Rocket & Bembel: Legal advice on the funding process for your startup

Dear ESA BIC Hessen community,

We are inviting you to our next Rocket & Bembel event, which will focus on one of the most relevant topics for founders: understanding the right funding process for your startup and navigating the legal steps from first investor conversations to the signed contract.

For this session, we are excited to welcome Dr. Marc-André Rousseau, an experienced lawyer at Schalast, who will share practical insights into the legal side of startup financing and fundraising processes.

Dr. Marc-André Rousseau will guide us through the key legal and strategic aspects founders should understand when preparing and closing a financing round. The session will cover the full journey from the beginning of the funding process to the final signed agreement, including investor types, participation structures, financing round procedures and typical legal considerations.

You will also have the opportunity to receive personal feedback on your pitch deck. Please take the chance and send your current deck to me (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you would like to discuss it during the session.

What we will discuss:

• The right funding process for your startup
  How to approach the process from preparation to signed contract
• VCs vs. Business Angels
  Understanding differences in expectations, structures and decision-making
• Pitch deck examples and feedback
  What investors expect to see and how to sharpen your communication
• Forms of participation
  Key legal structures and what founders should know before entering negotiations
• Participation agreements
  Important clauses, common pitfalls and practical considerations
• Procedure of financing rounds
• How financing rounds are typically structured and what steps founders should prepare for

The workshop will include a dedicated Q&A session where you can ask your questions and discuss your own fundraising situations openly. Direct feedback on your pitch decks will be possible afterwards.

The event in a nutshell:

What? 120 minutes of insights, incl. Q&A and pitch deck review 

When? 28 May 2026, 16:00

Afterwards: Open networking from 18:00 onwards

Where? Conference Room 1, behind the cafeteria, TIZ, Robert-Bosch-Str. 7, 64293 Darmstadt

For those of you who are new to the format: Rocket & Bembel is our community event series designed to stay connected with you, enable founder-to-founder exchange and provide practical expert insights on topics that matter at your current stage.

SAVE THE DATE for our upcoming R&B events: 13.08. Public and Private Funding (Intro EU-Funding and other options)  / 03.11. Celebrating Innovation & Success at ESOC (meeting new our Incubatees of 2026 & Alumni)

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Best regards,

Your ESA BIC Hessen team