Fundraising for Business

Cost
₱30,000 PHP₱25,000 PHP
Course Dates
Open now, starts January 2025
Schedule
4 sessions, every Sat
Location
BGC

Raise funds for your venture or project with confidence.

Learn how to do it - sources & stages of funding, process, pitching, term sheets, closing. Then actually do it - pitch to real investors at the end of the course.

Apply Now

Meet Your Instructor

Teacher

Nichel

Gaba

LinkedIn Profile
Founder & CEO, PDAX | ex-HSBC | Wharton MBA

Experience

Founder & CEO

Philippine Digital Asset Exchange

Partner

Archipelago Labs

VP, Trust Department

HSBC

Education

The Wharton School

MBA

Ateneo de Manila University

BS, Management Engineering

About

Nichel is the founder of PDAX, a regulated crypto exchange in the Philippines, with a career rooted in financial markets across banking, asset management, and securities. His mission with PDAX is to make financial services safer and more accessible, especially in volatile markets, to benefit the broader economy and individual investors alike.

At Accel Institute, Nichel teaches fundraising, accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship. He brings years of teaching experience from Ateneo de Manila University and a commitment to helping entrepreneurs understand financial markets. Nichel provides practical insights on navigating finance safely and using it to empower their business goals.

What you'll learn

“You have to spend money to make money.” Yes, funds are the lifeblood of any venture or project. But under what circumstances should you raise funds from other people, instead of relying on your own savings? When is the right time to consider this option? Whom should you go to, if you determine this is the right path? In this session, we’ll explore all these questions that are critical to the success of most ventures.
By the end of the session, you will know:
  • The right reasons and right timing to raise outside capital
  • What you need to have in place to be able to fundraise = potential + proof
  • Who the sources of funding are - both lenders (debt) and investors (equity)
  • What the motivations are for these funding sources, and how that informs whom you should raise from
In this session, you’ll learn how to develop a strong pitch, and how to convince investors that you & your idea are worth supporting. You will also understand the concept of valuation: how to figure out (and convince investors) how much your company is worth! Valuation is critical – it determines what % of your company you should be giving away, in return for how much money you’re getting to fund it.
By the end of the session, you will know:
  • How to put together a strong pitch, refine it, and deliver it in a compelling way
  • How investors evaluate your venture, especially vs. other investment options they have!
  • Different methodologies to valuing your company – specifically, intrinsic vs. extrinsic valuation methods
In this session, we will learn networking strategies to help you reach your ideal investor or partner. We will also learn how to manage an investor pipeline, with the goal of landing a term sheet – an initial agreement that summarizes the key terms you and your investor/s need to agree on. We’ll discuss which terms you should care about & pay attention to – the economic terms (money stuff), and the control terms (who gets to decide what).
By the end of the session, you will know:
  • Where to find potential investors and how to establish a connection with them
  • What the key terms are in a term sheet, and why they’re important for you to understand
  • Important concepts such as pre- and post-money valuation, liquidation preference (who would get paid first), Board seats (who gets a say in your company - especially hiring & firing, and that includes you!), and many others
In the last session, you’ll get the chance to apply the new knowledge & skills that you’ve learned in the course – you will pitch your business idea or company to real investors! We believe this is the best way to learn fundraising: learn by doing. Not only will you get valuable feedback from investors on your pitch and your idea/company, but who knows – you may get an invitation to an accelerator program, or an actual investor meeting that could get you a real check for your venture!
By the end of the session, you will know:
  • The strengths & weaknesses of your pitch and your actual idea
  • How real investors think, and what types of questions they ask
  • How to strengthen your pitch and idea – not just from feedback received on your own pitch, but from your classmates’ pitches too!
  • Know if it’s a good idea, and the right time, to raise outside funds for your venture or project
  • Find out who to go to for capital, and what to look for in an investor
  • Put together a strong pitch
  • Understand the term sheet, and learn which terms really matter
  • Pitch to real investors!

“This class is for anyone who wants to pursue a passion project, start a business, or grow your company. Pitching to investors sounds scary, but there is a science to fundraising. Besides, you basically have no choice but to learn it - it’s almost impossible to grow your business without the right partners and investors.

There are no guarantees in business, but mastering the process of fundraising will put your company in the best position to succeed. So if you want to turn your company into something big, or just make sure its financial future is secure, then this class is for you.” - Nichel Gaba, Founder & CEO of PDAX