October 2022 saw Startup Giants PLC, the global venture builder, launch another string to its burgeoning bow.
ECHION Bootcamp, the first of its three pre-funding bootcamps is now up and running, cutting through the noise, dispelling the myths of funding and giving participants a clear path to follow with up-to-the-second training across four weeks. ECHION is designed for Founders who already have their concept up to MVP level and are seeking to prepare themselves for a funding round.
With names on the list from day one of opening the bootcamp, ten Founders secured their place on the first beta trial and received four live sessions with Head of Raise Venture, Sam Keisner who guided them through the minefield that is preparing a company for pitching to investors.
Leading the bootcamp is Sam Keisner, Head of Venture at Startup Giants PLC, he said:
‘Trust is built within our pool investors by calm confidence and research. It’s all in the preparation, which is what ECHION revolves around.
‘There’s a wealth of information on the internet, however much of it is conflicting and it doesn’t include the finite details that an investor is looking for. By participating in ECHION a Founder can act upon to elevate their business acumen, concept and pitch.’
‘We’ve broken down the stages of preparation needed to apply for funding rounds and are going to dispense them in four live bootcamp sessions to better prepare hopeful founders. Many ideas might be good however if the Founder is unprepared in any way, they will be seen an un-investable. ECHION changes that and forms an essential part of our RAISE programme.’
Speaking of its relevance in today’s marketplace, CEO Jeb Buckler said:
‘We grow businesses from pre-seed to IPO and Exit and of course, funding rounds are a pivotal part of every Founder’s journey.
‘Yet being on your own and attempting to apply for funding is a minefield. We can’t bear to think of how many incredible tech ideas fall by the wayside simply because Founders are unprepared in how to present their idea, the financials and evidence to an investor.
‘We get so many people applying to us who just aren’t mentally prepared to go in front of investors themselves let alone having their MVP, evidence and pitch deck.
Preparing for positive opportunities amidst potential chaos
With much talk in the media of a recession looming, the team at Startup Giants still strongly believes that there are opportunities for growth and new startups.
Jeb Buckler continued:
‘It’s important to remember that our world revolves around technology and there is still a vast pot of money to be invested in the right concepts. Founder’s should not be disheartened, they just need to work harder.
‘Investors are overwhelmed with Founder pitches, people have got to get it right first time and often in ten mins. By reducing the pressure with preparation we hope to bring even more ventures to life in the UK and overseas.’
When asked about the ECHION launch, Sam Keisner said:
‘I was looking forward to meeting new Founders and helping them to prepare their concept. This first bootcamp was the beta testing stage and the Founders did not disappoint. They were keen, diligent and asked forward thinking questions in the live Q&A sessions. They worked hard in between each live session to prepare each stage of what is needed to move on for investment rounds. It’s exactly what we’d hoped to derive from the bootcamp – even more Founders for our pool of intermediaries and investors’.
Startup Giants will proceed to launch two other pre-funding bootcamps over the coming four months, that precede the journey to ECHION; TALOS which focuses on the importance of building up brand equity and marketing and ASTER which focuses on building an MVP and obtaining evidence from consumers that it is both needed and people will pay for it.