From Fundable
to Funded.

Investor Readiness Program

A two-day, in-person capital raising workshop for entrepreneurs in emerging and frontier markets — supported by the accelerators, incubators, foundations, multilaterals and Development Finance Institutions.

The Challenge

Capital is available.
Investor-ready businesses are not.

Development finance institutions, impact funds, family offices, and private investors have capital to deploy. Yet a persistent gap prevents that capital from reaching the enterprises that need it most.

The problem is rarely a shortage of investment-worthy businesses, but rather a shortage of investor-ready ones.

The result is high deal failure rates, extended due diligence timelines and investment cases too weak to close.

Who Should attend

Entrepreneurs in emerging markets who are ready to raise capital — and the organizations that prepare them.

Participants leave with clarity on how to make a crisp pitch deck, a stress-tested financial model, and the confidence to close.

01

Early-stage founders
Seeking their first institutional round of investment.

02

SME owners 

Raising capital beyond their immediate network for the first time.

03

Entrepreneurs 

Supported by accelerators, incubators, and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

04

ESOs and investors 

Bring this program to your cohort or portfolio.

What you will learn

Six modules. Every stage of a capital raise.

Every module is applied to your own business. You leave with a real work product, not just notes.

I

Build the financial model your investors actually want to see

II

Know your unit economics — and why they matter to institutional capital

III

Find the right investors and get in front of them

IV

Craft a pitch deck that moves deals forward

V

Understand how your business gets valued — and how to defend it

VI

Navigate due diligence, term sheets, and shareholder agreements through to close

Participants who complete the program earn a certificate from the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, a credential that signals to investors they are ready to raise, and ready to execute.

What makes this different

The full arc — from first conversation to negotiating agreements.

Many investor readiness programs are either too broad or too narrow. Online courses teach theory without application. Pitch coaching stops before due diligence begins. Neither prepares an entrepreneur to actually close a round.

This program covers the complete journey —from first investor conversation to signed agreement — built specifically for the capital structures and blended finance dynamics of emerging and frontier markets.

Optional component

Take your learning to the next level.

The program also offers an optional mock pitch component in front of a live panel of investors and sector experts. The panel evaluates coherence, credibility and strategic clarity with real-time feedback. So when participants walk into an actual investor meeting, they have already faced the hardest questions, increasing their likelihood of success.

The pitching sessions will be conducted over 2–3 days. Each enterprise will be provided with 15 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for Q&A.

Gagandeep Bakshi

Your Instructor

Gagandeep Bakshi

Senior Director of Impact Investing, William Davidson Institute

With 20+ years of experience, Gagan is a seasoned investment banker and leader in blended finance and capital structuring, combined with his track record of closing high-impact transactions in emerging markets, across India and Africa. He brings the same skills used to close institutional deals at Intellecap directly into the workshop — capital structuring, blended finance, term sheet negotiation, and pitch development.

A CFA charter, Gagan earned his MBA from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a BA with Honours in Economics from Delhi University.

CFA Charter

MBA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

BA (Hons) Economics, Delhi University

Proven Results

From workshop to MOUs at the Invest Bhutan Summit.

In February 2026, Instructor Gagandeep Bakshi delivered investor readiness training ahead of the Invest Bhutan Summit.

The result: 19 investment-ready projects presented, and 11 Memoranda Of Understanding signed with investors at the summit.

19

Investment-ready projects presented at the summit

11

Memoranda of understanding signed with investors

The Broader Impact

Investor readiness is an ecosystem-level capability — with its benefits extending well beyond individual participants:

Enterprises

Gain better access to capital and stronger valuation outcomes.

Investors

Benefit from higher-quality deal flow and reduced due diligence costs.

ESOs & ecosystem builders

Strengthen the pipeline and increase deal closures.

Get Started

Bring the program to your cohort or portfolio.

If you are managing a cohort or portfolio of enterprises in a region and would like to learn more about the Investor Readiness Program, please reach out to us and we will get in touch.