​Accelerator/Workshop for US-based startups

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Away from the daily grind, for this workshop intensive in the beautiful setting of Mexico City. Daytime intensive followed by nighttime, in order to have proper balance. Let's experience the excellent food options of Mexico City - after a fruitful day

​This course is designed to give startups proper guidance in every aspect of their business. If raising funding or not this a must-have workshop to increase the chances of success

​Many if not most of the companies fail!

​The instructor - Axel Tillmann - is a serial entrepreneur with more than 6 startup companies, a former CEO of a VC/CVC with $150 AUM, and Board Member on many startups (including exits to Intel for $300M).

​In the last 8 years he has been a partner in Pitch Global and assumed recently the role as CEO Pitch Global CVC Accelerator. His personal successes can be best measured by the recommendations he received on LinkedIn (Scroll down to Recommendations and select SHOW ALL).

​Part of the program are social opportunities (typically at the end of the day), where we form stronger connections with each other.

​THE PROGRAM DETAILS

​Day 1 - Demo Day

• ​Initial demo Day to establish the status quo

​All the participants in this cohort come together in the kick off session where they get to meet the instructor and each other creating a collaborative community for seeking partnership and funding for partnerships all throughout their entrepreneurial life cycle across startups.

​This session a purposefully in a classroom style setup because everybody can learn from each other, even in disparate industries.

​Each company will have the opportunity to pick one template out of a 65,000 rich template library in order to give their company an advanced graphical representation. You know what they say, "People eat with their eyes".

​Day 2 - The Problem - The Solution
These are the two most critical elements that nearly all startup companies get wrong. On a case-by-case basis we will jointly examine the status quo and suggest changes. Because of the classroom setting each participant can learn from each other, even if they are in different market segments. We will encourage critical thinking and do not stop until we have a satisfactory answer.

​Day 3 - Market Sizing - Competition
Market sizing and correct competitive analysis is what most companies get wrong and fall into the trap of overblowing their market opportunity. Being part of a bigger market is not equivalent to your TAM. You learn how to present this correctly. In addition, we address:

• ​Competitive Analysis
  You must learn and demonstrate how you fit into the market

• ​Initial niche market Definition (B2B or B2C, do you deliver components or the end-product)
  How to sell into the market, how to find your target customers (they must agree they have the problem that you are trying to solve, must have the money (budgeted) for it, and are willing to pay in the current business year.

• ​Eco System Partnerships (The Power of APIs)
  You really can't do it alone, so how to pick your strategic partners and what value are your presenting to them.

• ​Customer feedback loops
  More important than getting it right the first time. At the end they are the once that are paying for your product, not the VCs nor the board members.

• ​Defined release cycle (it is better to have something in the market that receives active use than trying to build the perfect solution). This is an artform to just have enough for customers to jump on it and to generate revenue before you need to raise your next round of funding.

• ​Recruiting the right Co-Founders
  Your team is highly important, so don't be that technical founder that has limited or no business experience, but you think you must do it all. Superman only exists as a marvel Character.

• ​Other recruiting priorities
  Take advantage of fractional C-Suite and higher line operators. Example an EVP of Sales and Marketing can be a fractional position, salespeople and engineers on the other hand are a must have.

​Rome wasn’t built in one day!  Many startup founders make the mistake of wanting to put all eggs in one basket with the initial product rollout.  The reality is that most companies started imperfectly because customer feedback is a necessary part of this process.  There is an artform in defining release cycles, and many companies have failed to manage those cycles correctly.  Equally important is the choice of the right team.  A balance between business praxis and technical cofounders and team members is particularly important.  We will address all the above points.

​Day 4 - Fundraising - Silicon Valley Mindset
We need to discuss every funding aspect. How much to ask for, what is the valuation, what vehicles exit, in which country do you raise funding. Part of this is:

• ​Continuous Funding

  • ​Angels

  • ​VC’s

  • ​CVC’s

  • ​Debt

  • ​Grant

  • ​Corporate Advance for R&D

  • ​Factoring etc. 

​The objective of this session is to get all cohort members into a mindset of continuous funding. Capital is the life blood of any business be it angel funding, debt, revenues from customers, grants etc. but often entrepreneurs are accustomed to thinking in a very siloed manner. This session will open up entrepreneurs to be receptive of all kinds of capitals from the very beginning.

• ​How to achieve a Silicon Valley Mindset

  • ​Make collaboration a Core Value.

  • ​What is Mindset—Our experience shapes our Beliefs.

  • ​What is unique about Silicon Valley Mindset—Tolerance to Failure.

  • ​curiosity, creativity and de-stress for an Innovation Mindset.

  • ​How to engage all 3 parts of the Mind—Neo-Cortex, Emotional, Reptilian.

  • ​How to understand the Mindset of Investors especially CVC’s.

  • ​How to shape the perception of Investors.

​A Silicon Valley Mindset is a state of the mind and not tied to the physical location. Someone may be in Silicon Valley and might not possess a Silicon Valley Mindset while someone else can be located elsewhere but still possess the Silicon Valley Mindset. In this session, you will get into the depts of what constitutes a Silicon Valley Mindset and how you can achieve it. You will be able to tap your inner resilience and be able to convert temporary setbacks into opportunities.

​Day 5 G2M & Sales - FINAL | DEMO DAY
Go-to-market strategy (although I prefer Going-To_Market since this is a continuous process). And this determines also Sales Strategy.

• ​Pricing determines sales strategy

  • ​Understanding sales Channels (Direct Sales, Manufacturer Reps, Distributors, Corporate Partnerships, Telemarketing, and more)

  • ​Defining marketing

  • ​ B2B Product Sales strategies

  • ​Understanding PoC and when & How to do them correctly

  • ​The 10 Stages of sales process and other control factors

  • ​How to manage you team correctly

​Products don’t sell by themselves, and each channel strategy is a factor of the LTV of the customer.  We will discuss the pluses and minuses of every sales channel and will talk about the right strategies in detail.  And this includes the artform of proper customer trials – or proof of concepts.  The wrong strategy can cost you the company or at least a major setback.