1. ACCELERATORS V1.0A SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICES FOR ACCELERATORS
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2. Disclaimer
This slide deck is not sponsored by any organizations and is a in essence an informal, non-
comprehensive document that aims provide and organize common questions for myself and the
communities around the startup ecosystem globally.
Opinions and writings expressed in the slide deck are solely my own with inspiration and lessons
from my experience of operating and learning from startup accelerators.
Please use this slide deck at your own will and risk.
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3. MY EXPERIENCE
Hi my name is Dylan Ler and my experiences in the VC and accelerator space includes the
following:
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4. INVESTMENT THESIS
An accelerator’s main function is to invest in startups that they believe in.
Your investment thesis is your bread and butter of your accelerator, it is your
TRUE NORTH when things gets tough and the seas starts raging.
It will guide you back to your original path.
Whether your accelerator invests in startups through monetary means or
providing resources, every accelerator should form a strong investment thesis
to maintain unity in operations.
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5. WHY HAVE AN INVESTMENT THESIS?
1. Competition is fierce: there are a lot of accelerators out there.
2. You need a distinguished feature that makes you unique.
3. It generates the right deal flow to your accelerator—you want the right
startups coming into your accelerator.
4. It will set everyone in your team on the same page to achieve ONE same goal.
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6. What sets you apart? (examples)
Accelerators Investment Focus Known-for’s
500 Startups Marketing & Growth Investing in startups BEFORE product-market fit, double
down AFTER to focus on growth
Y Combinator Product Focuses on startups with a solid product—always
create something that people love.
Boost VC Blockchain/VR Investing in startups in Block chain and Virtual Reality
Industry.
Disney Accelerator Consumer Having strong go-to-market & consumer based
expertise thus portfolio consists of startups that can
utilize this advantage.
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7. How to stand out?
1. Have a value proposition (your unique power) & repeat it as often as you can.
2. Be founder friendly. Be Upfront & Transparent—founders have enough on their plate.
3. Look into your data—see what the market is lacking and provide that.
Your FOUNDERS will be your best marketers. Treat them
well, collect feedback and trust them.
Example:
Provide GOLDEN TICKETS to your founders. Founders from previous batch can refer another
startup that has a guarantee shot for an interview.
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8. Accelerator Focus
1. What stage do you want to FOCUS on?
Early stage? Growth Stage?
2. Are you focusing on a SPECIFIC vertical?
Can you provide industry support? Go-to-market initiatives?
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9. MARKETING
Launch applications early and set a deadline.
It is a lot like selling tickets, people will wait till the last minute to apply.
1. Content Marketing
2. Network Referrals
3. Angel List
4. Remarketing
5. Roadshows
6. Hold impromptu office hours in conferences
7. Mentor at co-working spaces and boot camps.
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10. THE ART OF FOMO
FOMO stands for Fear of Missing Out.
Conduct social events Every time your accelerator is doing a social event,
portray your speakers, show that your founders
are having a good time.
Photography virality Good photography can boost the sharability of your
social media post. Small cost, great returns!
Nudge your founders to tweet and talk about your
accelerator.
They are part of your accelerator family! Make
them feel like it!
Sell your founders. Post founder’s profiles, features, blogs, head shots,
etc.
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11. MARKETING TO INVESTORS
1. Invite them earlier on.
2. Don’t put pressure on them to invest. Ask them to be a
mentor first.
3. Be clear and transparent about your startup’s
performance.
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12. ACCELERATOR INSIGHTS
1. Tracking Metrics
2. Designing Your Curriculum
3. Mentorship & Community
4. Accelerator Law
5. Accelerator Finance
6. Generating Deal Flow
7. Downstream Capital
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13. TRACKING METRICS
What are your KPIs for your accelerator?
DURING Examples POST Examples
Metrics for portfolio Users, Revenue, Profit,
Signups, Downloads,
Growth, etc.
Program Breakeven Can you financially
survive next batch?
Number of Investors Number of potential
investors on your list
Downstream Rounds 10% of portfolio raised
$500K @ $5M Valuation
Mentors Engagement Number of mentors
committing to the
program
Portfolio Returns 3X in 1 year, 20% IRR
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14. BEST PRACTICES (QUALITATIVE KPIs)
Examples
Conduct Case Studies Case studies of companies that doubled their revenue in the program—
learnings from here.
Build Communities Bring in mentors/speakers to the program. Mentors -> Investors.
Generate content Put out open source content like legal documents, financial documents,
guides, slide decks, etc. (Good PR & Community Engagement)
Instill inclusivity and reward Create hashtags of your program, batch-specific activities, staff retreat.
Knowledge Transfer Train & educate staff and community for future programs
Promote Diversity Get more diverse companies from different regions around the world
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15. CURRICULUM DESIGN
Questions to ask Follow up
What stage are your companies at? Design your curriculum to fit the majority of your
companies
Is this a learning or a doing program? Is the program more of a “here’s the resources, go
make progress!” or a summer school?
Buffet style or mandatory? Deciding whether workshops/sessions in the
program to be mandatory or buffet “pick what you
need” style.
How large is your batch? Large batch requires more point of contacts for
better communications.
Who do companies report to? Appoint Point of Contacts/Account Managers that
handles 5-10 companies.
What is success after the program? Plan it out—success for the companies & your
accelerator.
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16. Sample Weekly Curriculum
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Fundraising
workshop
Customer
Acquisition
Product Market Fit Fundraising
workshop
Term Sheets
Speaker session Speaker session Speaker session Speaker session Speaker session
Pitching Practice Pitching Practice Pitching Practice Pitching Practice Pitching Practice
E-commerce
Markets
SaaS Markets B2B vs B2C Content Marketing Social Media
Marketing
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17. BEST PRACTICES (CURRICULUM DESIGN)
Examples
Allow curriculum to be buffet style Let companies attend sessions that they think will be most helpful to
them
Design based on application pool If application pool has significant biotech companies, design
curriculum to fit that (get industry experts, FDA approvals, etc.)
Set Expectations Let founders know how the program operates from the start—hands
on or hands off
Cut out non-essential workshops Collect feedback and only focus on game-changing workshops.
Choosing great speakers Ask speakers to record video of themselves. Otherwise, fireside
chats work great for experts who are bad at speaking.
Involve everyone Let your POCs (point of contacts)/ Account Managers give their
opinion when it comes to designing the curriculum. They are after all
the ones spending the most time with the startups.
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18. COMMUNITY
Why is it important? Community generates deal flow to your accelerator
Why does it matter? Community and network make founders want to be part of it.
Internal loop feedback—getting genuine product feedback from your internal
community.
Conduct Internal beta launches.
Emotional support, technical expertise, mentorship, distribution help and etc.
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19. Cultivating Community
Batch Founders
Previous Batch Founders
Mentor Network
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20. BEST PRACTICES (COMMUNITY)
Examples
Getting AWESOME mentors Ask your companies “who is the one person that is most helpful?”
The best mentors want to feel like a community and learn from the
experience themselves.
Red Flag: mentors who wants to take equity.
Use grass-root Communications Facebook Groups, WhatsApp, Text—whatever it takes to communicate
actively with your community
Create community experiments Community services, retreats, internal company day, etc.
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21. BEST PRACTICES (MENTORSHIP)
Examples
Implementing Office Hours Let mentors decide when to come in themselves.
Set up office hours
Red Flag: mentors who wants to take equity.
Use grass-root Communications Facebook Groups, WhatsApp, Text—whatever it takes to communicate
actively with your community
Create community experiments Community services, retreats, internal company day, etc.
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22. BEST PRACTICES (ACCELERATOR LAW)
Actions Reasoning
Standardization is key If every company asks for a different investing structure, it will just be a mess.
You use your own documents, no legal fees.
Less overhead time
Be upfront & transparent Let founders know what they are getting into.
Minimize negotiations So that there is no discrepancies between companies and no complaints of
unfair biasedness to certain companies.
Do not offer legal advice
to companies
You will be held liable if something wrong happens
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23. ACCELERATOR FINANCE
Questions to consider Follow-ups
How do you remain sustainable? Will you charge a program fee? What other income
will help sustain the accelerator?
Do you want to operate at loss? Are you here for the long run and betting on the long
term profit?
Can you wait 5-10 years for liquidity events in
your portfolio?
Will the accelerator survive after 10 years? Can you
make it that far?
What is special about your program? What investment structure attracts founders?
What is the cost of running an accelerator? Rent, staffs, professional fees, marketing, etc.
What is your investment deal? Example: $100k for 5% with $20K going into program
fees
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24. BEST PRACTICES (FINANCE)
Actions Reasoning
Standardization is key If every company asks for a different investing structure, it will just be a mess.
You use your own documents, no legal fees.
Less overhead time
Be upfront & transparent Let founders know what they are getting into.
Minimize negotiations So that there is no discrepancies between companies and no complaints of
unfair biasedness to certain companies.
Do not offer legal advice
to companies
You will be held liable if something wrong happens
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25. DEAL FLOW
Things you can do to generate deal flow organically Notes
Speaking at conferences (later stage) as long as it justifies a win-win situation.
Conduct road shows/free office hour be genuine and honest in these.
Mentoring at other accelerator might seem counter intuitive to help competitors
but genuine help goes a long way to generate good
deal flows.
Founder referral promote internal trust + get good deal flows. Win-
win!
Investor referral scout larger VCs and ask them to refer companies
that are “too early” to you.
Build reputation do not exaggerate your startups’ situation to
investors. Be honest & upfront.
Get your selection process right Reiterate your interview process. Balanced team,
traction, industry, coachability etc.
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26. DOWNSTREAM CAPITAL
How to drive down stream capital Notes
Mock investor interviews Conduct mock investor interviews to help startups understand
how to do an investor centric pitch.
Create investor urgency Invite investors in often to create a sense of competition and
urgency.
Coach startups on fundraising Train startups to fund raise and be well versed in fundraising
jargons like equity, convertible notes, term sheets, vesting &
clipping, etc.
Build relationships with investors Build networks with later stage VCs
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27. BONUSES
For government programs or Non-Profits, everything would be applicable except KPIs.
KPIs for government programs might include:
1. Number of jobs created from startups.
2. Startup ecosystem building—increased number of technology startups in the country.
3. Country’s ranking for startup ecosystem globally.
4. Number of environmentally friendly startups created.
5. Number of startups created that are operating as social enterprises.
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28. LAST BUT NOT LEAST
REITERATE, REITERATE, REITERATE.
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