Before applying to an accelerator program, founders have to struggle with the question: is it worth it? While it may be easy to read some articles and form an opinion on all accelerators, the answer is usually more nuanced. It usually depends on the specific program, founder and startup.
At Accelerating Asia, our flagship accelerator program happens to be quite different from others. We believe these differences help us better supercharge our startups’ growth. Built on years of operational experience from our Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiR) who have multiple exits under their belt, and constantly improved based on founder feedback, we believe our program is one of the best around.
Here is how we supercharge startups:
Unlike modular programs out there who take batch after batch of startups through a fixed educational (and often theoretical) program, we custom design each cohort’s activities based on the needs of startups in that specific cohort.
This also means that our program is adaptive: if we find that a number of startups are facing a specific challenge halfway through the program, we can get an expert in to conduct a masterclass on that specific topic. Delivering up to date and actionable steps for the cohort to overcome the hurdles that matter most.
Moreover, we work hands-on on your startup’s specific challenge in its specific context. For example, we break down our startups’ growth plan in our growth jams, and often receive input and ideas from fellow founders in the cohort. In our SEO masterclass, we take a look at our startups’ websites and point out actionable areas of improvement. In our weekly one-on-ones with our EiRs, you get to talk through areas you need help with in specifics.
At Accelerating Asia, we specialise in helping post-revenue startups. At this stage, founders require lots of time to focus on growth, experimentation and scaling. Therefore, an accelerator’s activities should not take up too much time but should act as effective enablers that help founders quickly solve issues and move faster.
Hence, we try to ensure that each session we have is compressed and high value. In a typical week, founders would go through Monday standups, Tuesday growth jams, Wednesday masterclasses, Thursday pitch sessions, and on-demand one-on-ones with our EiRs. In short, we let you operate, and never take up more than a couple of hours in your day.
While we invest up to US$250K per startup, most leave our accelerator with more than that. 90% of our startups raise outside capital during our 100-day program and 80% raise follow-on funding within 12 months of our program. This happens because we specifically coach our startups to perfect their pitch and provide them access to a great investor network.
We do this through:
Often, the best person founders can learn from are other fellow founders who have experienced or are experiencing the same growth pains in their startup journey. Hence, we build a conducive environment for founders to help and teach each other and ensure that the main drivers of the program, our EiRs, are ex-founders themselves (not VCs or people from corporate innovation).
How we build our community:
Accelerating Asia invests up to US$250k into eligible startups joining the flagship 100-day program for Pre-Series A startups delivering access to investors, tailored 1-1 support and a network of fellow founders. Find out more about our flagship program here and how we invest.
Accelerating Asia invests in startups with scalable technology solutions and revenue generating business models that combine purpose with profit.
In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of startups and the terms of the investment including the merits and risks involved. Prospective investors should not construe this content as legal, tax, investment, financial or accounting advice.
