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Facilitator Guide

Raising Venture Capital

What’s covered

  • Finding and pitching investors
  • Term sheets and due diligence
  • Deal documents
  • Closing and the relationship with VCs post-investment
  • An introduction to venture capital firms
  • How venture capital firms are structured and make money
  • Factors venture capital firms consider when making investment decisions

Before the session

Prepare the Attendees

Send the attendees an invitation for the session. Include this link, which has the videos and exercise they’ll need to prepare.

https://www.hotshotlegal.com/discussions/raising-venture-capital/attendee

Prepare Yourself

Watch the videos and read the exercise so you’re familiar with the Hotshot material.

During the session

Part 1: Knowledge Check

Ask attendees these questions to ensure they understand the topic:

  • How do founders find venture capital firms?
  • What are some factors founders consider when choosing potential investors?
  • How does business due diligence differ from legal due diligence? 
  • What are some typical series A deal documents? 
  • What’s the typical corporate structure of a venture capital firm?
  • What are different some types of venture capital firms?
  • What are the typical roles at a venture capital firm?
  • How does a performance fee work?
  • What are some factors venture capital firms consider when evaluating investment opportunities?

Part 2: Group Exercise

Lead a group discussion based on the exercise. To encourage collaboration, divide the attendees into groups to discuss the exercise, then have a representative from each group summarize their views to the larger group. Call on people to share their thoughts and ask others to respond.

Tip for remote sessions: use your web conferencing system’s breakout room feature to divide people into groups.

Part 3: War Stories and Firm Specifics

Share your own experiences and guidance, including:

  • Anecdotes and war stories (e.g., about a near-disaster or a tough negotiation)
  • General practice tips (dos and don’ts)
  • Firm-specific guidance and practices

After the session

To continue their learning, attendees can check out related courses in Hotshot’s Venture Financing topic.