The Founder Who Transforms Founders
Simone Spence is the visionary behind Capital Navigator. She is a powerhouse entrepreneur and investment strategist with a proven track record of transforming early-stage startups into investment-ready powerhouses. As the CEO and Founder of Capital Navigator, she has been in the trenches, securing funding for her ventures and mentoring founders to do the same. Her mission is to empower underrepresented founders—particularly women and people of color—by breaking down barriers in the investment world and providing essential tools for success. With her guidance, founders learn not only how to pitch but also how to win.
With a background that includes top tech accelerators like IdeaX, Emerge Tech, Techstars, The Duke Law Tech Accelerator, and LexisNexis Accelerator, Simone raised over $1 million in a pre-seed round to launch her first startup, overcoming the significant challenges that women—especially women of color—face in the startup world. Her ability to secure crucial funding with no team, revenue, or product at the time of her raise, and achieving $3 million in sales within a year, exemplifies her strategic prowess and determination.
Simone has guided around 100 founders through the critical stages of securing early capital, helping them navigate the complex landscape of angel and private funding. Her extensive experience has positioned her as an expert in leveraging a network of investors and crafting compelling narratives that resonate and secure funding.
As a sought-after speaker, Simone has delivered impactful talks, such as "The Future of Justice" at NOEW 2021, where she argued that lacking access to the court system—due to complicated legal forms or the inability to afford an attorney—is akin to having no access to justice at all. At the Entrepreneurship for Everyone event for Women's History Month, she spoke on "Leveling the Playing Field," discussing the barriers women face in entrepreneurship and advocating for inclusive access to funding and resources. At Legaltech 2022, she shared insights on leveraging technology to drive economic justice.
Simone’s influence extends beyond entrepreneurship. She is the author of three influential books on child support enforcement which have helped thousands of parents collect millions in unpaid support. Her advocacy has reached Congress, where she has testified on child support enforcement issues, earning her the Congressional Pioneer Woman of the Year Award and gubernatorial citations.
As a judge for The Blox, the largest competition TV show for startups, now streaming on Amazon, Simone shares her expertise on a national stage, guiding founders to success.
At Capital Navigator, Simone shapes the company’s strategic vision, develops innovative programs, and ensures every founder has the chance to build a thriving, investment-ready company. Her courses, "Raising Startup Capital 101" and "Closing Investors 201," provide founders with a comprehensive blueprint for navigating venture capital, from crafting a winning pitch to building investor relationships.
Driven by a mission to break down barriers and build pathways to success, Simone combines real-world experience, deep investment knowledge, and earned grit to help underdog founders thrive.
Testimonial
The thing about Simone is that she is going to put you on the right path. She’s a person who’s there to guide you that you can trust. The deck was really where I learned a lot. I had to dig down into my numbers. I had to start looking at my projections, my forecasts, and what does scaling look like for us. It helped me to put things into perspective and figure out how much I needed as opposed to what I wanted. When I’m talking to investors I have the deck pulled up and I’m using it to talk off of - as my talking points. It was great to be able to talk with one of the largest VCs out of NY who invests in women-owned businesses and have her to tell me that I have a great deck.
Brandon – Investor Matchmaking Strategist
Startup Founder / Co-founder
Brandon plays a critical role behind the scenes at Capital Navigator, guiding founders through the complexities of securing investment and scaling their businesses. With a deep understanding of investor expectations and startup dynamics, he is instrumental in refining and polishing investor assets to position founders for success.
His primary focus is matching investors with founders—not only as they build their investor pipelines but also for Capital Navigator’s exclusive, closed-door investor events. While there is no shortage of investors looking for the right opportunities, the key to securing funding lies in positioning both the CEO and the company in a way that captures investor interest. Brandon works closely with founders to ensure their pitch, traction, and overall strategy align with what investors are seeking.
He has played a pivotal role in shaping and scaling innovative startups, helping companies break new ground and attract the right investors to drive growth and long-term success. Through strategic positioning, investor matchmaking, and a deep understanding of market dynamics, he helps founders move from MVP to cash flow positive.
Raising capital is complex, but with the right strategy and connections, success is within reach—and Brandon ensures founders are ready to make it happen.
Testimonial
As a new founder, positioning your business correctly is important, and every decision made determines if you'll be successful or not. For Say Goodbye, deciding to take Capital Navigator's 101 Course, and now be a part of their Investment Lab, led by Simone Spence has been unbelievably impactful. They have delivered on 100% of everything they've promised, and I am moving forward rather than spinning my wheels. I recommend all founders take Capital Navigator's course if they're looking for guidance.
That would be between you and your investors. The first step of course is to get investors interested in your startup.
There is no shortage of investors. Through our process you will be taught how to identify professionals; investors and, as they are considered to be a “hidden network”, where to find them. The type of investor you need depends on the type of startup that you have, your stage, traction, etc. All of this is explained in the course.
As with any business, your results may vary and will be based on your individual capacity, business experience, expertise, and level of desire. There are no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience. The testimonials and examples used are real and actual results but are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. Each individual’s success depends on his or her background, dedication, desire, and most of all - individual motivation.
This course is designed for self-study, and it doesn’t include 1:1 feedback by default. However, in each module, you have the option to opt for an add-on 1:1 session with an experienced startup founder who has successfully raised no less than half a million dollars in angel/venture capital. These sessions allow you to gain personalized insights, feedback, and guidance on your deck, pitch narrative, and more.
While the Angel-Getter course was primarily designed for online tech companies or tech-enabled businesses, if your strategy involves acquiring customers through social media or if you plan to seek business funding, including from private investors and family offices, the strategies and insights provided still apply. The only thing that changes is the type of investor that you will be looking for and getting in front of. All of that is explained in the course so that you know which are the best types of investors for you, how to find them, and how to get an audience with them. In summary you can use this course for both angel and private investors.
You’ll enjoy lifetime access to the course as long as Angel-Getters remains active, and you’re guaranteed access for a minimum of one year from your enrollment date.
Angel-Getter is tailored to empower founders seeking angel capital with comprehensive insights, do’s and don’ts. If you’re convinced that your product holds immense market potential and could be the next big thing, this course is your ideal destination.
Topics include, but are not limited to your company’s legal structure, NDAs, getting investors to say YES to a pitch deck meeting, building a deck that argues for investment, how to find investors for your stage and your type of company, building an investor pipeline, reaching out to investors for the first time, what to say, what NOT to say, content is built out on videos and documents, and there are quizzes and more.
No. The course is designed and was built to meet founders where they are. Founders who are more advanced than others might be able to move through the course material quicker than other founders who may have a little bit of research to do. But the course itself will cover all aspects. Therefore, there are no prerequisites or qualifications required.
Our guarantee is that if you follow the course materials step-by-step, you will 100% be guaranteed to be able to schedule investor meetings, and have an audience with investors. If you have trouble for any reason, we will work with you until this occurs for you. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to this information, so we are committed to ensuring that you are able to pitch your venture to investors.
This course was built by a tech founder who learned how to raise capital, raise millions of dollars, launch a tech company, grow the tech company, and achieve an exit. Most of the other courses or coaches that you find there teach from a theoretical point of view. This course teaches NOT from a theoretical point of view, but from an actual point of view with lessons personally learned and experienced. There’s a big difference between teaching something theoretically and teaching something that you know because you have experienced it and you have practical experience. There is no substitute for having done it yourself. People who have not done it are merely just guessing or they are trying to teach you what they have read as opposed to what they have experienced and learned firsthand.
The course guarantees that if you follow it step-by-step, you will be able to start getting into investor meetings within 30 days. Guaranteed!
Yes, upon completion of the course, you will be invited to the alumni group.
Yes, Capital Navigator offers a variety of courses, master classes, pitch opportunities, coaching, and more.
Course content is delivered through videos, written materials, webinars, and more.
Your Capital Navigator at Angel-Getter course is a 30-day self-paced course. You move at your own pace.
Course content is dripped incrementally over a 30-day period based on one module delivered to the founder on a weekly basis. At the end of your 30-day period, you will then have access to all content and will be able to retain it for a lifetime.
Capital Navigator has a support team standing by that can address any challenges or difficulties that you may have. Additionally, there are several group coaching sessions that occur throughout the week that you can tap into at any time to get additional support while studying the material.
Yes, every founder leaves the course with all fundraising assets that they will need to raise their precede round.
Yes, you can access the Capital Navigator Angel-Getter course on any device.
Yes, we frequently have networking opportunities. We partner with other organizations for pitch competitions and more.
We are not an investment company. We help founders raise getting them investment-ready. Most founders do not know what investors are looking for or what motivates them to invest. We get them investment-ready, they get their deck built, and we teach them how to find investors for their type and size of startup.
Join us on this journey and let’s navigate the path to funding together. Welcome to Capital Navigator – where your startup dreams become reality.