Business Sale & Exit Masterclass

Exit-Readiness & Funding The two-day seminar for owners of growing e-commerce companies who want to raise capital or prepare a sale: valuation logic, funding routes, exit readiness and the metrics investors examine.

Exit-Readiness & Funding at a glance

• Format: 2 days on site + self-learning track
• Level: Advanced capital & exit
• Participants: Max. 16 people
• Language: German
• Certificate: AEI certificate of participation
• Investment: €1,490.00 plus VAT

Many e-commerce companies grow under their own steam — until capital, structure and scalability become the limit. Then good products and rising revenue are no longer enough. Investors want dependable numbers, clear processes, repeatable growth and a business model that works without the founder's constant effort.

This seminar makes your e-commerce business more fundable and more exit-ready: you will understand what sets scalable companies apart, which funding routes are realistic and how to set up your business so that growth, investor conversations and a possible exit are prepared strategically.

Who is this seminar for?

For founders, shop owners and e-commerce managers who do not just want to improve their company operationally but want to scale, fund or eventually make it sellable.

• You want to understand what makes an e-commerce company attractive to investors or buyers.
• You have growth potential but lack clarity on capital needs, funding forms and timing.
• You lack a realistic view of which metrics matter in funding, scaling and exit.
• You want to make your business less dependent on individuals, coincidences and ad-hoc processes.
• You want to know how to prepare scaling without losing margin, cash flow or control.

Your learning objectives

After this seminar you can:

• analyse how fundable and exit-ready your e-commerce business currently is.
• assess which scaling levers are genuinely relevant before raising capital or exiting.
• calculate what capital need arises from growth, inventory, marketing and operations.
• decide which funding form fits your stage, risk, control and target picture.
• structure which KPIs, documents and evidence investors or buyers expect.
• build an understanding of how dependable reporting, an equity story and a data room are prepared.
• reduce which dependencies on people, channels, suppliers or tools lower company value.
• plan which steps will make your company more fundable or exit-ready in the next 90 days.

Capital & exit fields at a glance

• Scaling — Make growth levers, bottlenecks and capital needs visible.
• Funding — Place bootstrapping, debt, grants, investors and strategic capital.
• Investor KPIs — Read revenue, margin, CAC, CLV, cash flow and repurchase rates cleanly.
• Valuation — Understand value drivers, risks and typical valuation logic.
• Due Diligence — Prepare numbers, contracts, processes and risks.
• Exit Roadmap — Plan possible buyer groups, timing and preparation steps.

Programme — 2 days

Day 1 – Scaling, capital needs & funding logic

09:30–10:45 — Scale readiness check

• Assessing the growth capability of the business model
• Identifying scaling levers and operational bottlenecks
• Making dependencies on people, channels and suppliers visible
• Applying the AEI Exit-Readiness Map as a structural model

11:00–12:30 — Capital needs & unit economics

• Calculating capital needs from growth, inventory, marketing and operations
• Understanding contribution margin, margin, CAC, CLV and cash conversion
• Deliberately steering growth versus profitability
• Deriving funding needs from realistic scenarios

13:30–15:00 — Funding routes in e-commerce

• Comparing bootstrapping, bank, inventory financing, grants and investors
• Placing advantages and disadvantages of equity, debt and revenue-based financing
• Weighing control, dilution and risk deliberately
• Sketching a fitting funding path for your own stage

15:15–16:45 — Investor & bank readiness

• Preparing metrics, documents and argumentation logic
• Structuring business case, forecast and use of capital
• Anticipating typical questions from funders
• Developing a first funding story for your own shop

Day 2 – Valuation, exit readiness & roadmap

09:30–10:45 — Value drivers & valuation

• What genuinely drives company value in e-commerce
• Assessing revenue quality, repurchase rates, margin and channel risk
• Understanding valuation logic and multiples in principle
• Separating value-adding from value-reducing factors

11:00–12:30 — Exit readiness & due diligence

• Preparing data room, contracts, numbers and processes
• Making risks in tax, law, IP, suppliers and tracking visible
• Using documentation and reporting as value drivers
• Prioritising due diligence gaps

13:30–15:00 — Exit options & buyer logic

• Placing strategic buyers, competitors, aggregators and private equity
• Which buyers look for which e-commerce models
• Understanding timing, negotiating position and deal structure
• Assessing realistic exit paths for different business models

15:15–16:45 — Your 90-day capital & exit roadmap

• Prioritising funding and exit issues
• Setting immediate measures for KPIs, reporting and documentation
• Bundling capital needs, target picture and preparation steps
• Finalising your personal 90-day roadmap

Our approach

AEI does not treat funding and exit as a founder's fantasy but as the result of clean company logic. You work on numbers, processes, risks and value drivers that make growth fundable and a company more sellable in perspective.

The self-learning track prepares you with KPI fundamentals, financing terminology and data room checklists, so the live days are used for concrete decisions.

• SCALE ECONOMICS You understand which growth levers need capital – and which must be stabilised first.
• CAPITAL LOGIC You assess funding routes by control, risk, timing and capital need.
• EXIT READINESS You recognise which value drivers and risks buyers genuinely examine.

What you take with you

• AEI Exit-Readiness Map for scaling, funding and sale preparation.
• Scale readiness check for business model, team, processes and channels.
• Capital need canvas for inventory, marketing, operations and working capital.
• Unit economics template for margin, CAC, CLV, contribution margin and cash flow.
• Funding options matrix for bootstrapping, debt, grants and investors.
• Investor storyline template for business case, use of capital and growth logic.
• Due diligence checklist for numbers, contracts, processes, IP, tracking and risks.
• Value driver scorecard for company value, risk and buyer attractiveness.
• Personal 90-day capital & exit roadmap for your e-commerce business.

Investment and dates

• Regular price: €1,490 plus VAT
• Early bird price: €1,190 plus VAT up to 30 days before the seminar starts
• Bundle offer: 15% discount in combination with „Scaling E-Commerce“
• Format: 2 days on site + self-learning track
• Participants: Max. 16 people
• Language: German
• Location: Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Hamburg

Dates are added continuously. On request we will name the next available date and advise on on-site, live online or self-paced.