Why summer might be the best time for founders to get fundraising-ready (Sponsored)

Are you a startup founder planning to raise capital later this year? If so, the quieter summer weeks could be the right moment to prepare before investor conversations become urgent.

For many early-stage startups, fundraising does not fail because the company is not interesting. It often becomes difficult because founders enter the process without enough preparation: the story is not sharp enough, the investor list is too random, the deck is still being changed between calls, and the overall process lacks momentum.

That is where the 3-week live online Fundraising Summer Camp 2026 by Dr. Florian Kandler comes in.

The 3-week live online programme is designed for startup founders who want to prepare for a serious fundraising push after the summer. Instead of waiting until September, when investors return from holidays, startup events pick up again, and inboxes get crowded, founders can use July to work on the fundamentals of their fundraising strategy.

What’s it about?

The Fundraising Summer Camp helps founders prepare the key building blocks of a professional fundraising process.

Over three weeks, participants work on their investor story, fundraising strategy, pitch materials, outreach approach, and the typical questions investors need answered before they can seriously consider an investment.

The focus is practical from the start: helping founders turn their startup from “interesting company” into a clearer investment opportunity.

That means working on questions such as:

• What makes this company fundable?
• Which investors are actually a good fit?
• What does the funding round need to achieve?
• How should the company position its traction, market, team, and timing?
• How can founders create more momentum in investor conversations?
• Which common fundraising mistakes should they avoid before they burn valuable investor contacts?

Learn from an multi-funded founder

The programme is led by Dr. Florian Kandler, a serial founder, fundraising advisor, pitch coach, and author. He has personally raised millions for two of his own startups and helped thousands of founders prepare for investor conversations. 

Florian recently delivered a highly popular fundraising session at the EU-Startups Summit, which you can watch directly below.

Who’s it for?

The Fundraising Summer Camp is aimed at startup founders who are preparing for a pre-Seed or Seed round, or who are already speaking with investors but feel that their current process is not yet strong enough.

It is especially relevant for founders who want to raise capital in the coming months and want to avoid going into investor conversations with a half-ready deck, a vague investor strategy, or the classic “we’ll figure it out as we go” approach.

That approach can work wonderfully for a weekend trip.

For fundraising? Not so much.

Founders who benefit most are usually those who already have a serious startup project, are considering or planning an investment round, and want to understand how to make the company more attractive, understandable, and investable from an investor’s point of view.

How does it work?

The programme runs live online over three weeks and combines structured input sessions with workshop and Q&A formats.

Participants receive practical frameworks, templates, checklists, and guidance to improve their fundraising preparation step by step. The goal is not just to create a nicer-looking pitch deck, but to build a more convincing fundraising story and a more focused process.

The live format also allows founders to bring their own questions into the sessions and apply the material directly to their specific fundraising situation.

For those who cannot attend every session live, recordings are available. Participants also receive implementation support after the live programme, so they can continue refining their fundraising process during the months when investor conversations become more active.

Key Information

The Fundraising Summer Camp starts on 1 July for the 10th consecutive year. The programme is limited to 10 startup spots (2 spots left), keeping the group small and focused.

The programme includes:

• 3-week live online programme
• 6 half-day sessions
• investor strategy, pitch, outreach, and fundraising process work
• worksheets, templates, checklists, guides, and investor resources
• access to recordings of all sessions
• implementation support by Florian after the Summer Camp

For founders planning to raise capital after the summer, the programme offers a structured way to use July as preparation time rather than waiting until fundraising becomes urgent.

Because when investors are back, events restart, and the market wakes up again, you probably do not want to be the founder still wondering whether slide 7 should be called “Business Model” or “Revenue Logic”. You want to be ready.

Founders interested in joining the Fundraising Summer Camp can find the full programme details, upcoming briefing options, and the opportunity to secure one of the remaining startup spots on the Fundraising Summer Camp website.

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