Essential terminology: executive summary, funding request, use of funds, repayment capacity, debt service, collateral, creditworthiness, risk mitigation, implementation milestones, key performance indicators, lender interview, supporting evidence.

Required materials: completed draft business plan, Week 4 funding-readiness checklist, startup budget, 12-month forecast, cash-flow projection, break-even estimate, target-customer profile, competitor comparison, staffing plan, risk list, presentation notes or slides, calculator, note-taking materials, and video-conference access.

Timed agenda totaling 120 minutes:
0–10 min — Opening and capstone expectations: confirm final assessment purpose, lender-style tone, presentation timing, respectful peer feedback, and how the four professional perspectives will be used.
10–25 min — Bank officer framing: review what lenders look for in the final package, including clear need, reasonable use of funds, repayment story, owner contribution, management readiness, market proof, realistic projections, and risk response.
25–40 min — Guided final plan alignment check: learners compare the executive summary, funding request, financial projections, marketing plan, staffing plan, and milestones for consistency; instructor highlights common lender red flags such as unsupported sales assumptions, unclear collateral, missing owner investment, or mismatched use of funds.
40–65 min — Collaborative activity: peer lender panel practice. In small groups, one learner presents a 3-minute funding request, one acts as lender, one acts as CPA reviewer, and one acts as market/operations reviewer. Roles rotate and peers document one strength, one concern, and one requested revision.
65–75 min — Debrief and professional examples: discuss two bank-style case studies: a service business with strong demand but weak cash-flow timing, and a product business with solid margins but underdeveloped staffing and inventory controls.
75–105 min — Final lender-style presentations or interviews: selected learners deliver concise presentations or structured interview responses. Instructor and peers ask questions from four perspectives: business viability and leadership, market and staffing readiness, financial feasibility, and funding/repayment readiness.
105–115 min — Individual final revision map: learners identify their top five revisions, assign each to a business-plan section, and mark whether the change is required before submission, recommended before lender use, or a longer-term improvement.
115–120 min — Assignment handoff and close: confirm final submission requirements, presentation/interview expectations, file naming, no-specialized-software options, and next steps for seeking advising, partner review, or lender conversations.

Professional examples and case studies: A mobile food vendor requesting funds for equipment and working capital; a home-services startup with seasonal cash-flow risk; a boutique retail business with strong brand positioning but insufficient owner contribution; a consulting business with low startup cost but unclear sales pipeline.

Guided business-plan development: learners update the executive summary, funding request, use-of-funds table, implementation milestones, performance measures, risk responses, and final revision notes. The bank officer emphasizes consistency between requested funds, startup budget, projected cash flow, repayment capacity, and operational milestones.

Collaborative or role-playing activity: peer lender panel practice with rotating roles of owner, lender, CPA reviewer, and market/operations reviewer. Each learner receives practical feedback on clarity, evidence, and credibility.

Instructor notes based on bank officer expertise: focus on whether the story is believable, complete, and supported. Ask for plain-language explanations of how revenue will be generated, how expenses were estimated, when cash is tight, what collateral or guarantees may be available, and how the owner will respond if sales are slower than expected. Reinforce that lender readiness is not only about enthusiasm; it is about documented capacity, preparation, and risk management.

Formative assessment: instructor uses a quick lender-readiness checklist during presentations: clear request, specific use of funds, realistic projections, repayment explanation, market evidence, management readiness, risk response, and next milestones. Learners also complete a self-rating of final plan readiness.

Preparation for linked assignment: learners leave with a final revision map, presentation feedback, and confirmation of the sections required for the Week 4 Practical Assignment and Final Assessment: Integrated Business Plan and Funding Interview.

Beginner support: provide a simple funding-request sentence frame, executive-summary outline, milestone table, and list of common lender questions. Allow learners to present from notes instead of slides.

Advanced extension: learners may add sensitivity analysis, alternate funding scenarios, debt-service coverage discussion, collateral schedule, KPI dashboard, or a more detailed implementation timeline.