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2. 5 tips for
Running an Accelerator

3. CONFIDENTIAL /
Hi, I’m Tanya Soman/
•Venture Partner @ 500 Startups
•Lead the Retail & Beauty track in Seed
program
•Lead 20+ deals, manage 50+ portfolio
companies
•Reviewed 1000+ pitches
•Previously marketer @ AdTech startups
in NYC
•BS in business management from
Babson Collegetanya@500startups.com

4. CONFIDENTIAL /
5 tips on running an accelerator/
1. Generate the best deal flow
2. Interview companies at scale
3. Maximize growth for each company
4. Manage expenses
5. Grow community

5. CONFIDENTIAL /
1. Generate the best deal flow/
• Referrals from founders and
mentors
• Outbound efforts - email
campaigns
• Roadshows

6. CONFIDENTIAL /
2. Interview companies at scale/
• Tiers of interviews
• Individual vs. Group
• Establish relationships
• Get to know them in person

7. CONFIDENTIAL /
3. Maximize growth for each company/
• Establish what your
value add is
• Know what to focus on
• Track your results and
share them
• Market your specialty

8. CONFIDENTIAL /
4. Manage Expenses/
• Securing sponsors (cash or
partnerships)
• Create (volunteer) mentor
network
• Keep batch size low
• Are you investing?

9. CONFIDENTIAL /
Grow community/
• Community exists, find it!
• Participate in it
• Write about it (tweet, articles,
invites)
• Be fast, and be consistent

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