Negotiating with Investors: The Dark Arts of Fundraising
Founders spend months learning how to identify relevant investors, write compelling outreach messages, build an impressive pitch deck and successfully navigate due diligence.
But securing investor interest is only half the job.
The decisions made during the negotiation can shape a company for years. Valuation, dilution, control rights, founder vesting, option pools and exit terms can determine whether an investment genuinely supports the startup or primarily protects the investor.
Yet this is the part of fundraising that founders are rarely taught.
ETA Technologies and Connectd are joining forces to deliver a practical workshop that takes founders behind the scenes of investor negotiations.
Drawing on experience from both sides of the fundraising table, including Soma Pirityi’s 5 years in venture capital and experience investing in more than 50 startups, we will reveal the techniques investors use to secure the best possible outcome for themselves.
More importantly, founders will learn how to recognise these techniques, protect their position and negotiate a deal that works for both their investors and the long-term future of their company.
What we will cover:
How investors prepare for and control a negotiation
The psychological techniques used to influence founders
How valuation and dilution really work
Which terms can become particularly costly during an exit
How option pools, founder vesting and control rights affect ownership
Where founders commonly give away leverage without realising it
How to push back without damaging the investor relationship
How to negotiate confidently, even when alternatives are limited
This will not be another generic fundraising webinar.
It will be a practical deep dive into the areas of venture capital that are usually discussed behind closed doors, combining real-world investor experience with a clear understanding of the challenges founders face during a raise.
The workshop is designed for founders preparing to raise, currently speaking with investors or expecting to enter the fundraising trenches from September onwards.
Raising capital is an achievement. Raising it on the right terms is what protects the future of your company.
Co-organised by ETA Technologies and Connectd.