“I was surprised at the depth and the level of detail with supporting evidence that is needed to get early-stage funding. Completing the course arms you with everything that an investor can throw at you as a reason not to invest.”

“I knew I was raising in a very difficult climate. I chose the programme to stay on track, build my confidence in pitching and I wanted advice on presenting our multiple revenue streams clearly.”

“Having structure when you’re fundraising, and understanding all of the different documents and investor outreach options is invaluable – it encourages you to narrow your focus and do what you need to do.”

“Neither myself or my co-founder come from a financial background, so putting a P&L together was quite new and daunting. The Funding Accelerator forecasting template was really helpful.”

“We’ve raised almost half a million pounds since I did Funding Accelerator. It was like a boot camp helping me get ready for fundraising and it works, it just works – it’s brilliant”

“The simple truth is that today it is harder and takes longer than ever to raise investment for startups, and the whole process is complex and nuanced. Without the support of Funding Accelerator I could see how easy it would have been to fall into traps or to feel disheartened when people say no.”

“One investor told us the forecast we developed on Funding Accelerator was the most detailed and thought-through forecast they had ever seen. They became our biggest investor.”

“The programme equips you with the tools to find the individuals that have invested in your space, how much, when and where. That is so useful.”

“The mentors were really generous with their time, expertise and knowledge. There’s been a lot of support both during and after the programme.”

“The programme fast tracked everything – we raised £250,000 in just four months, which is £50,000 more than we expected.”

“We went from not knowing where to start to raising an initial £250,000.”

“Had it not been for the programme I don’t know if I’d have had the courage to keep going; I might have just wound up the business and found a job.”

“I was feeling really insecure, doubting my ability. Funding Accelerator showed me the process of raising equity investment, using the terminology that investors expect. It changed me as a person. “

“Fundraising is like running a marathon. Before you get to the start line you need to prepare and the Funding Accelerator was the training I needed.”