Our Investment Readiness course is designed to help university students grow their businesses and prepare them for investment. 

Drawing on our extensive network, the course gives students access to active investors and real-world experience. They’ll learn exactly what investors look for and have the chance to ask questions about the process, including:

• How to demonstrate traction as an early-stage business

• How to find and connect with relevant investors

• What to expect from their first investor meeting

As part of the course, we’ll also invite a local startup that has already secured funding. This practical advice and know-how is hugely beneficial:

“This session gave us the opportunity to ask questions in a safe space to people who have lived the pains we currently experience as startup entrepreneurs. The key takeaways from this event and others are valuable to helping us shape our knowledge, mindsets and, ultimately, strategise our businesses.”

Natalie Campion, co-founder of Falmouth Launchpad startup Kevri 

We’ve run successful courses at several leading universities, including Cambridge University, Falmouth University Launchpad and Oxford Brookes.

It can work as a standalone educational session or as part of a wider startup incubator – just let us know exactly what you’re looking for.

hOW THE COURSE WORKS

Our Investment Readiness course is made up of a half-day workshop in which students learn the tools they need to grow their business and secure investment.

• We outline the key funding routes for early-stage startups and help them set realistic expectations around the funding process. Your students will understand what different investors are looking for and how to approach the fundraising process.

• We support students in developing their pitch deck and investor Q&A. This includes challenging them with real-world scenarios and examples, gathered from our network of hundreds of investors and entrepreneurs.

• We engage the most relevant speakers – based on business journey, sector and investment expertise – to attend our workshops. They offer students valuable insights and the opportunity to ask questions of investors and entrepreneurs with applicable experience. 

Following each course, students will receive links to the presentation and all resources covered throughout.

What universities have to say

Our workshops at Oxford Brookes were designed to support students at the idea stage. They received an incredible Net Promoter Score of 85 and 100% of participants said the workshops inspired them to start a business.

At Falmouth University Launchpad, students loved the chance to speak to investors and tap into real-world experience.

“We wanted to give students a realistic and practical understanding of what it's like to raise seed funding and how to do it. Inkwell clearly understood the cohort's needs. The team worked hard to clearly explain concepts, share practical examples and make sure the sessions were really engaging, all backed up with excellent speakers.”

Adrian Scales, Senior Investment Manager at Falmouth University

Build out your programme

At Inkwell, we run a full range of educational programmes for startups. If you want to support students with more areas of starting and running a business, here are other popular areas:

• Business planning for startups

• Accounting for startups

• Strategic marketing

• Recruitment and employment

• Risk management (data protection and cyber security)

• Sales/pricing and forecasting for startups

• Project management

• Commercial negotiations for startups

Get in touch

Want to chat about your requirements? Email dan@inkwellagency.co.uk or get in touch with us below.