The Missing Skill in Ent Ed: Embedding Funding Readiness into Curriculum

The Missing Skill in Enterprise Education: Embedding Funding Readiness into the Curriculum

Access to funding is one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face. A lack of finance is consistently cited as the number one barrier to starting or scaling a business, and the process of trying to secure it can quickly become a major distraction for founders.

The odds are stacked against them: venture capital firms typically invest in less than 1% of the pitch decks they review, meaning most startups fail not because their ideas lack potential, but because demand far outweighs supply and entrepreneurs don’t know how to navigate the complex funding process. The consequences mean significant time is wasted chasing the wrong funding, from the wrong funders at the wrong time.

By embedding a structured, strategic and proven approach to raising finance into the curriculum, we can better prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs to overcome one of the toughest barriers to success.

This 45-minute interactive webinar explores practical ways to integrate funding readiness into curricula, with a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation teaching.

Join Matthew Draycott (Associate Professor in Innovation Management, BCU, Enterprise Educators UK) and Jim Shirley (Founder of FundingHero, author of The Startup Fundraising MBA) as they share insights, strategies, and examples of curriculum design that build the knowledge, skills, and confidence students need to navigate the fundraising journey.

We will:

• Define funding readiness — what it means in practice, and why it determines whether a business is in the 1% that secures funding or the 99% that don’t.
• Demystify the funding landscape — helping students understand the perspectives of both debt funders and equity investors.
• Introduce a structured approach — showing how a step-by-step framework can give founders clarity, confidence, and credibility when raising finance.

• Translate into teaching practice — exploring ways to adapt curriculum content so students build applied skills, not just theoretical knowledge.

• Equip educators with resources — sharing module outlines and teaching tools to make funding readiness part of entrepreneurship and innovation degrees.
  

This session is designed for academics seeking to enrich their teaching and better equip students, whether launching innovation-driven enterprises or running smaller entrepreneurial ventures for success in accessing the funding they need to start and scale.