founder university
Curriculum for November 2018 Class
(Updated frequently)
DAY 1
Morning Session
10:00aM-12:00PM
Pitches & Perfecting your Presentation
Moderator: Jason Calacanis & Kirby Harris, Base Ventures
Founders get 2 minutes to pitch their startup to Jason & then receive candid feedback to make it 20x better.
afternoon Session
12:00PM-5:00PM
LEGAL LUNCH & LEARN
Speakers: Dave Brekke & Nico Kerr, WSGR
Free legal advice. Get your startup legal questions answered by Attorneys at WSGR over lunch.
BUSINESS PLANNING & STRATEGY
Speaker: Mick Luibinskas, Muru-D
How do you get from one step to the next when scaling your startup? Learn how to create a long-term strategy and the building blocks you’ll need to realize your vision.
driving VIRAL growth through loops
Speaker: Dun Wang, Calm
Learn how to drive product through growth loops, such as paid, organic, social and viral.
how to 10x your people
Speaker: Shane Metcalf, 15Five
How to build a strong, ethical company culture and amazing team. Learn how to build the foundation for mission, values and leadership.
financial diligence
Speaker: Vanessa Kruze, Kruze Consulting
Learn what financial diligence is required when your startup has an important transaction.
5 keys to negotiating a term sheeT & Panel Discussion
Speakers: Seth Helfgott, WSGR
This discussion covers the most important elements of a Series A term sheet to prepare founders for the negotiation phase.
dinner & networking
Presented by WSGR
DAY 2
morning session
9:00AM-12:00PM
proactive M&A best practices
Speaker: Rishi Garg, Mayfield Fund (prev. Corp Dev, Twitter)
The basics around mergers & acquisitions. For many founders, even seasoned ones, M&A is a black box process. We’ll uncover what you need to know, and what to think about now.
raising through crowdequity funding
Speakers: Bianca Caban, Republic & Chuck Petted, Republic
Crowdquity is a new fundraising vehicle for startups. Is it right for you? Find out the how and why of raising money online.
Pitches & Perfecting your Presentation
Moderator: Jason Calacanis
Founders get 2 minutes to pitch their startup to Jason & then receive candid feedback to make it 20x better.
afternoon session
12:00PM-5:00PM
LUNCH & networking
Founder Lessons
Speaker: Morgan Debaun, Blavity
Morgan shares lessons she’s learned growing her startup from 1 to 5 digital media properties, with 4m+ social reach, 600+m total email subs, and Series A round led by Google Ventures.
fundraising metrics
Speaker: Mar Hershenson, Pear.VC
What are investors looking for? What metrics do you need to secure a Seed or Series A round? And, most importantly, how do you achieve them?
optimizing your sales pipeline
Speaker: Mei Siauw, LeadIQ
Learn the art of cold calling, targeted emailing, and other secret strategies to acquire customers.
CTO Strategies for Managing Your Technology
Speaker: Ben Herila, Underground Cellar
Fundraising through incubators & syndicates
Spearkers: Jason Demant, LAUNCH & Ashley Whitehurst, LAUNCH
Learn insider tips from the LAUNCH Managing Directors on how to fundraise, leverage our incubator, and raise through our syndicate.
happy hour
Presented by WSGR
DAY 3
off-site retreat, networking & startup challenges
Presented by Kruze Consulting
