Investment Agreement: from theory to negotiation. Workshop organized as part of the Training Program of Spoke 5
The “Investment Agreement: from theory to negotiation” workshop will take place on September 18th at Talent Garden (TAG) in Giardini Baltimora, Genoa, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
The event is part of the second edition of the P1 – RAISE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER & ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY and offers an opportunity for startuppers, researchers, research fellows, and PhD students aiming to develop a business project to gain insights into the logic and tools of venture capital supporting high-growth-potential startups and entrepreneurial initiatives.
The workshop will also explore the dynamics of an investment agreement, engaging participants in a simulated negotiation exercise.
Speaker
Manuel Casciano – Scientifica Venture Capital
After gaining experience at Eni, Snam, Algebris Investments, and Alisea Corporate Finance, he joined the investment team at Equiter Infrastructure II, working in sectors such as Datacenters, Healthcare, Energy, and Waste & Water Management.
He is currently an Investment Associate at Scientifica Venture Capital, where he focuses on early-stage and scale-up investments in the deeptech space, with applications in sectors such as cleantech, aerospace, medtech, agritech, and Industry 4.0.
Program
09:30 – 10:30 | Introduction to Venture Capital and Agreement Types
Content
Overview of the venture capital ecosystem: roles, stages, and key players.
Presentation of various types of agreements (e.g., SAFE, Convertible Note, Buy-out, Capital Increase).
Activities
Short interactive presentation with slides and open questions.
Brainstorming on personal experiences related to investments and startups.
10:30 – 11:30 | Term Sheet Structure Analysis
Content
Detailed explanation of key clauses: Liquidation Preference, Anti-Dilution, Drag-Along and Tag-Along, Governance Rights.
Explanation of the economic and legal concepts behind each clause.
Activities
Study of real examples with slides and diagrams.
Q&A session to verify understanding of the concepts.
11:30 – 11:45 | Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:30 | Group Formation – Investors vs. Startups
Content
Participants are divided into working groups, assigned roles as either investors or startup representatives.
Presentation of case studies.
Activities
Brief icebreaker to encourage networking and collaboration.
Distribution of role-specific learning materials.
12:30 – 13:00 | Term Sheet Analysis and Strategy Planning
Content
Groups receive a simplified term sheet to analyze and identify strengths and weaknesses.
Activities
Group work to define a negotiation strategy: which clauses to review, potential compromises, and persuasion tactics.
Preparation of a short internal presentation to share ideas within the team.
13:00 – 14:15 | Lunch Break
14:15 – 15:30 | Term Sheet Negotiation Simulation
Activities
Groups simulate a negotiation session in which each team, according to its role, discusses and renegotiates the agreement clauses.
Investors propose changes; startups defend their interests.
Facilitators provide support and food for thought during the discussions.
Evaluation forms used to highlight strategic choices and potential concessions.
15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee Break
15:45 – 16:45 | Presentation and Discussion of Negotiation Outcomes
Activities
Each group presents the results of their simulation, explaining the reasoning behind their decisions.
Group discussion led by the moderator to compare different strategies and highlight best practices.
16:45 – 17:30 | Final Q&A and Wrap-Up
Activities
Open Q&A session to clarify doubts and explore unaddressed topics.
Summary of key takeaways from the day and participant feedback.
For UniGe internal users via UniGePass and for external users via CIE/SPID, it is possible to register for the course on the Aulaweb platform at this link.
For anyone interested in participating, registration is also available at this site.
