Due: Feb.23rd, 2024posted to Canvas/Assignments
Due: Feb.23rd, 2024posted to Canvas/Assignments
Prof. David Blakely
dblakely@loyalistcollege.com
Assignment:
I am providing you with two(2) fintech companies that have been successful in their seed financing, their market launch, their scale of operations. One of these fintechs was incubated at a small Canadian school and has been sold for a dramatic amount. It created jobs and investment for their community & created a successful exit for early and mid-term investors. The other has an international founding footprint(USA, France+India) received multiple funding support from Tier 1 institutional capital. Your assignment is to pick one of the two entities---educate yourself on their story of success and prepare a Pitch Deck using the Sequoia Capital format. In both cases you get the benefit of hindsight, with certainty that your pitch and plan is going to work and how it actually did. This should help you populate the deck with the information that is truly relevant, explainable & effective.
You will prepare the deck in the assumption that you are one of the Co-Founders. You can use existing or imagined other team members to round out your group that will be pitching.
(*NOTE: if we were in-class this would be a group exercise with multiple student Co-Founders playing various roles. As we are 100% online this term, a written draft Pitch Deck prepared individually will have to suffice)
Marking Scheme/Rubric:
Either company can be selected. One is software and one is financial services; both are true fintech success stories & leverage technology as a competitive advantage.
We are looking to see, firstly that you adhere to the Sequoia format as a guideline.
We are looking to see secondly that you communicate the essential messaging of a Pitch.
When it comes to a section that you may not be able to completesuch as Founding Team, please make up participants, such as Mr. Smith or Ms. Wong and assign attributes to their background and skill level that you might think assist the pitch.
Remember: the pitch is a limited, personal meeting with accredited Angel, Venture or Institutional investors. They will be polite and watch your limited presentation of the Sequoia Deck. Remember--the objective of your Pitch Meeting is not to score a multi-million dollar investment or Term Sheet; it is simply to get your team asked back for a full review of your 50-60 page Business Plan and scrutiny of your financial pro-formas. That detailed follow-up and series of Q&A will/could be the key to your ultimate VC funding success.
FINTECH COMPANIES:
Below is a brief description of both fintechs; their website and some related media. Feel at liberty to search for additional information if it helps you complete your Pitch Deck. There is an impression that fintechs get formed, funded and execute very fast , but these companies have taken years to develop and refine their value proposition and in a series of funding rounds accessed the capital they need to execute for their customers & stakeholders.
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Mpower Financing (LENDING)
Have developed an algorithmic credit scoring model that looks forward at a loan applicants potential and future loan repayment capability rather than back at unavailable credit history.
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www.mpowerfinancing.com/Links to an external site.-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTpf5_3YWnsLinks to an external site.
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https://www.mpowerfinancing.com/mpower-secures-6m-series-funding-institutional-investors/#:~:text=MPOWER%20Financing%20today%20announced%20that,Capital)%2C%20as%20well%20as%20newcomersLinks to an external site.-
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fintech-platform-mpower-financing-raises-100-million-in-equity-to-support-students-worldwide-301332067.htmlLinks to an external site.-
https://www.americanbanker.com/list/best-fintechs-to-work-forLinks to an external site.(#16)
Verafin (SOFTWARE)
Have developed Anti-Money Laundering(AML) Software & applications for Financial Institutions.
www.verafin.comLinks to an external site.-
https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2005/intrd/0808n04.htmLinks to an external site.-
http://www.canadian-universities.net/News/Press-Releases/November_21_2006_Verafin_Inc_graduates_from_Genesis_Centre.htmlLinks to an external site.-
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/verafin-fuels-growth-strategy-with-55-million-investment-538561452.htmlLinks to an external site.
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https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120727005515/en/Three-New-Awards-for-VerafinLinks to an external site.
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https://verafin.com/news/verafin-receives-c60-million-growth-investment-from-spectrum-equity/Links to an external site.-
https://verafin.com/news/verafin-completes-c515-million-equity-and-debt-recapitalization/Links to an external site.-
https://www.mun.ca/alumni/honouring-our-alumni/alumni-tribute-awards/luminus-award---verafin-founders/Links to an external site.-
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/verafin-nasdaq-deal-1.5807866Links to an external site.-
RESOURCES:
Sequoia Capital Pitch Deck: DRAFT
Posted On Canvas Weekly Module.
AirBnB Original Venture Funding Pitch went viral and became the standard for other newcos to follow & has been modified for this video. 2 mins+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W8PyuJ4mDU&t=26sLinks to an external site.
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*END*
