and community organisations that work with early-stage tech founders in the North East of England.

We'll explain exactly how a fundraising round works from both a founder and investor point-of-view, what investors really care about, and the honest questions founders need to ask themselves before they consider fundraising - all through practical, real-life examples.

​We'll answer questions such as:

• ​How do VCs make money, and why does that limit what they will invest in?

• ​When should a founder approach VCs, try to raise from angels, or bootstrap instead?

• ​What does it take to raise investment in 2026?

• ​What are the benefits - and challenges - of raising investment from North East funds?

• ​How can a North East founder realistically build an investor pipeline of 100+ funds?

​More importantly, we'll answer all of your questions, too.

​The aim of this workshop is to better equip those teams who support the tech community to have more informed conversations with founders about investment - so they can challenge assumptions, improve the support they provide, and help founders align their actions with their ambition.

This event is produced by Prepare to Land for The Founder Commons, a pilot programme supported by the UK Tech Cluster Group and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.