Calling all tech CEE entrepreneurs! HowToWeb‘s MVP Academy is looking for 12 early-stage tech startups for their class of 2015. This pre-acceleration programme will give participating startups the opportunity to grow their product and build connections with potential business partners and investors. You can apply until 9 March here.
What to expect
Photo credit: http://mvpacademy.co/
The second edition of the MVP Academy will be focused on pushing its participants beyond their comfort zones. Throughout the programme, participants will attend practical workshops held by key industry professionals, as well as receive mentoring and one-on-one coaching sessions focused primarily on achieving product-market fit. Additionally, entrepreneurs will get personalised feedback and advice on their individual questions and challenges.
Participants will also be coached on how to confidently pitch to potential investors and strategic partners. Moreover, there will be excellent networking opportunities at local, regional, and international levels, as well as constant contact with and full support from the Bucharest tech community.
Making a long-term impact
We want help startups have a longer lifespan and prepare them to raise their first and second rounds of financing.
Irina Nicoleta Scarlat, Marketing Manager, MVP Academy
“In recent years, we’ve noticed a trend of regional startups coming out of accelerators in the west, yet many fail to raise a second round of funding,” explained Irina Nicoleta Scarlat, MVP Academy’s Marketing Manager. “We want to tip this balance, help startups have a longer lifespan and prepare them to raise their first and second rounds of financing easier.”
MVP Academy is already making a noticeable impact. According to their six-months follow-up report, four of the 14 pre-accelerated startups of the class of 2014 have been accepted into accelerator programmes in the UK and the US, while five startups have already raised a total of 207,000 euros in funding.
Who are the mentors?
Photo: MVP Academy
As a community-driven programme, the MVP Academy is supported by mentors and partners who help participants improve their products and their business. Mike Butcher (TechCrunch Editor), Paul Smith (Co-Founder & Director Ignite100, UK), Olaf Lausen (Chief of CEO Staff & Business Development Director Telekom Romania), Marc Wesselink (Selection & Alumni Manager Startupbootcamp Smart City & Living, The Netherlands) and Calum Cameron (Managing Director Startup Wise Guys, Estonia) are just some of the mentors in this year’s programme. MVP Academy 2015 is organised in partnership with Telekom and Bitdefender, with the support of CyberGhost, Raiffeisen Bank, hub:raum & Microsoft.
The panel of expert judges includes Bogdan Iordache (Investment Manager 3TS Capital Partners & Board Member How to Web), Cosmin Ochișor (Business Development Manager hub:raum, which will also evaluate the applicants on behalf of Telekom Romania) and Alex Negrea (Co-Founder & CTO docTrackr).
Who should apply
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To be part of the MVP Academy Class of 2015, you should be a promising early-stage startup in your first two years of activity. To get the most out of this program, you should be fully committed to building your product and be available full time during the seven weeks of the programme (don’t worry, there’s enough time for you to be working on your startup). Moreover, you should have developed at least one working prototype for your product and you shouldn’t have raised more than 50,000 euros in external funding, nor have attended an accelerator with the current project yet.
If this sounds like you, then submit your application via F6S by Monday, 9 March! Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. To increase your chances of being selected, you can take a look at the evaluation criteria here.
