Small Project Financing Course
This course gives you the tools and knowledge to raise the capital you need to get your idea off the ground. You will learn to calculate how much funding your project really needs, build a simple budget and cash-flow plan, identify the most suitable sources of finance, from own funds and microcredit to public grants, partners, crowdfunding and pre-sales, and present your project convincingly to banks, investors, institutions and early customers.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Small Project Financing Course?
This short course focuses on the financing of small-scale projects: local businesses, professional services, creative products, digital ventures, family businesses and community initiatives, including those in the nautical and coastal economy. You will study the difference between initial investment, working capital, operating expenses and gradual growth; how to identify fixed, variable and hidden costs; how to build a basic budget, a cash-flow forecast and a break-even analysis; the main sources of funding, both banking and non-banking; and how to prepare a financial proposal, the supporting documents and a short financial pitch.
What sets this course apart: a practical approach focused on asking for exactly the capital you need and no more; simple tools such as spreadsheets and basic indicators that you can keep using after the course; a balanced view of every funding option, with its requirements, timelines, guarantees and risks; preparation for the questions that banks, partners and institutions actually ask; and a final project in which you build the complete financing plan for a real or simulated small project.
Program highlights
- Real funding needs: initial investment, working capital, fixed, variable and hidden costs.
- Budgets, cash flow, break-even point and conservative revenue scenarios.
- Bank loans, microcredit, credit lines and basic approval criteria.
- Public grants, competitions, entrepreneurship programs, partners and private agreements.
- Crowdfunding, pre-sales, advance bookings and community-based financing.
- Final project: a complete financing plan with budget, proposal and short financial pitch.
Syllabus of the Small Project Financing Course
5 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of financing, economic feasibility and financial planning for small projects
- 1.1. The concept of small project financing and the differences between initial investment, working capital, operating expenses and gradual growth
- 1.2. Types of fundable project: start-ups, local services, creative projects, digital initiatives, family businesses and community projects
- 1.3. The relationship between the idea, the business model, costs, revenue, risk and the real need for funding
- 1.4. Basic sources of finance: own funds, loans, public support, pre-sales, crowdfunding, partners and early revenue
- 1.5. Common mistakes: asking for more capital than needed, underestimating costs, not calculating margins and relying on a single source
Costs, budget, cash flow and calculation of financial needs
- 2.1. Identifying start-up costs, fixed costs, variable costs, hidden costs and unforeseen expenses
- 2.2. Drawing up a basic budget with items, priorities, suppliers, payment schedule and a safety margin
- 2.3. Cash flow, inflows, outflows, liquidity, break-even point and working capital needs
- 2.4. Estimating revenue, prices, sales volume, conservative scenarios and repayment capacity
- 2.5. Financial control through simple records, spreadsheets, basic indicators and periodic review
Sources of finance: loans, public support, partners and non-bank alternatives
- 3.1. Self-financing, personal savings, reinvestment of revenue and organic growth of the project
- 3.2. Bank loans, microcredit, credit lines, trade finance and basic approval criteria
- 3.3. Grants, public support, competitions, awards, entrepreneurship programs and institutional funding
- 3.4. Investing partners, family contributions, private agreements, profit sharing and basic shareholder agreements
- 3.5. Crowdfunding, pre-sales, advance bookings, memberships and community-based financing
Preparing the financial proposal, the pitch and the documentation needed to secure funding
- 4.1. Clear definition of the project, the problem it solves, the target customer, the value proposition and the economic opportunity
- 4.2. Drawing up a simple financial plan with the investment required, use of funds, expected revenue and forecast return
- 4.3. Basic documents: budget, cash flow, short business plan, presentation, evidence of demand and team profile
- 4.4. Preparing the financial pitch for banks, partners, institutions, early customers or crowdfunding campaigns
- 4.5. Handling questions about risks, guarantees, timelines, profitability, previous experience and the project's sustainability
Applied project: financing a small project
- 5.1. Defining the project: a local business, professional service, creative product, digital venture, community initiative or personal project
- 5.2. Calculating initial investment, fixed costs, variable costs, cash flow and the real funding need
- 5.3. Selecting suitable sources of finance according to stage, risk, guarantees, community and capacity to repay
- 5.4. Drawing up the budget, financial proposal, short pitch and basic documentation to present the project
- 5.5. Designing the plan for use of funds, financial control, risk management and monitoring of results
Duration and format of the Small Project Financing Course
It is 300 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Small Project Financing Course
Career opportunities after the Small Project Financing Course
Questions about the Small Project Financing Course
To provide the initial capital or financial support that small business, social, creative or community projects need, often when traditional large-scale finance is hard to access, while keeping the amount and the cost of that funding proportionate to the project.
Own funds and reinvested revenue, bank loans and microcredit, public grants and competitions, partners and family contributions, crowdfunding and pre-sales. Module 3 compares their requirements, timelines and risks.
No. The course teaches you how to prepare and present your project to the funders that suit it; any funding decision is made by the bank, institution, investor or platform you apply to.
No. The course uses simple tools such as spreadsheets, basic budgets and cash-flow tables, and explains each concept step by step. Basic knowledge of project management helps but is not required.
Yes. The final project is designed so that you can apply every step, from calculating your funding need to preparing the proposal and pitch, to a real project of your own or to a simulated case.
Through practical exercises in each module, budget and cash-flow cases, and a final project consisting of a complete financing plan with proposal, documentation and short financial pitch.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with live sessions that are recorded, downloadable materials, discussion forums and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The course comprises 300 hours of study across 5 modules of about 60 hours each and ends with an applied project. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
More programs in Innovation and startups
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at first-time entrepreneurs, small businesses and early-stage start-ups, NGOs and associations, independent creatives and students with a project that needs funding; basic knowledge of project management and finance is helpful but not essential.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a spreadsheet program for the budgeting and cash-flow exercises.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.