Venture Debt 101: How Debt Can Fund Your Business and Preserve Your Ownership

Equity is expensive. Every dollar raised dilutes the founders, employees, and existing investors who built the company. Used thoughtfully, debt can extend runway, fund working capital, finance equipment or acquisitions, and bridge between equity rounds, all while preserving ownership and increasing equity value at exit. 

This session unpacks when debt makes sense, what products are available at each stage, what it takes to qualify, and how the process actually works from first conversation to funded.

We will cover:

• Why debt belongs in the cap structure
• The venture debt product landscape
• Do you qualify? What lenders are actually underwriting
• What the debt process actually looks likern
• Stage-by-stage: what's available and what's appropriate
• Reading the term sheet
• Choosing the right lender
• When debt is the wrong answer