Elevating startup financing
with world class expertise and AI
efino is a global training, advisory and operating firm launched in 2019 by world renowned angel investors, angel network and early stage fund managers, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with 20+ years of experience.
efino’s purpose is to elevate startup financing ecosystems. efino’s vision is that strong and diverse early stage financing ecosystems around the world will unleash huge entrepreneurial potential and impact.
efino helps:
Investors
build, manage and exit
startup investment portfolios
Entrepreneurs
plan, prepare, test, run, close
and leverage financing rounds
Ecosystem stakeholders
design, launch, run and evolve
their startup related activities
Clients choose efino because:
- We use blended learning techniques including AI
- We are practitioners of what we teach
- We are world renowned experts and trainers who share and enable but don’t preach there is no “right way”
- We have deep network of contacts in Europe, US, South America and MENA
- We are up to date on industry trends and continuously innovate
efino combines AI with its world class expertise built on 20+ years of experience. To do so, it is partnering with cosmic.ventures, a San Francisco based AI company. The goal is twofold:
Bring early stage, startup financing, investing and related ecosystem building to a whole new level of effectiveness, efficiency and speed without losing the human touch
Enhance client learning by using AI as a powerful tool to complement human interaction in all aspects of running educational and mentoring programs for fundraising and investing in startups
Ecosystem building approach
This graphic encapsulates the various components constituting a strong early stage financing and investing ecosystem. These components are interdependent, each one enhancing the other through collaboration, shared resources, and a common goal of economic and social progress. efino uniquely supports and enhances these interactions individually and collectively. efino partners with development agencies and local players to co-create and run practical modular solutions based on proven approaches to strengthen ecosystems on a global scale.
efino has had the privilege to work with many individuals and organisations:
500+ investors
300+ entrepreneurs
30+ angel networks &
early stage fund managers
15+ early stage financing
/ investing ecosystems
10+ development agencies
& corporates
5 continents
“Our iterations with efino last and this year have been an absolute blast! Cooperation with them is not only beneficial for the sake of the knowledge and skills we have received but because they manage our expectations, resolve our fears and encourage us to think bigger when it comes to making an impact in the entrepreneurial and investment areas. Their vast experience in angel investing and angel network management was crucial for activating DSI business angel network and making the first investments. After organizing our work in line with their training and suggestions we have received multiple comments on how angels and startups have never experienced such events and processes, and that says it all! “
“At the end of 2020, the Peruvian government approved a $ USD 20 million Fund of Fund, administered by COFIDE, to bolster first-time fund managers and attract more capital. Concerned about the sustainability of the Fund of funds, COFIDE and Swiss EP team up with EFINO to deploy a training program to unlock VC expertise to potential local investors. Thanks to their more than 30 years of investment experience, sound knowledge of Latam and track record delivering capacity-building programs around the world, Brigitte, Clara, and Maria Carolina were the perfect fit to put forward this initiative. The program helped 19 potential VC investors to get the basic foundations of investing, due diligence, valuation methods, term sheet conditions, and fund economics. The training took part in 7 live sessions, combined with pre-recorded materials, personalized mentoring, and a hands-on experience analyzing 2 local startups in fundraising process.”
“efino has been instrumental for us in closing our first external funding round at Out-Class. Maria Carolina is an exceptional coach having a diverse range of strengths that she brings to the table in every meeting. Her forte lies in her ability to zoom out to assess a wider business landscape and within minutes to zoom back in for a sharper focus. With her help we were able to highlight our blind spots, envisage investor mindsets, iterate and reiterate our preparation and finally, make the right business decisions at the right time.”
“Working with efino has been an absolute pleasure. The team goes far beyond expectations to deliver real value to the beneficiaries – investors, startups or support organizations. In each activity, be it a series of conversations with a potential angel or an extensive investment readiness program, efino always show the highest level of professionalism and deliver quality services that are highly appreciated by the end beneficiaries. Beyond their professionalism, efino achieves success thanks to its approach and attitude. They are flexible in intervention design, tailoring activities to address the real and agreed upon needs of the beneficiaries, always keeping in mind the local context. Most importantly, working with efino, you are always left with sensation that they genuinely care about you and your mission, and it is this sense of empathy for other people, mixed with high caliber knowledge, skills and experience transfer that make efino deliver a high learning impact and positive change.”
“efino was recommended to us by our funding partner. By the time our collaboration started, the DNA was growing quite rapidly and thus facing a lot of challenges. Not only did they coach the founding team, but they also provided invaluable guidance on how to manage the network effectively, roll up their sleeves and set to work hard alongside us helping on recruitments of key hires, re-engineering our processes and executing them. The support offered was just amazing and it outweighs the very impressive short-term gains as they contributed to laying the foundations for a strong and sustainable growth in the future. efino quickly became part of the DNA family and will remain as such. On behalf of the network, I want to express my gratitude to them and thank them for a well thought experience that has certainly transformed the DNA for the better.”
“Our iterations with efino last and this year have been an absolute blast! Cooperation with them is not only beneficial for the sake of the knowledge and skills we have received but because they manage our expectations, resolve our fears and encourage us to think bigger when it comes to making an impact in the entrepreneurial and investment areas. Their vast experience in angel investing and angel network management was crucial for activating DSI business angel network and making the first investments. After organizing our work in line with their training and suggestions we have received multiple comments on how angels and startups have never experienced such events and processes, and that says it all! “
“At the end of 2020, the Peruvian government approved a $ USD 20 million Fund of Fund, administered by COFIDE, to bolster first-time fund managers and attract more capital. Concerned about the sustainability of the Fund of funds, COFIDE and Swiss EP team up with EFINO to deploy a training program to unlock VC expertise to potential local investors. Thanks to their more than 30 years of investment experience, sound knowledge of Latam and track record delivering capacity-building programs around the world, Brigitte, Clara, and Maria Carolina were the perfect fit to put forward this initiative. The program helped 19 potential VC investors to get the basic foundations of investing, due diligence, valuation methods, term sheet conditions, and fund economics. The training took part in 7 live sessions, combined with pre-recorded materials, personalized mentoring, and a hands-on experience analyzing 2 local startups in fundraising process.”
“efino has been instrumental for us in closing our first external funding round at Out-Class. Maria Carolina is an exceptional coach having a diverse range of strengths that she brings to the table in every meeting. Her forte lies in her ability to zoom out to assess a wider business landscape and within minutes to zoom back in for a sharper focus. With her help we were able to highlight our blind spots, envisage investor mindsets, iterate and reiterate our preparation and finally, make the right business decisions at the right time.”
“Working with efino has been an absolute pleasure. The team goes far beyond expectations to deliver real value to the beneficiaries – investors, startups or support organizations. In each activity, be it a series of conversations with a potential angel or an extensive investment readiness program, efino always show the highest level of professionalism and deliver quality services that are highly appreciated by the end beneficiaries. Beyond their professionalism, efino achieves success thanks to its approach and attitude. They are flexible in intervention design, tailoring activities to address the real and agreed upon needs of the beneficiaries, always keeping in mind the local context. Most importantly, working with efino, you are always left with sensation that they genuinely care about you and your mission, and it is this sense of empathy for other people, mixed with high caliber knowledge, skills and experience transfer that make efino deliver a high learning impact and positive change.”
“efino was recommended to us by our funding partner. By the time our collaboration started, the DNA was growing quite rapidly and thus facing a lot of challenges. Not only did they coach the founding team, but they also provided invaluable guidance on how to manage the network effectively, roll up their sleeves and set to work hard alongside us helping on recruitments of key hires, re-engineering our processes and executing them. The support offered was just amazing and it outweighs the very impressive short-term gains as they contributed to laying the foundations for a strong and sustainable growth in the future. efino quickly became part of the DNA family and will remain as such. On behalf of the network, I want to express my gratitude to them and thank them for a well thought experience that has certainly transformed the DNA for the better.”
