01: FUNDRAISING READINESS
SESSION 1: FUNDRAISING READINESS
Part of the Founder Readiness Mini-Series by Angels Den, supported by Warwick Business School.
📅 Tuesday 14 July · 11:00-13:00 · The Shard, London
Fundraising can feel confusing from the outside: who to raise from, what investors actually look for, how much to raise, what documents you need, and when you are truly ready to start investor conversations.
This practical session is designed for university founders who are exploring investment for the first time or preparing to begin a serious fundraising process.
Who this is for:
This session is for university founders, student founders, recent graduates and early-stage teams, in London and beyond, who are considering angel or VC investment and want to understand what preparation looks like before fundraising.
You will hear from experienced contributors across investment, startup finance and legal readiness, including VCs, angel investors, a startup finance professional and a venture lawyer. Together, they will break down what founders need to understand before approaching investors.
The session will cover:
How angel investors and VC investors think
What investors are looking for at the early stage
What "traction" really means before revenue or at early revenue stage
How to think about round size, use of funds and runway
What financial preparation investors expect
The basics of equity, ASAs, SAFEs, convertible notes and cap tables
Common mistakes that delay or weaken a fundraising process
What should be on your "ready to raise" checklist
By the end of the session, founders should leave with:
A clearer view of whether they are ready to raise
A practical fundraising preparation checklist
A better understanding of investor expectations
A clearer sense of the legal and financial preparation required
A list of gaps to fix before speaking to investors
Clearer next steps before investor outreach begins
About Angels Den
Angels Den is one of the UK's longest-established angel investment networks, supporting early-stage founders and investors through curated introductions, investment opportunities and community-led events.
Our mission is to make angel investing more accessible, effective and collaborative, while helping high-potential founders connect with the right capital partners.
500+ startups funded · 21,000+ registered investors · £10M+ invested through the network
Supported by Warwick Business School
This Founder Readiness Mini-Series is supported by Warwick Business School, helping connect university founders with practical startup education, investor insight and the wider early-stage ecosystem.