Angel Investing Intensive by Furthermore Ventures x Class Rebel
A comprehensive, fast-track to startup investing.
4 sessions over a two weeks, beginning Friday, November 8th.
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DATES
November 8th - 11 am - 1 pm ET - virtual
November 13th - 7 pm - 9 pm ET - virtual
November 15th - 10 am - 3 pm ET - virtual or in-person NYC
November 22nd - 11 am - 1 pm ET - virtual
All sessions will be recorded, and participants will have full permanent access to recordings.
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WHO SHOULD JOIN?
Class geared to those who are angel curious; founders interested in learning about fundraising from an investor's point of view; or those interested in advising for equity.
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WHY JOIN US?
We have designed a class that provides a comprehensive curriculum in a compressed timeline; allows for open and candid dialogue in a small group setting; focuses on critical concepts for practical and immediate application; and is informed by years of diverse experience.
In just 14 days, you’ll be able to:
Develop an Industry Investment Thesis & Key Investment Criteria
Develop Your Approach to Deal Sourcing & Due Diligence
Understand Deal Sequencing From Pre-Seed Onward
Understand the legal mechanics of the 3 Core Venture Deal Structures: SAFEs, Convertible Notes and Priced Rounds
Negotiate Equity Compensation for Consulting to Startups
Benefits of this Program:
Custom material & sessions curated for Furthermore community(above and beyond what is included in public classes) including an in-depth review of venture capital, special purpose vehicles, and implications for angels as well as a mock due diligence and investment review session.
Flexibility to join virtually and access recordings at your leisure. Attendees will have forever access to our class recordings and the ability to take a public refresher course for free.
Private and candid setting allowing for open conversation, problem-solving and 1x1 time with instructors. No public access to recordings.
Compressed timeline enabling attendees to begin evaluating investment opportunities immediately
Community building and networking which is key to future deal flow and endless professional and personal opportunities. Option to join in person on November 15th.
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PROGRAM FORMAT
Session 1: The Basics (November 8th, 11 am - 1 pm)
Foundational Concepts: Private vs Public Co, Accredited Investors, Angel vs VC
Angel Mindset: Benefits and Risks in Early Stage Investing
Deal Sequencing: Basic patterns in early series of fundraising
Key Players in the Venture Ecosystem: Family, Friends, Angels, VCs, Crowdfunding, Lenders
Session 2: Investment Thesis, Deal Sourcing & Due Diligence (November 13th, 7 pm - 9 pm)
Investment Thesis Development: Macro & Micro Theses
Deal Sourcing: 6 Sources
Due Diligence: Investor Decks, 5-Year Forecasts, Data Room
Key Investment Resources
Session 3: Seed Stage Deals (November 15th, 10 am - 3 pm - virtual or in-person)
Terms of the Convertible Note
Terms of the SAFE
Pro Forma Cap Table: Your tool to predict your equity outcome
The 7 Drivers of Your Financial Outcome
Session 4: Series A Stage Deals, Negotiating Equity As A Consultant & The Exit Terms of the Priced Round (November 15th, 10 am - 3 pm - virtual or in-person)
Economics vs Control in a Priced Round
How Options Work & How to Negotiate Equity as a Consultant
Monitoring Your Investment & The Exit
Session 5: Group Investment Analysis* (November 22, 11 am - 1 pm)
Pitch and Q&A with Founder
Review of Investment Opportunity
Open Discussion/Sharing of Investment Decisions
*During the week between Session 4 and Session 5, pitch decks and company financial information will be shared in preparation for the group investment review.
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PROGRAM INSTRUCTORS
Learn from Experienced Investors, Founders and Advisors
Our instruction will be led by Brooke Harley who has decades of experience as an attorney, investor, startup executive, and educator. As an accomplished industry veteran, Brooke will share her insights, tools, and techniques in evaluating investment opportunities and leading fundraising for a startup. Alaina Sparks of Furthermore Ventures will bring her expertise from a number of years coaching startup founders and more recently investing in and organizing angel investments in startups.
We will all also benefit from the views of guest founders, investors, and financial advisors including Michelle McCormick of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Brooke Harley
Founder & CEO, ClassRebel
In 2018, Brooke launched ClassRebel, an education company with the mission to make modern education a public good, available and affordable to all. ClassRebel’s venture finance courses aim to get startup founders ready to raise and investors ready to invest and ClassRebel’s clients include Google, Amazon, and Meta. Prior to ClassRebel, Brooke raised a US$32m VC fund aimed at making consumer investments and also worked for Lululemon Athletica’s CFO as Head of Business Development and International Operations. Prior to Lululemon, Brooke was an M&A attorney. Brooke holds a J.D. from Osgoode Hall and is a current candidate for the New York Bar (2024). She also holds an M.B.A. from Ivey Business School at Western University and has been covered by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg for her work with ClassRebel.
Alaina Sparks
Founder, Furthermore Ventures
Alaina founded Furthermore Ventures in 2022 to invest in the work and brands of women who are positively changing our food system. She builds community, organizes educational forums, and organizes investment syndicates in startups. Prior to Furthermore, she had an 18-year career at Deloitte leading various sales/marketing, relationship management, and strategic initiatives. She was responsible for building the fintech practice and the ecosystem and alliances program for the global financial services practice. Alaina earned a BS in Marketing and Management and a BA in Chinese Language and Literature from Indiana University. Alaina has invested in 13 startup companies over the past several years.
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GUEST ADVISOR
Michelle Silverstein McCormick
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Michelle Silverstein McCormick is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, where she joined the Winter Stein Potvin Hokin Group in 2023 following an illustrious career operating with startups in the retail and online consumer tech industry. Prior to joining Merrill, Michelle co-founded a consumer online marketplace business called The Verticale which focused on sustainable and conscious shopping brands. She also held key go-to-market roles at leading consumer companies such as ClassPass, Sakara Life, Kettlebell Kitchen, and Foundermade. It was during Michelle’s time building The Verticale, however, that she learned first-hand the importance of financial well-being and planning for entrepreneurs and executives. She focuses her business on working mainly with female business leaders across the finance, tech, and startup industries and assists them in all areas of investing, banking, and financial planning. Michelle received her B.A. in Rhetorical Studies from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She holds her SIE, Series 7, and 66 licenses and is a licensed Life & Health insurance agent/broker.
FAQs/CONCERNS
1) I am unable to attend one or more of the scheduled sessions.
No worries. We have designed this class with you and your demanding schedules in mind. You will have an opportunity to watch a recording of the session straight away - hopefully before the next session. You will also always have an opportunity to join another live virtual class at any time so that you can address any questions that may remain unanswered after our sessions are complete.
2) Is there a requirement that I invest in a startup company as part of the startup pitch and investment analysis covered in Session 5?
There is absolutely no expectation of an investment. This exercise is to help you prepare for interactions with founders and investment analyses using a real, live example. Should you wish to invest, you may pursue that opportunity with the founder.
3) I have never made an investment in a private company. Should I have some experience as an investor before taking this class?
Experience is not required. We will be covering foundational concepts at the beginning of the class and applying those concepts to a real investment opportunity. There will be plenty of time to review and discuss both foundational and more advanced concepts.
4) ClassRebel's Public Angel 101 Class is $99. What is the difference between that public 8-hour class and this 10-hour Intensive, Private Class?
ClassRebel offers Private Classes for team-based learning experiences. In our case, each registration is reviewed and approved by Furthermore Ventures with the goal of ensuring that multiple points of view and perspectives are brought to the table for this team-based learning program. Note: The ClassRebel fee for the standard, 8-hour Private Class is 5x the cost of a Public Angel 101 Class.
Our instructors, Brooke and Alaina, have created custom material and content which is not included in public courses. Specifically, we have added content related to VC Fund Formation and Special Purpose Vehicles - how these entities are structured, key terms, how compensation works and how that impacts a Limited Partner's investment. This is key additional knowledge for anyone investing direct into VC Funds or SPVs and for those looking to raise and lead their own SPVs and VC Funds.
We have also added a Due Diligence & Investment Committee Review (Session 5). Together, this adds 2 hours of instruction time, plus multiple hours of our time creating content, in addition to the time of our guest founder in preparation and presentation.
We offer a private, candid and small group setting, with our recorded sessions only available to participants in this Furthermore Ventures class. We will encourage, and all will benefit from, open and candid conversation. In contrast, recordings of ALL Public Angel 101 classes are available to ANY attendee of ANY Public Angel 101 course. Specifically, there is no private discussion amongst public class participants.
In-person attendees will also benefit from:
1x1 time to address questions with instructors
time for networking/relationship development critical to future deal flow and investment community building
Fee for Nov 15 in-person option also includes conference room rental and catering costs.