Founders Space was an impactful and efficient way to get our pitch refined and get in front of investors — particularly with China ties — all within 2 weeks.
We’ve had multiple opportunities that came out of the relationships we formed during the program. For us, Founders Space was attractive because they are reaching deep into China, and that aligns with the distribution strategy of Paragon One.
Matt Wikerson
Founder & CEO of Paragon One
Most amazing and inspirational experience I’ve had since I’ve decided to build my own company. My co-founder and myself both participated in the program. We come from slightly different technical and business backgrounds: me being the first time startup founder, and for him this is the 3-rd company he founded. We found that Founders Space program provides great learning experience and resources for the first time as well for seasoned entrepreneurs.
Two weeks flew by in a blink of an eye; however, I feel like the things we learned from mentors such as Steve Austin, Nathan Schor and Steve Hoffman will guide our product and business decision for years to come. The value we received from their experience, out of the box thinking and original ideas was greatly supplemented by the entire hands-on and personalized approach. The best part is that the experience does not end on the demo day and we are looking forward to working with them for the next few months to keep our business and product goals on the right track.
Alexander Volkov
Co-founder of Zero Email App
http://zeroapp.email
From the basics of brain storming to perfecting your pitch, Founders Space provides many weapons necessary to any businessmen. Even if you have had the experience of running a company, the mentors and advisers will tear you down and rebuild you on a stronger basis.
After delivering my first pitch in front of investors, I have gained so much confidence that I feel like I can more comfortably pitch again to other audiences.
One of the most essential lessons were learning how to listen to other entrepreneurs. In addition, I was simply amazed by how we could be taught to control ourselves in front of a big crowd.
On behalf of the entire Exeq team, I would like to thank Steve Hoffman, Steve Austin, and the entire Founders Space for some of the most incredible two weeks in our company’s history.
Beyond the intense and high-quality academic process that provided insight on business development, fundraising, and go-to-market strategy, Founders Space truly provided Exeq’s founders “founder space.” For two weeks, my partners and I escaped the everyday distractions of life and business to incubate, bond on deep levels, brainstorm new and open-minded ideas, and focus on growing the company.
Founders Space’s eclectic population also introduced us to valuable alternative experiences, while creating a profoundly collaborative environment. The startups, which ranged of a multitude of different sectors, offered informative access to a variety of ideas in finance, media, technology, and philanthropy. For us, Founders Space served as a critical stepping-stone that accelerated Exeq from a disruptive product, to a super lean and targeted business viable for scale and profitability.
I can’t start talking about Founders Space without mentioning their team, Steve Hoffman (Captain Hoff), Naomi Kokubo, Steve Austin and Nathan Schor. They are the core of the accelerator and each one brings real world expertise that is directly applicable to any startup.
Captain Hoff and Naomi were great to look at VendOp and really dig in to our business model. Nathan brought insight into how to make our marketing messaging way more effective. Steve Austin spends the most time with the startups, really sharing his experience and expertise in sales, pitching, building a business, taking to investors and much more. To supplement their experience and knowledge, many other mentors were brought in and spent an enormous amount of time with us.
Just as impressive as the mentors were the other startups in the program. We had companies from all over the world that are disrupting many different industries. Common between all of the companies was a passion for what they are doing coupled with incredible industry expertise.
“Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect,” said one of the most beloved coaches in American history, Vince Lombardi. Well in brief, Founder’s Space is “perfect practice!”
Brian Donohue
Founder of FiatLux@Work Inc.
Founders Space is an accelerator program on steroids!
It was a great experience. Learning from talented mentors and collaborating with extremely bright founders has changed the way I perceived my business, allowing me to position my company for success.
If you want your business to succeed, then Founders Space is a must. Short, on point, and highly valuable.
My business partner and I are embarking on our first startup, and Founders Space gave us absolutely invaluable and comprehensive training.
I feel as though we got an MBA in an intensive yet fun two week program.
I highly suggest Founders Space. You’ll meet other incredible entrepreneurs, advisors, mentors and investors.
Being selected for the Founders Space Accelerator program made for great excitement and a healthy tinge of fear in the Tuse camp. We were the first South African startup to be a part of the program and were unaware of what to expect. Almost immediately, the warmth of the Founders Space team put us at ease. The video lectures from Captain Hoff, as well as Naomi’s willingness to personally help us navigate a myriad of administrative challenges, instantly made us feel at home.
This comfort was essential to allowing us to fully focus all our energies on the incredibly intense four week program. We were exposed to cutting edge information from some of the world’s foremost authorities on subjects as varied as company law, raising capital, sales and influence, human resources, presentation skills, business model generation, company culture, and immigration amongst many others. It truly was an immersive experience that prepared us for the road ahead, and if our results since the end of the program are anything to go by, we can very safely say that Founders Space succeeded in this objective.
After pitch day, we closed a seed round with Draper Dark Flow, have been selected to pitch at the Global Technology Symposium in San Francisco, gained our first 2 paying commercial clients and have been invited to exhibit our wares at a number of trade shows around the African continent. I have also been invited to talk at the Sustainability Summit in Cape Town this May, on my observations of “Reciprocal Meritocracy” which I learnt about in the program.
The Founders Space program is an intense, educational experience for startups that could make all the difference between failure and success. The curriculum is comprehensive and timely, and the instructors and mentors are global experts in their own right. I greatly appreciated their lessons and the personal mentoring I received.
They don’t only educate you, they give you real opportunities to pitch to investors and we received several great contacts and leads that are going to make a big difference in our company as we move forward.
Matt Ream
Co-Founder of MDChronic.com
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