Unlocking the Secrets of Startup Success: The Must-Take Venture Deals Course Returns This Summer 2025

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Imagine standing at the edge of a breakthrough. You’ve toiled for months—perhaps years—on your startup, refining your vision, building your product, and assembling a team that believes in the dream. Now, you face the pivotal moment that could launch your venture into the stratosphere—or leave it stranded on the launchpad: raising capital.

For entrepreneurs across the globe, navigating the high-stakes world of venture capital can feel like learning a foreign language while walking a tightrope. But this summer, the path to understanding—and mastering—the venture funding process just got clearer, thanks to the Venture Deals Online Course.

A Crash Course in Raising Capital—From the Inside Out

Launching officially on June 5, 2025, the Venture Deals Summer Course, brought to you by Techstars in collaboration with the Kauffman Fellows, offers a FREE deep dive into the intricacies of venture capital and startup financing. Based on the critically acclaimed book Venture Deals by industry veterans Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson, the course is a strategic roadmap designed to dismantle the towering wall of information asymmetry between founders and funders.

More than 50,000 participants have already discovered the power of this transformative program. Now, it's your turn.

“Raising capital shouldn’t feel like gambling your dream away. It should feel like forging a partnership—with confidence, clarity, and conviction.”

What Makes This Course a Game-Changer?

1. Real Investors. Real Talk. Real Advice.

Participants will learn from seasoned, diverse investors who don’t sugarcoat the journey. From term sheets to capitalization tables, from deal structuring to mental wellness—these mentors lay bare the brutal truths and empowering insights of early-stage fundraising.

2. Self-Paced, Learn-by-Doing Format

With 30 lessons and 3.5 hours of video content, the course fits into your schedule—no matter how chaotic your entrepreneurial life may be. Interactive resources, downloadable tools, and an intuitive course guide make it more than just an academic experience—it's a practical masterclass.

3. No Fluff, Just Focus

Every module is carefully constructed to focus your energy where it matters most:

Understanding the Capital Ecosystem

Preparing to Fundraise with Precision

Negotiating Like a Pro

Structuring the Deal and Managing Risk

Engaging Investors with Strategy and Empathy

Building a DEI-Informed Startup

Maintaining Mental Wellness Through the Grind

“This isn’t just a course. It’s a blueprint for every founder brave enough to go after their vision—and wise enough to prepare.”

Why You Can't Afford to Miss It

Let’s be clear: venture capital is not just about the money. It’s about relationships, timing, trust, and a deep understanding of how the game is played. The Venture Deals Course empowers you to play not just to participate—but to win.

You’ll walk away with:

A grasp of how investors think and what they expect

Confidence to approach negotiations with clarity and control

The ability to identify investors aligned with your values and vision

A toolkit to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship

And did we mention? It’s absolutely free.

Important Note: Clock’s Ticking

Once the course opens on June 5, you’ll have only 6 weeks to access the content before it’s gone. That means if you're serious about securing the future of your startup, the time to act is now.

Final Thought: Knowledge is Your Greatest Leverage

Whether you’re a first-time founder searching for seed funding or an experienced entrepreneur aiming to sharpen your edge, Venture Deals offers more than knowledge—it offers empowerment. This is your chance to learn the unwritten rules of the game—from the people who’ve mastered them.

This summer, invest in the smartest deal you’ll ever make: your own future.

Ross Del Rosario is the founder of Wazzup Pilipinas, a pioneer in online journalism, and a relentless advocate for education, entrepreneurship, and empowerment. Follow him for more updates on business, tech, and transformative opportunities.

A Dangerous Detour: How the World Bank’s Nuclear and Fossil Gas Revival Derails Global Climate Progress

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In a world teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe, the decisions of global financial institutions matter more than ever. That is why the World Bank’s recent pivot under President Ajay Banga — lifting its decades-old ban on nuclear energy financing and doubling down on fossil gas — is not only alarming but profoundly regressive. This move does not reflect the urgency of the moment. Instead, it exposes a dangerous prioritization of political appeasement over planetary survival.

At the heart of this shift lies a blatant contradiction. The World Bank claims to champion clean, affordable energy for developing nations — yet its latest direction favors energy sources that are neither clean, nor cheap, nor sustainable. By embracing nuclear and fossil gas, the Bank not only greenwashes outdated, high-emission technologies, but also sidelines the very transition that could deliver energy justice to the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Climate Commitments Betrayed

For years, the World Bank has positioned itself as a vital player in global climate action, steering finance away from coal and toward cleaner alternatives. But Banga’s embrace of nuclear energy and fossil gas betrays this legacy. His push to lift the nuclear ban — in place for more than four decades — signals a shift away from genuine climate leadership. Worse, it paves the way for more expensive, risk-laden, and time-consuming energy projects in countries already burdened with debt and development challenges.

This isn’t just an error in judgment; it’s a politically motivated maneuver. The United States — the Bank’s largest shareholder with a 16% stake — continues to influence the Bank’s policies. Amid Washington’s recent withdrawal from major climate frameworks, including the Paris Agreement and the Loss and Damage Fund, it is no surprise that the Bank is now repositioning itself to keep America pleased, even if it means abandoning its environmental principles.

Gaslighting the Global South

Central to the World Bank’s justification is the myth of fossil gas as a “transition fuel.” This narrative has been repeatedly discredited. Gas is a fossil fuel. It emits greenhouse gases. It locks countries into long-term, expensive infrastructure. It is not — and never has been — a clean bridge to a renewable future.

In fact, the World Bank has already committed more than $120 billion to gas investments globally. That’s $120 billion diverted away from renewable energy solutions. This isn't just climate hypocrisy — it's a massive setback for developing nations who need true energy independence, not another cycle of fossil fuel dependency.

A Philippine Case Study in Energy Injustice

Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in the Philippines. With one of the highest electricity costs in Southeast Asia, the country’s energy crisis is rooted in its reliance on imported fossil fuels — accounting for 78% of its power generation. This overdependence exposes the nation to volatile global prices and currency fluctuations, burdens borne disproportionately by Filipino consumers.

If nuclear and gas are pushed further into the national energy mix, the situation will only worsen. Nuclear technology, aside from its well-documented safety risks, demands enormous capital and long construction timelines. It also requires imported uranium or plutonium — again placing national energy security at the mercy of foreign powers.

Meanwhile, imported fossil gas costs the Philippines an estimated $45 million per shipment. These costs are inevitably passed down to consumers through contractual “pasaload” mechanisms, further inflating electricity bills. For a nation striving for economic resilience, this is the wrong direction.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Let’s talk cost.

Nuclear: Conventional reactors cost up to six times more per kilowatt-hour than solar.

Fossil Gas: Generation costs reach up to PHP 8.00/kWh, nearly double that of solar at PHP 4.40/kWh.

And this doesn’t even account for the long-term financial, environmental, and security costs of nuclear power — such as radioactive waste disposal, plant decommissioning, and accident insurance. These burdens will be shouldered by developing countries least equipped to manage them.

What the World Bank Should Be Funding

What the Philippines — and countries across the Global South — truly need is accelerated access to renewable energy: solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass. These sources are not only cheaper and cleaner but also locally available, helping nations reduce their dependence on volatile import markets.

Transitioning to renewables offers a path toward climate resilience, economic independence, and long-term sustainability. It aligns with the Paris Agreement. It empowers local communities. And it reflects the core mission the World Bank once claimed to uphold.

A Call for True Climate Leadership

It is not too late for course correction. The World Bank must urgently reconsider its direction — and reclaim its role as a leader in climate finance, not a pawn in political gamesmanship.

False solutions like nuclear and fossil gas have no place in a just, equitable energy transition. The world’s developing nations do not need expensive, imported technologies that trap them in decades of debt and dependency. They need real climate finance, real renewables, and real commitment.

Because if the World Bank chooses politics over planet, it won’t just be betraying its mission — it will be complicit in accelerating the climate crisis it claims to fight.

Let the record show: This is not progress. This is sabotage dressed as strategy. And the world — especially those on the frontlines of climate change — deserves far better.

Canada and the Philippines Step into Global Spotlight as New Co-Chairs of OECD Southeast Asia Programme

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In a pivotal moment that underscores Southeast Asia’s rising influence in the global economy, Canada and the Philippines have assumed leadership as the new co-chairs of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP), ushering in a new era of international cooperation and regional integration.

With ministers and global policymakers gathered at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, the formal announcement marked a dramatic turning point for the OECD’s strategic engagement with Southeast Asia—a region whose economic firepower now exceeds USD 3 trillion in combined GDP and continues to shape the contours of global growth and supply chains.

Passing the Torch, Shaping the Future

The transition of SEARP leadership from Australia and Viet Nam to Canada and the Philippines is far more than a ceremonial baton pass. It signals a sharpened international focus on Southeast Asia’s transformation from an emerging growth hub into a region poised to help set global standards.

Over the last decade since SEARP’s inception in 2014, ASEAN member countries have more than doubled their participation in OECD bodies and completed 67 legal adherences to OECD instruments. This dynamic partnership has evolved from knowledge-sharing to policy-shaping, as Southeast Asia continues to embrace reforms aligned with OECD best practices.

“The economic dynamism of Southeast Asia makes the region a centre for global growth and supply chains,” said OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. “We are building on the OECD Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific to deepen our engagement. Accession discussions for Indonesia and Thailand will catalyze reforms and bring new perspectives into global policy-making.”

Canada and the Philippines: A Powerful Partnership

For Canada, co-chairing SEARP represents a continuation of its strategic pivot towards the Indo-Pacific, strengthening its engagement in economic diplomacy and multilateral collaboration. But it is the Philippines’ ascent to this prestigious position that is drawing attention—and pride—across Southeast Asia.

As a regional champion of reforms, sustainable development, and democratic governance, the Philippines’ co-chairmanship is a recognition of its growing leadership on the world stage. Earlier this year, the Philippines signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and an action plan with the OECD to deepen cooperation on macroeconomic policy, sustainable infrastructure, corporate governance, and the green transition.

This marks the Philippines not just as a partner, but as a driving force behind policy alignment and institutional strengthening across the region. Its joint participation with Singapore in the OECD’s Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) also reaffirms its commitment to tackling climate change on a global scale.

From Vision to Action: A New Phase of Engagement

Viet Nam, the outgoing co-chair, exits its leadership role with a strong legacy. It hosted two SEARP Ministerial conferences in Hanoi on supply chain resilience and quality investment, and inked its own MoU and action plan focusing on competition, investment, tax policy, and the green transition.

With the Philippines now taking the reins, the momentum continues. As co-chair, it will play a vital role in steering discussions around the OECD’s tailored support for reforms in ASEAN, particularly as Indonesia and Thailand begin their accession journeys. These processes involve rigorous technical reviews and policy alignments—milestones that will shape domestic reforms, boost investor confidence, and ultimately elevate both nations toward high-income status.

A Platform for Regional Transformation

The OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme has evolved into more than a platform; it is now a critical engine for regional transformation. With over 100 countries participating in the OECD’s broader work, SEARP acts as a vital conduit connecting Southeast Asia to global networks, knowledge, and norms.

Canada and the Philippines’ leadership comes at a moment when the region—and the world—faces intersecting challenges, from economic inequality to climate change. Under their stewardship, SEARP is expected to play a defining role in building resilient economies, fostering inclusive growth, and ensuring that Southeast Asia’s voice resonates more clearly in the corridors of global power.

A New Chapter Begins

As the Paris meeting concluded with handshakes and high hopes, one message rang clear: Southeast Asia is not just being engaged—it is helping lead.

And with Canada and the Philippines now guiding the course, the SEARP enters a new chapter—one marked by renewed ambition, regional solidarity, and the promise of a more interconnected, equitable, and sustainable world.