Dragons Den

The Dragons Den is a 1 hour event simulating the path towards VC investment. Two startups will be on stage for 30 min each to pitch their idea and answer all the in depth questions by the Dragons aimed to assess whether an investment is a reasonable and attractive option.

The Goal of this event is to show the audience what investors pay attention to and how startups should prepare for their first large fundraising rounds. Furthermore it offers two investment seeking startups the opportunity to put their own startup to the test and possibly get the attention of potential investors. It will be the simulation of an investor meeting where investors disclose live what concerns certain answers/aspects of a business raise and what motivates their follow up questions.

Audience

  • Entrepreneurs eager to learn more about investment and how to prepare for fundraising
  • Finance students eager to learn how to assess potential investment opportunities
  • Investors interested in the presented investment opportunities and the potential talent in the audience (finance students)

Open Call

  • Actively raising funds or preparing to raise funds within 1 month of the event
  • Raising funds of at least 100.000 Euros
  • Willing to share information regarding their progress, successes, and shortcomings necessary to evaluate the investment in their companies in front of the audience.
  • Prepared to answer in depth questions regarding their venture such as:
  1. What is your product or service? What problem does it solve?
  2. Who is your target market? How do you plan to reach and acquire customers?
  3. How much funding are you seeking, and what will the funds be used for?
  4. What is your revenue model? How do you plan to make money?
  5. Who are your competitors? What makes your product or service different or better than theirs?
  6. What is your team’s background and experience? Do you have any advisors or mentors?
  7. What are your growth projections? What milestones do you hope to achieve in the next 12-18 months?
  8. What are the biggest risks and challenges facing your business?
  9. What is your exit strategy? How do you plan to provide a return on investment for your investors?
  10. How do you plan to use the resources and expertise of the VC firm to help grow your business?

We also encourage startups that do not meet all of the requirements to apply. In such cases please provide a justification as to why your participation would still be a good fit.

Apply