Over the next six months, Jason Ray and Lucas Vining will deliver a weekly webinar series targeted toward early-stage entrepreneurs on topics such as business model design, raising investor capital and uses of capital. Zenith will also invite guest speakers based on each topic to provide illustrative and practical examples. These sessions are intentionally designed to be educational and interactive.
A full list of topics and scheduled dates are below. Mark your calendars and we look forward to you joining us!
To register, please visit The Enterprise Center – Event Calendar & Registration Page
UPCOMING – Webinar Descriptions
Establishing Effective Pricing [January 9, 2023]
Am I losing money because I’m underpricing? Or Overpricing?
Establishing effective pricing can be difficult, especially for new products and services for which there are not direct comparisons. Learn some of the strategies you can leverage to make sure you’re optimizing revenue by ensuring your products or services are priced appropriately.
Effective Marketing Strategies [January 23, 2023]
If I pour more money into marketing, I’ll boost my sales, right?
Marketing does not necessarily equate to sales. It is critical to make sure that your marketing strategies are targeting the right audience and with the right message. We’ll cover all of these questions as well as hear from a subject matter expert on marketing and leveraging social media to boost your brand and company’s awareness and sales.
Preparing for Multiple Financing Rounds [January 30, 2023]
How can I position my company for long-term growth?
Raising a single financing round is challenging enough, but how can you plan to raise multiple? Positioning your company for long term growth and multiple future financing rounds is not always clear. Learn how to think about the long-term outlook for your company, how much money you’ll need to raise and how to best prepare for those future financing rounds from both a cap table and operating perspective.
Understanding Tax Implications of Raising Capital [February 6, 2023]
I just raised my first financing round; do I owe taxes now?
Both corporate and personal taxes related to financing events and stock can be extremely complex. That’s why we’re bringing a subject matter expert to break it down! Learn the different types of tax implications for both you and your business as your startup goes through the growth cycle and raises money.
Scaling a business [February 13, 2023]
I have product / market fit and early sales, but how do I get to the next level?
Scaling is always a challenge, even for experienced founders. We’ll cover some of the early and later steps you can take to smooth out the scaling process to make sure your company operations are repeatable. You’ll also hear about some of the most common challenges and ways to think about solving those challenges.
Integrating Values into Results [February 27, 2023]
How can I leverage my company values to improve by business?
Your company values underpin everything you do in your business and will be felt by your employees, customers and investors. Learn how to identify and articulate your company values as well as integrate them into your daily operations to build a strong team culture and positive customer experience.
Finding and Product/Market Fit [March 6, 2023]
What is product / market fit, and how do I know if I have it?
The number one reason startups fail is because they cannot effectively establish product / market fit. Learn why so many companies fail at this, how you can avoid common mistakes, and how your startup can demonstrate product market fit to scale and raise money. We will also cover the basics of lean startup and customer discovery as a foundation for the conversation on product / market fit.
Go-To-Market Strategies [March 13, 2023]
How do I successfully bring my product to market?
Launching a product is critical. To make sure the commercial debut of your company is successful there are a number of factors you may want to consider including defining your minimum viable product, soft vs hard launch and identifying an appropriate beachhead market. Learn what all of this means plus some additional considerations regarding how to successfully bring your company to market.
Defining Current Company Financial Position [March 20, 2023]
How can I understand where my company is financially?
Company financials are a big headache for a lot of founders; we get it, as a founder you want to be out in the world building! But understanding your company’s financial history and current position is critical to successful operations and raising money. Learn the basics of how to understanding your company finances and how to present the information to investors in a clear and concise way.
Creating Financial Projections [March 27, 2023]
How can I use my financial projections to tell a story?
Financial projections can be tricky, but if you are identifying and making the right assumptions about the future, they do not have to be complicated. Learn how to tell your growth story through your company financials and how to leverage this story to attract investors. Additionally, we’ll cover some of the red flags and most common mistakes we see in financial projections.
Building an investor deck and data room [April 10, 2023]
How do I create a pitch deck to attract investors?
Your pitch deck is often an integral part to making a first impression with investors. Even if the company is amazing, investors may be turned away if you’re not showcasing the right strengths in your deck. Learn the key components of a pitch deck as well as some design tips to make your deck stand out!
Nailing the Pitch [April 17, 2023]
How do I deliver a killer pitch to investors?
Pitching your company to investors can be scary, especially for a first-time founder. But there’s no reason it needs to be, especially if you’re armed with the tools to make your pitch convincing. Learn how to deliver a pitch, the basic components investors are looking for, and some general tips about how to keep your pitch clear and engaging.
Typical equity financing structures [April 24, 2023]
How should you evaluate the type of equity financing you pursue?
The stage of your business will determine the type of equity capital you can attract. For example, the earlier the stage of your business, the more dilution you may need to accept to raise equity financing. We’ll explore the best ways to evaluate equity financing and how to negotiate the best structures.
Determining an appropriate valuation [May 8, 2023]
How much is your company really worth?
Valuing early stage startups is an art, not a science. Learn some of the most common ways to approach this question, when to use different methods, which method might be right for your startup, and the strengths and weaknesses of each method.
Equity waterfall and capitalization tables [May 15, 2023]
Who owns your company?
This might seem like an obvious question, but keeping track of company ownership is a task that many founders struggle with. As you bring on new employees, advisors, investors and other stakeholders, tracking your cap table can become incredibly complex! Learn how to use a cap table and identify not only ownership structures, but also how to protect liquidation waterfalls (i.e. how much each stakeholder gets paid).
Planning for an Exit [May 22, 2023]
My long term vision is to sell my company or go public, but how do I proactively build towards that goal?
Different types of exits have different features and benefits. We’ll cover at a high level the most common types of exits and how to think about your exit goals from Day 1 as you’re building your company from the ground up.
COMPLETED – Webinars
Uses of capital in business overview
What’s the optimal capital structure for your business?
Capital structure in business is defined as a firm’s ratio of debt to equity in its financing activities. This ratio defines the relationship between borrowed dollars versus dollars invested in the business. The more money that business owners have invested in the firm, the easier it will be to attract financing, as it displays a great deal of confidence in the business and a lower risk to potential investors.
Raising external capital considerations
What should you think about when raising external capital for your business?
Not all external capital sources are created equal. Dilutive versus non-dilutive capital is a key consideration when evaluating how to finance your business with external money. Further, there are a number of pros and cons to consider when evaluating external capital providers.
Investing internally generated funds
How should you use your cash flow and profit to grow your business?
Internally generated funds can be the best sources of investment capital to grow your business in the short and long term. Let’s explore the best ways to allocate capital generated within your business.
Typical equity financing structures
How should you evaluate the type of equity financing you pursue?
The stage of your business will determine the type of equity capital you can attract. For example, the earlier the stage of your business, the more dilution you may need to accept to raise equity financing. We’ll explore the best ways to evaluate equity financing and how to negotiate the best structures.
Determining an appropriate valuation
How much is your company really worth?
Valuing early stage startups is an art, not a science. Learn some of the most common ways to approach this question, when to use different methods, which method might be right for your startup, and the strengths and weaknesses of each method.
Equity waterfall and capitalization tables
Who owns your company?
This might seem like an obvious question, but keeping track of company ownership is a task that many founders struggle with. As you bring on new employees, advisors, investors and other stakeholders, tracking your cap table can become incredibly complex! Learn how to use a cap table and identify not only ownership structures, but also how to protect liquidation waterfalls (i.e. how much each stakeholder gets paid).
Sourcing the right Investor
As long as they’ll write the check, why does it matter who my investor is?
An investment partnership is like a marriage; you’ll be with your investor for a long time, so you want to make sure they’re the right person for your company. Before you even approach prospective investors, there are ways to determine early on if they might be a fit for your company. After establishing investment thesis fit, learn how to think about cultural fit and other considerations in choosing the right partner.
Building an investor deck
How do I create a pitch deck to attract investors?
Your pitch deck is often an integral part to making a first impression with investors. Even if the company is amazing, investors may be turned away if you’re not showcasing the right strengths in your deck. Learn the key components of a pitch deck as well as some design tips to make your deck stand out!
