The sole objective of Techstars accelerator programmes is to support business success. They surround companies with leading mentors and an unrivalled network of business partners, investors and alumni during each three-month programme. We offer workshops, curated resources, funding and fundraising possibilities, and other opportunities for you to learn from your peers. It's a tried and tested strategy that has helped develop countless thriving businesses around the world.

But how does it actually work? Here's a breakdown of the events that take place over each of the three months, a description of a typical week and the kind of activities you can take part in during the programme.

The three months of a Techstars accelerator, month by month

First month: Expand your network

The 10 companies in each programme usually meet 100 mentors in the first month, all of whom are extremely well connected and knowledgeable about their respective sectors. After these first sessions, affectionately called "Mentor Madness", some programmes match founders with three to five mentors who would serve as their main mentors and a fictitious board of advisors throughout the programme. The mentors often continue to work with the companies after the programme ends, when there is a particularly excellent fit.

Mentors offer assistance in a wide range of business-related areas, including, but not limited to:

• product creation
• Market suitability
• Marketing
• Technology
• Hiring and dismissal
• Fundraising
• corporate culture
• Savings per unit
• business expansion
• Market entry strategy
• Cool
• Discovering customers

Second month: Execute

The second month is the time to take all these learnings from the first month and put them into practice. Working with the managing director and programme manager, the founders go deeper with their key mentors, gain traction and reach milestones - be it a prototype, building the next phase of a product, getting a first customer, etc.

During this month, the founders focus on identifying their most important KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and achieving them. If there is a corporate partner for the programme, this month may even be the time to prepare for a proof of concept.

Month Three: Fundraising Strategy and Demo Day

In the third month, the founders delve into telling their story. This is crucial for fundraising and preparing for Demo Day.

The founders work with their mentors, managing directors and programme managers to refine their pitch, develop and design their pitch deck for Demo Day and prepare guarantees for investors.

Storytelling isn't just about raising funds: it's also about communicating your vision to customers and future team members.

A typical week at a Techstars accelerator

In fact, there is no such thing as a typical week at a Techstars accelerator.

Apart from weekly one-to-one meetings with your managing director, all-hands KPI meetings, no two weeks during the programme are the same. Instead, you'll be constantly pushing your startup forward at a pace you never thought possible.

You'll go from testing key assumptions about your business one week to professional internship training the next. You'll be constantly challenged in what you do and how you do it.

Can you remember the last time you spent a whole day investing in your own professional development? What if you had the opportunity to do this - with the full support of professionals - for three months?

During the programme, you'll be introduced to ideas, opinions and opportunities that you might never consider otherwise - and certainly couldn't get all at once anywhere else. These opinions and ideas can help you become a better founder and navigate tricky situations and difficult decisions more easily. We want to give you the tools to be able to turn these challenging opportunities into positive experiences.

While this may sound like a lot, it's important to point out that more than half of your time can still be spent working in your own company. We get it, you may already have clients, teams and other recurring meetings - so this doesn't just pause for three months.

Activities in the Programme

What kind of activities can you expect? Although each programme is different, here are some that practically everyone receives:

• Opening hours with guest mentors and investors
• Workshops and masterclasses given by industry experts on specific topics such as contracting, marketing, technology, product, etc.
• Founders' stories: serial entrepreneurs come in and share how they built their company. The best part is that it's more than what you read online - in this context, the founders talk honestly about what really happened.
• Intensive pitch practice in preparation for Demo Day and fundraising
• In addition, anything else that the programme team thinks would benefit its experience and help you #DoMoreFaster - many activities are selected according to the needs of the founders and companies in each programme, o which means that no two programmes are exactly the same.

Deadline: 09 August 2023

Click HERE to sign up