Announcing Thesis Driven's Second Course: Fundamentals of Capital Raising
A two-day bootcamp providing an insider’s guide to raising real estate capital from individuals, family offices and institutional investors
On June 19-20, Thesis Driven is launching its second industry course, a live two-day bootcamp: Fundamentals of Capital Raising for real estate operators and entrepreneurs.
The bootcamp’s aim is to help new & aspiring real estate entrepreneurs quickly develop the diverse set of skills required to raise capital for real estate projects—along with learning how and where to find investors.
The bootcamp consists of six 1-hour lectures, plus Q&A sessions:
Investor Types: Breaking down high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), family offices and institutional investors and how they think about real estate investing
Picking the Right Investment Vehicle: Designing the right fee structure and legal framework for different project types and investor targets
Marketing Materials & Storytelling: Highlighting key financial metrics in your model and bringing them to life through marketing materials and pitches
Sourcing Debt: Sourcing and pitching lenders, and using debt term sheets to validate your financial model for investors
Investor Lists & Outreach: Customizing an investor list and outreach plan that best fit the project, and strategically phasing the process to maximize interest
Closing the Deal: Negotiating and competing term sheets to get the best terms while planning for future capital raises
The course will take a case-based approach, following the capitalization of Washington Place, a fictional 16-unit multifamily project in an up-and-coming neighborhood in “Big Apple City”.
The first day will introduce students to different investor types, deal structures and the sponsor’s preparation of underwriting and marketing materials to go out to market for capital.
The second day will walk students through the process of sourcing debt, running the outreach process to equity investors and negotiating and closing the deal.
At the end, students will design and present their own capital raising campaign—and later be provided access to an ongoing online community for students to continue networking, exchanging notes and sharing wins.
It will be held in-person in NYC at Industrious’s training center at 3 World Trade Center, and it will be personally taught by Thesis Driven contributor Paul Stanton. Paul is a partner at a boutique investment bank that raises capital for real estate sponsors and projects. He has also invested in real estate as a principal, acquiring and managing over 8 million square feet of multifamily, office and industrial projects throughout his career.
You can go here to sign up and learn more about the course.
Why do this and who is it for?
Raising capital for real estate projects is intimidating.
It requires a unique combination of sales, marketing, legal and general entrepreneurship skills, plus knowing how – and where – to access investors. But unfortunately there is no guidebook to develop this skill set or navigate the capital raising process, leaving budding real estate entrepreneurs in the dark and on their own.
We’ve personally been there and know the challenges!
So we created this course to help students raise capital with confidence, providing the fundamental skills and knowledge to run a well-planned fundraising process (whether it's for $50 thousand or $50 million) and avoid many potholes along the way.
We expect this knowledge will be broadly applicable to anyone growing their career in real estate, but specifically to new & aspiring real estate entrepreneurs, as well as anyone looking to brush up on their approach to the real estate capital markets.
Note that while there may be some transferrable lessons, this course is not intended for entrepreneurs looking to raise venture capital.
What does it cost?
The live bootcamp is $1,500 and limited to 35 students. Sign up now.
We have no immediate plans to offer this course online, although we’ll certainly let all Thesis Driven subscribers know if and when that changes.
What’s next for Thesis Driven courses?
Given the success of our first two Fundamentals of Commercial Real Estate cohorts in March and May (NPS of 74!), we’ll be hosting our live third course in August. Sign up here.
We’ve also launched the Fundamentals community on Circle, which allows alumni of our courses to continue discussions and networking online, post opportunities, access events and share wins!
Lastly, we’re beginning to work with real estate and proptech companies to offer private cohorts for employees – both live and virtual. Feel free to send us an email (paul@thesisdriven.com or brad@thesisdriven.com) to learn more.
—Brad Hargreaves and Paul Stanton
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