JOIN The Dream Ventures Accelerator (DVA) January 22, 2025

The Dream Ventures Accelerator co-led by Annie Evans & Kelley Arena was created to support the new generation of founders by providing the skills, knowledge, etiquette and community to grow your business by accessing the right capital for your needs. During the 7 week program, you’ll learn the best practices of running a fundraising process and accessing investor capital.

We are on a mission to bridge the knowledge gap. Community is at the heart of what we do. As a founder, finding your support system is critical in navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

We host a celebration day in NYC for graduates & invite Top Tier VC investors and angels.

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After raising 25M+ for women led ventures combined, Annie & Kelley know how to guide early stage founders to help save time & set them up for success.

During the 7 week program, you’ll learn best practices to get the desired result, terminology, and documents during the fundraising process. We are on a mission to bridge the knowledge gap.

Community is at the heart of what we do. As a founder, finding your support system is critical in navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. We host a celebration day in NYC for graduates & invite Top Tier VC investors and angels.

Get a crash course in learning how to raise capital. Elevate your fundraising strategy and accelerate your growth by learning the critical skills and etiquette in fundraising. Learn from industry experts and surround yourself with other founders.

All programs are virtual over zoom and at the end of the program there is a virtual pitch competition and an in person celebration day hosted in NYC.

JOIN THE FALL COHORT

YOUR Co-leads

Annie EVans

Cofounded Beautified with Hannah Bronfman, Seed Round led by NEA. A geo-located app to find and book on demand beauty and fitness service.
Started Dream Ventures, has 25 companies in portfolio across Women’s Health, Web 3, Fintech & CPG that helps female founders raise seed capital via SPVs
Deep network of 1k female founders
Has helped raise & source 25M for women led ventures
Co-led Project Entrepreneur with UBS

KELLEY ARENA

Career experience includes operations at an NFL Franchise, finance at Johnson & Johnson, and investment banking at Merrill Lynch
Founded Golden Hour Ventures to consult, advise, and invest in underrepresented founders
Angel investor in 25 portfolio companies, 23 of which are women founded
Advocate for democratized access to venture capital and all forms of financial education

Fundraising Strategy 101

Learn the terminology and what investors look for.

Your Pitch & Pitch Deck

Learn the framework on developing a pitch and tips on how to present one. Practice with the group.

The CRM Process

Learn the framework on how to identify your target investors and how to receive a warm intro.

Building out your team:

As founders, you are only as strong as your team. Discuss who you need on your team, how to identify them, and how to motivate them.

Navigating Legal:

Arm yourself with legal knowledge on contracts and negotiations.

Growth Hacking:

You and your investors expect growth. Learn what KPIs they look for and methodologies to put in place to integrate growth hacking into your culture. We will dive into various ecomm and media tactics to drive digital growth.

Your Exit Strategy:

We will discuss how to think through your exit plan so as you build you always have the end game in mind.

The financials:

What KPIs matter for you business. What KPIs do investors look for. Understand what happens to your cap table when you take on funding.

OVERVIEW

The Accelerator will include the key sections below. Each class will meet over zoom from 12 - 2:30 pm and include an expert speaker and breakout groups with fellow founders. Templates, helpful resources & links will sent over each session. A 1:1 strategy session will be offered by Annie to create a”The Roadmap” a step by step plan to propel your goals forward. At the end of the program will be a pitch competition and an in-person celebration dinner in NYC where we invite Top Tier VC’s and angel investors.

Past Speakers

Alexandra Wilkes Wilson –

CEO Clerisy, Founder Gilt Group, Glamsquad
Simmone Taitt

Founder & CEO Poppy Seed Health
Jenny Fielding

GP + Partner at The Fund
Rachel Ten Brink

CoFounder of Red Bike Capital and ScentBird
Mendy Yang

Lerer Hippeau VC
Olamide Olowe

Founder & CEO Topicals

TESTIMONIAL

“Dream Ventures was truly the perfect program to gain your footing as an early stage founder. There is so much unknown in the early days of starting a company - from how to raise a round, to bringing on advisors, and how to set yourself up for growth. Dream Ventures did a great job of explaining the process, why it’s important, and brought in experts in many different fields to weigh in. Our cohort was filled with innovative founders from many different industries, but the information was valuable for everyone.

In addition, the connections and partnerships that I made from the short time in the accelerator have been invaluable in our launch”.

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"Each session was carefully crafted to allow us to get the most out of our time. I learned so much during each session -- things that you can't necessarily read in books or hear on a podcast. It's the "secret" information you really want to know, including answers to the questions founders are scared to ask (but want to know), step-by-step guidance on how to tackle the most common issues, and stories from successful women on what they did wrong and what they learned from these mistakes. "
“It was a game changer that helped propel me to the next level, knowing I am supported by these two powerhouse women (and their extensive network) along with a strong cohort of amazing female founders who generously provide their own learnings and insights.”
"I came out feeling more confident about my next steps, a strong network looking to support female founders, and knowledge that is priceless on my journey. Couldn't recommend it more!”