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A place-based edition of Spring Activator’s Investor Challenge—building a culture of early-stage angel investing and purpose-driven entrepreneurship in the Kootenay Region.
The Kootenay Investment Challenge is a 10-week online program in the fall of 2022 facilitated by Spring Activator that brings together investment-ready tech entrepreneurs and investors looking to impact the local community.
Participants of the entrepreneur cohort will learn the fundamentals of seeking investor funding, build out their data room and develop an investor-ready pitch.
Meanwhile, the investor cohort will learn how to assess a startup’s investment worthiness, conduct proper due diligence and learn the foundations of angel investing. The Challenge will conclude with the investor cohort selecting one Kootenay region entrepreneur to receive an angel investment.
This collaborative initiative between Spring Activator and the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST) is funded in partnership with the British Columbia Rural Dividend Fund.
At the end of the program, the investor cohort will award between $50,000 – $100,000 in investment to one Kootenay-based startup.
CHALLENGE DETAILS
The Kootenay Investment Challenge provides the opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about funding fundamentals and how to build a data room through the initial Investment Readiness Training (IRT).
Upon completion of the IRT portion of the program, all entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to compete in the first pitch event, where the investor cohort will choose the top 3-4 businesses that will move on to compete in the final pitch event 5 weeks later.
During the 5 weeks prior to the final pitch event, the entrepreneur and investor cohorts will intersect to learn/work collaboratively through the due diligence portion of the program.
INVESTOR TRACK
Applicants are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis until the cohort is filled.
ENTREPRENEUR TRACK
We are no longer accepting applications for the Entrepreneur Track.
WATCH AN INFORMATION SESSION TO LEARN MORE
INVESTOR TRACK
ENTREPRENEUR TRACK
FAQs
INVESTOR COHORT –
KOOTENAY INVESTMENT CHALLENGE
Program Schedule
Dates: Thursdays, September 29 – December 1
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 pm PST, weekly
Location: Sessions will happen virtually on Zoom, Pitch events will happen virtually on Hopin
Session Topics
- Investing 101 & Preparing for Pitch Night
- Initial Pitch Night
- Investment Evaluation Kick-Off
- Due Diligence and Regional Investing Trends
- Financial Due Diligence
- Negotiation & Valuation
- Due Diligence Team Presentations
- Demo Day: Pitch Finale
- Post-Investment & Closing
What You Will Learn
- The Foundations of Early-Stage Investing
- Financial Due Diligence
- Understanding Returns
- How to Select Investment Opportunities
- Deal Mechanics
Tangible Outcomes
All participating investors will complete the program by having made an angel investment in a Kootenay region tech startup.
Participant Selection Criteria
Types of participants we are looking for include (but are not limited to):
- A seasoned investor curious to learn more about impact investing
- An experienced entrepreneur interested in investing
- A corporate or new career individual, purpose-driven
- Local professionals looking to stay up to date on innovation and learn about investing
Program Cost
Course Fees
- A one-time program fee of $1,275 + GST that covers
- All the administration, legal support, and course fee associated with the program and investment vehicle
- First-year membership to the Spring Investing Collective ($500 value)
- Early-bird: program fee of $975 + GST (if you register before August 19)
- Paid upon registration to the program
- Investor alumni can join any future Spring Investor Challenge free of charge (no program fee, only the investment commitment)
INVESTOR INVESTMENT COMMITMENT
- An investment commitment of:
- $10,000 for accredited investors
- $2,500 for non-accredited investors
Example: An accredited investor would pay a $975 early bird fee and then make a pre-committed investment of $10,000. The total cash participation of that investor will be $10,975
ENTREPRENEUR COHORT –
INVESTMENT READINESS TRAINING
Program Schedule
Dates: Thursdays, September 8 – October 13
Time: 9:00 – 11:00 am PST, weekly
Pitch Event: 4:00 – 6:00 pm PST on October 13
Location: Sessions will happen virtually on Zoom, Pitch events will happen virtually on Hopin
Session Topics
- Fundraising Fundamentals, Due Diligence, and Data Rooms
- Sales Strategies
- Marketing Fundamentals
- Honing Your Pitch
- Financial Forecasts
- Legal (Terms and Captables)
What You Will Learn
- Understanding funding fundamentals & how to pitch effectively
- How to prepare a solid due diligence (data room) package
- How to efficiently share your sales and growth strategy
- Preparing for legal terms, deal terms, and valuation
Tangible Outcomes
All businesses will complete the Investment Readiness Training portion of the Challenge with:
- An understanding of what a data room is and what information is required
- A pitch deck and pitch
- Up to two hours of one-on-one coaching related to due diligence and pitching
- Participation in a pitch event
Participant Selection Criteria
Local Impact: place-based economic development
Stage: pre-seed to seed stage with indicators of traction
Team: strong team commitment and diversity
Potential for Scale: looking to raise between $100K – $1M on average
Location: your tech venture is based anywhere in the Kootenays or, if you are outside of the Kootenay region, demonstrated ties within the region
Program Cost
The Kootenay Investment Challenge and Investment Readiness Training programs are free to participating entrepreneurs. We only ask that businesses that join are committed to attending sessions, come prepared, and engage with other participant
ENTREPRENEUR COHORT –
KOOTENAY INVESTMENT CHALLENGE
Program Schedule
Dates: Thursdays, September 29 – December 1
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 pm PST, weekly
Location: Sessions will happen virtually on Zoom, Pitch events will happen virtually on Hopin
Session Topics
- Entrepreneur Welcome & Orientation
- Investing 101 & Preparing for Pitch Night
- Initial Pitch Night
- Investment Evaluation Kick-Off
- Due Diligence and Regional Investing Trends
- Financial Due Diligence
- Negotiation & Valuation
- Due Diligence Team Presentations
- Demo Day: Pitch Finale
- Post-Investment & Closing
What You Will Learn
- Understanding the Investor Mindset
- Polishing Up Your Pitch
- The Investor Evaluation Process
- Deal Mechanics & Understanding Returns
Tangible Outcomes
- A built-out data room
- Participation in the grand finale pitch event
- One entrepreneur will receive an angel investment
Participant Selection Criteria
Local Impact: place-based economic development
Stage: pre-seed to seed stage with indicators of traction
Team: strong team commitment and diversity
Potential for Scale: looking to raise between $100K – $1M on average
Location: your tech venture is based anywhere in the Kootenays or, if you are outside of the Kootenay region, demonstrated ties within the region
At the initial pitch event, the investor cohort will select their top 3-4 entrepreneurs to continue in the Challenge and participate in the final pitch five weeks later.
Program Cost
The Kootenay Investment Challenge and Investment Readiness Training programs are free to participating entrepreneurs. We only ask that businesses that join are committed to attending sessions, come prepared, and engage with other participant
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