Registration to 1st MOOC on alternative finance is open

During the whole length of the EU-funded ALTFINATOR project there are planned two MOOC on Alternative Finance, the first one is going to be held for three weeks, from 7^th to 25^th October 2019, with an estimated effort of 1-2 hours per week. The MOOCs will be available free of charge on “Politecnico Open Knowledge”  website platform (Link to enrol: https://altfinator.eu/mooc ).

This course introduces the key models and approaches related to raising finance from sources alternative to bank lending (crowdfunding, invoice trading, venture capital, business angels, fintech platforms).

Thousands of start-ups, scaleups and small and medium-sized companies worldwide are increasingly finding capitals and investments from new providers, besides those offered by the traditional banking sector. These new providers include equity crowdfunding platforms, peer-to-peer lending, e-invoice trading, business angels, venture capitals, and several others, that are called “Alternative Finance” providers.

However, it is often difficult for financial advisors, companies, intermediaries and traditional financial operators to understand how alternative finance works, what are the main differences between the various types of alternative finance services that exist and how to identify a specific Alternative Finance service that matches the specific needs of a company at the different stages of its development. The landscape becomes even more complicated if we look at the emergence of new generations of financial services powered by the FinTech’s, i.e. computer-based applications, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, and applied to financial services to enable secured transactions, issuance of virtual currencies, etc.

About the MOOC

The goal of this course is to help participants navigate the world of Alternative Finance and Fintech. The course has been prepared by senior researchers and associated professors with a deep academic and professional experience on Alternative Finance. The course is designed to provide both basic and advanced knowledge about a wide range of different topics: crowdfunding, invoice trading, venture capital, business angels, legal and marketing issues, risk assessment, the fintech revolution and implications for financial markets. The course is useful for a potentially large audience. It is primarily intended for financial advisors and business consultants, but it is also potentially useful for managers of funds and crowdfunding platforms, business angels and venture capitalists, incubators, business development agencies and associations. It is also potentially useful for entrepreneurs and start uppers, and policymakers that want to know more on these new financing means.

Every week one instructor will be available during an online live session for Q&As or to discuss additional topics of your interest.

At the end of the course, a face-to-face event will take place in selected countries, enabling participants to exchange experiences, learn from local professionals and strengthen their network.