This presentation explains what business accelerators are and why they make difference for early-stage companies. It also tells how to apply and what are the screening and selection criteria
2. JFDI: who we are
#1 in Southeast Asia, JFDI is Asia’s gateway to a global community
Ø JFDI was the first accelerator in Southeast Asia.
Ø JFDI was recruited by TechStars as first regional member of its Global Accelerator
Network: 50 elite accelerators in 63 cities worldwide. JFDI shares insights gained
creating 908 new startups across 6 continents.
Ø Worldwide, accelerators like JFDI have raised over S$3.2b funding and created
$10b value in hundreds of businesses, like Airbnb, Dropbox, Sendgrid, and Heroku.
Since JFDI’s accelerator launch in 2012 till 2014:
Ø 1075 startup teams from 58 countries have applied for acceleration.
Ø 40 (3.7%) of applicants were accepted
Ø They received S$25k pre-seed investment for 5–15% equity.
Ø 63% of accelerated teams raised follow-on funding averaging S$600,000.
In 3 years, JFDI has secured widespread media coverage because of its regional
impact. In Singapore, its alumni already represent approximately 10% of all ICT
startups funded at seed level.
3. What are accelerators?
Not incubators
Facing market reality in a
fast and structured way:
Ø Intense 3-month
mentorship program,
with deliverables,
milestones and metrics
Ø Meeting customers
from day 1
Ø Skin in the game
Ø Cohorts
Ø DemoDay
4. Why enter an accelerator
Ø Structured program
with milestones
Ø Mentorship: product
development, scaling,
fundraising
Ø Just-in-time advice
Ø Books, articles,
document templates
Ø Community of
investors, mentors,
serial entrepreneurs
Ø Access to potential
customers and
partners
Ø Network of alums in
many countries
Intellectual
Capital
Social
Capital
Ø Access to a large
pool of investors
Ø Smart money
Ø Pre-seed investment
Ø Zero costs for using
space, web access
etc.
Financial
Capital
5. Why enter an accelerator
JFDI Applicants (not
accepted)
JFDI Alums
Probability to raise seed
funding
4% 60%
Average seed investment $250,000-$500,000
by Ardent Capital
S$600,000
Equity given N/A 18%
6. You do not pass Go
Ø Sole founder
Ø No technical expertise
Ø No English
Ø Unequal shareholding
Ø Not coachable
Ø Lies
Ø Not all founders are present
at interview
Ø Not punctual
Ø Poor English
Ø Other commitments
Ø Not enough experience of
working together
Hard
red
flags
So6
red
flags
8. What accelerators are looking for
Ø The team, the opportunity and
whether the accelerator can
bring value to the companies
Ø Compatibility between the team
and the accelerator’s focus
Ø Full-time team (hacker, hustler,
hipster)
Ø Ability to raise capital
Ø ‘Marketability’ of the team
Ø Team’s ability to communicate
Ø Motivation: is it money, passion
or anything else?
Ø Time to market
Ø Traction: is the team attracting
users or customers? Are they
paying?
Ø What is the stage of product
development (MVP)
Ø Market size for the product
Ø Ability to execute
Tips from TechStars: apply early, show team, show product
10. Don’t apply if
Ø You just need money
Ø You have it all sorted out (or you believe you do)
Ø No scalable business model (e.g. service, brick-
and-mortar stores)
Ø You are afraid someone will steal your idea
Ø You are not committed
Ø You are not interested in building a large business
If in doubt, go into a pre-accelerator program
And read this:
11. Increase your chances to be accepted
Ø Understand yourself and your team
Ø Understand your customers
Ø Understand your market
Ø Understand your competition
Ø Make sure you have a business model. Know
what you know and what you don’t, be honest
about it
Ø Do due diligence on the accelerators
Ø Learn basics: lean canvas, customer
discovery, early adopters, traction, MVP, CAC,
LTV, launch pages
14. General Accelerator to Vertical?
Ø Access to distribution
Ø Access to expertise
Ø Access to labs
Ø Better access to funding
Ø Faster exit
Ø Equi-hire in case of failure
Ø Hardly global business
Ø Often very limited expertise in
early stage businesses
Ø Long decision making
Ø No control over corporate
partners
Pros
Cons
For businesses focused on specific industries a vertical accelerator might be a
good choice
Advice: choose a vertical accelerator powered by a general accelerator
15. Useful links and resources
Effectual Logic: Saras Sarasvathy on the way entrepreneurs think:
http://bit.ly/1zJwgWn
http://bit.ly/1DZTRbI
http://bit.ly/1CBSb6p
How to do Customer interviews: http://bit.ly/1vQOSZM
Customer Development defined by the boss, Steve Blank: http://slidesha.re/17jeUZv
Free Lean LaunchPad course on Udacity, by Steve Blank: http://bit.ly/IEFkIX
Personae by Tristan Kromer: http://bit.ly/1DzLPWz
Personae by Luxr: http://bit.ly/1Msi2mQ
Prioritizing Customer Segments with Justin Wilcox: http://bit.ly/17css9B
Ray Wu's Framework: http://bit.ly/17css9B
16. Ques9ons
If you want to say hi: alena@jfdi.asia
JFDI URL: jfdi.asia