Following a pilot in 2023, the Latvian angel investment syndicate BADideas.fund, in partnership with the Latvian Investment and Development Agency, has announced to AIN the launch of the second batch of Fundraising School to enable CEE startups attract global investments through a month-long bootcamp and investor speed-dating.

The program is free of charge and focuses on the first-time founders from CEE with a working MVP looking to fundraise in 2024.

Who can apply for Fundraising School?

This year's school is aimed at:

  • First-time founders
  • Building an early stage tech startup (ideally, an incorporated entity)
  • Building (or have built) an MVP with traction from first users / clients
  • With a pitch deck (at least the first version)
  • Preparing to fundraise for your first round in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025
  • Ready to commit around 24 hours across September-October

The application period will last until August 30. Startup founders can apply to participate in the program by following the link.

Last year, over 80 participants pitched to 40 investors at the program's conclusion, securing more than €3.5 million in funding since.

What can the participants expect?

The program is available for free, thanks to strategic support from the Latvian Investment and Development Agency and the EU cohesion policy objective "Strengthening research and innovation capacity and introducing advanced technologies to companies.” However, the program requires a €100 deposit, which will be returned upon school completion.

The program will last from September 10 to October 11, 2024 and consist of 9 online sessions organized into 4 blocks, 1 week each. The startups should be ready to do their homework and have one-on-one meetings with instructors. The timetable also includes one investor speed dating day, which will conclude the program.

The school will be led by two experienced instructors: Diāna Lāce-Davidova, Head of Operations at Whimsical ($30M raised, including from Accel), and Suhas Ghante, a two-time graduate of 500 Startups and partner at SVethos. In addition to lectures and workshops, four mentors who have successfully raised investments will share their experiences.

AIN reminds our readers that in July this year, BADideas.fund, together with FIRSTPICK and PurposeTech, backed Tiings, a Lithuanian zero-effort fashion repair marketplace. You can read more about the deal, here.