Special offer for the first 100 pre-orders

During my years at Dreamit Ventures, I created most of the curriculum and training materials we used with our startup cohorts. As Dreamit shifted its focus to later stage startups, I started offering these startup sessions and workshops to other accelerator programs as a way to get to know their startups and generate dealflow for Dreamit. After I left Dreamit, I continued to offer these sessions, sometimes as a favor for friends and increasingly as a paid guest instructor. It typically costs an accelerator $1000-$2000 to put up to 10 startups through these 60-90 minute sessions. Some of the more popular topics include “Prospecting for Investors,” “Perfecting the Pitch Deck,” and “Perfecting the Elevator Pitch.”

Here’s what they have to say about my sessions..

  • "Andrew delivered the 'Mastering the Customer Discovery Meeting' workshop to 30+ founders at our startup accelerator. His from-the-trenches insights were packed with practical, actionable advice, giving founders clear, concrete steps to tackle early prospecting and close their first customers. Andrew addressed the unique challenge of selling an early-stage product which, for startups striving to gain traction and validate their value propositions, means the difference between gaining sales and getting stuck. Founders left with a clear understanding of key sales pipeline techniques, including timing, breadth, and depth, along with the confidence to put them into practice."

    – Olga Bartnicki (former Managing Director, Barclays Fintech Accelerator and former Executive Director, CUNY Startup Accelerator)

  • "Raising money for a startup is hard. Even great founders often only dimly understand how to find potential investors. Andrew's session on how to prospect for investors shines a bright light on the process, giving the startups in our portfolio a clear framework for fundraising and an actionable, step-by-step plan... and somehow he even makes it fun."

    – Aaron Block (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, MetaProp)

  • “Andrew has taken his years of startup experience and crafted master classes on "The Elevator Pitch" and "Perfecting The Pitch Deck." They were among the highest rated classes of both Accelerator cohorts that Andrew taught at our AI Web3 Accelerator.”

    – Lou Kerner (Founder, CryptoOracle)

  • “Communitas America provides resources through our Communitas Ventures Accelerator and Heyground Harlem Incubator to entrepreneurs from hyperlocal communities, primarily in The Bronx and Harlem. Andrew presented Perfecting the One Pager to several cohorts. His sessions were engaging, packed with insights from years as a veteran venture capitalist, including concrete tips and recommendations with real one pagers from the entrepreneurs. Key takeaway – the only purpose of a one pager is to get you a meeting”

    – Edward Greenwood (Head of Venture Resources, Communitas America)

  • “Andrew Ackerman delivered an outstanding session for my real estate entrepreneurship students at Baruch College. His breakdown on startup investing and perfecting the pitch deck were both practical and engaging, leaving the class inspired. Andrew has a talent for breaking down complex concepts into real-world applications, and the students walked away with valuable tools they can confidently use.”

    – Ryan Elazari (Head of Innovation, Empire Management)

  • "During his sessions, Andrew teaches the most practical, no-nonsense approach to prospecting and working with investors. We make sure to invite him for every cohort we run because otherwise, we just wouldn’t feel like we gave our founders 100%. He’s one of those rare individuals with a complete picture of the industry, thanks to his massive experience, and he delivers deep insights that make every session a masterclass."

    – Anastasia Lykova (Founder at Elpis labs, Partner at Starta VC)

  • "I have been a student, a serial entrepreneur seeking capital, and now an entrepreneurial educator that has facilitated 40+ cohorts with innovators of all ages. I have fastidiously sought out tools and expertise that can save time and resources and pain for all of the entrepreneurs that I now coach and serve. I can sincerely say that Andrew Ackerman's workshops on pitching and fundraising are some of the very best, and most straightforward and useful sessions, that I have ever seen. I consider this content your ultimate startup cheat-sheet!"

    – Sebastián Martín (Founder & CEO of Cambio Labs / Startup Accelerator Facilitator)

  • "’Perfecting Your Pitch’ is an essential seminar for entrepreneurs eager to enhance their skills in attracting investors and crafting effective pitch decks. This event draws on Andrew's extensive expertise, a seasoned VC and startup investor. Andrew offers attendees insider tips on identifying the right investors, creating engaging pitch decks, and leveraging strategic platforms…. Andrew provides invaluable insights to help participants forge meaningful connections. This seminar is an excellent opportunity to learn from an accomplished expert and refine your investor engagement strategy.”

    – Tal Rath (Managing Director, REACH Israel)

  • "I've known Andrew for years. We've co-invested in startups together. I've had him speak at my conferences. So when I had the opportunity to have Andrew hold the startup sessions he developed at Dreamit for my accelerator companies, I jumped at it. The difference in the quality of my startups' investor pitches before and after he worked with them is night and day."

    – KP Reddy (Founder, Shadow Ventures)

  • “Andrew's Prospecting for Investors workshop received rave reviews from our Techstars Atlanta and Techstars Impact powered by Cox classes. The founders felt his delivery kept the workshop interesting and his practical approach demystified prospecting and provided them with clear actionable steps to build an investor list that can lead to closed checks. Thanks again, Andrew, for sharing your time and expertise with our founders.”

    – Anastasia Simon (Managing Director, Techstars WaterTech & Sustainability)

I have never offered these startup sessions to individual startups unaffiliated with any accelerator or incubator. Until now. I am setting up a handful of these sessions over the next few months. If you are one of the first 100 people to pre-order “The Entrepreneur's Odyssey” you will get access to the session of your choice, a session that accelerators typically pay $100-$150 per startup, entirely for free. 

Investors: Yes! You can give your spot to one of your portfolio companies. 

How to claim your startup session

I will respond to that email with the available times and how to register to the free session.

  • Pre-order the book here

  • Forward the purchase receipt you receive from Amazon to andrewbackerman@gmail.com

  • If you are offering your slot to someone else, please CC them on the email and begin your email with sentence:

  • “If I am one of the first 100 pre-orders, please give my free startup session to [NAME] ([EMAIL]), copied here.”