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Startup Island: Early Bird Tickets End Today for Conference in Paradise

jess — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:27:00 +0000

Rarely do I see such a brilliant location for a startup conference, with a terrific weekend agenda that gets me on skyscanner before I've checked my diary. You may spot some familiar faces in the speakers list here (Jon, need a chaperone?) and with the advice "pack your sunglasses" I can only guess everyone will be in a good mood.

For those interested, today is your last chance to grab early bird discount tickets, at €289 instead of €375.

More details below and registration here.

ZIP Announces Startup Island conference, summer “summit” of Central and Eastern European startup community

ZIP, the leading Croatian startup program / incubator is organizing Startup Island - a gathering of the CEE startup community on the island of Hvar, Dalmatia, on the Croatian Adriatic coast.

The Startup Island conference (www.startupislandconference.com) is taking place from 13th to 16th of June in the town of Hvar, Croatia. It will gather all the leaders of the startup community from the “New Europe“ region – from Finland and the Baltics to Turkey, from Austria to Russia. ZIP is organising the event together with a network of 15 partner startup programs from this whole region: Startup Sauna (Finland), Pioneers.io (Austria), Eleven and Launchub (Bulgaria), Geekcelerator (Romania), Gammarebels (Poland), Digital October (Russia), Hekovnik (Slovenia), Startup WiseGuys and GameFounders (Estonia), Domain.me (Montenegro), Node5 and Techsquare (Czech Republic), SEE ICT (Serbia), Neulogy (Slovakia) and the BVU Group (Ukraine).

Prominent keynote speakers at the conference include Jon Bradford (TechStars), Mike Butcher (TechCrunch), Carlos Espinal (Seedcamp), Johan Lorenzen (Sunstone Capital) Nenad Marovac (DN Capital), Ben Rooney (Wall Street Journal) Inmaculada Martinez Rubio (Opus), Heather Russell (Rinkya) and many others.

An important purpose of the conference is to round up the “middle-stage” startup projects from the region. These companies have shown significant progress, have several years of market success and rapid growth on the global market and are looking for further funding. Some of the conference participants from the near region are the cofounders of Farmeron, ShoutEm, Salespod, Zemanta, Nordeus, as well as other companies from the same generation from the region.

ZIP is also bringing together investors, analysts, media representatives and others operating in the “old” EU states, the United Kingdom and the United States who are actively networking, investing in and partnering with global projects originating from this part of Europe.

“Startup Island will be a one-of-a-kind gathering of the startup community from a large part of Europe”, said Saša Cvetojević, cofounder of ZIP, and went on: “Our colleagues have been begging us for a long time now to organize a conference on the beautiful Adriatic coast. As true entrepreneurs, we have decided to give our partners and the whole ecosystem what they asked for, and the reactions were extraordinary. As soon as we sent out the first bits of information, everybody said: ‘we’re in!’. We are just as pleased to see the sponsors express their strong interest in joining us as partners and supporting this splendid event.”

“This conference is going to be just awesome”, added Jon Bradford, managing director of TechStars London “The stunning venue and fantastic group of participants make Startup Island the event to attend for everyone interested in the booming Central and Eastern European startup ecosystem.”

Springboard IoT 2013 - Week #1 & #2 are for kickstarting

bogdan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:07:10 +0000

Springboard IoT 2013 kicked off on 18th of March, with 8 amazing teams from UK, Canada, Portugal and Bulgaria focusing on building great IoT products that blend hardware and software products into day-to-day activities.

This first two weeks at Springboard are unique in so many ways: you get to meet your colleagues and the Springboard team, move into the new office, get your badge from MakeSpace. First day gets you acquainted to some of the most successful Springboard alumnies, followed by a head on talk about their experience of Springboard and practical advices about how a startup can get the most of it.

As a startup you also start the program by a series of mentoring sessions and plunge into an almost never ending series of questions, assumptions that need validation, product or business scenarios. After meeting 70+ top-notch mentors in just the first week you realise it's not the easiest thing to do, but definitely helpful for assessing your startup's future strategy.

The work volume also starts to pick up: 6 hours of meetings per day followed by additional talks or workshops, video calls or just follow-up emails. This is one reason we call it an acceleration process, and how can you better accelerate your future processes other then by learning as much as possible? And where else can you meet amazing founders like Niall Murphy, serial entrepreneur, CEO & founder of Evrythng.

So here we are, 14 days into the process, making sure we're laying the right mix of process and serendipity for making things happen. Springboard Iot 2013 just kicked off, so buckle your seatbelts and let's get started!

Springboard IoT In Action: Meet the 8 Teams

bogdan — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:25:31 +0000

Springboard IoT has left the starting blocks, with Europe's first hardware accelerator now running full-speed ahead in Cambridge.

We have selected eight teams from over 250 applications globally, representing a wide range of Internet of Things applications ranging from pets to cooking to sports, taxis and beyond. Our 17 founders have traded jetlag for bicycles, having moved from Canada, Bulgaria, Portugal and even Twickenham to join us here. Amongst the group we have so far uncovered a former tank driver, an entrepreneur invited to Dragon's Den, and a secret Beliber.

We're lucky to be the first tenants of the new ideaSpace location in Miller's Yard, not only for the 30 second commute to The Mill pub but the equidistant trip to the fabulous new Makespace. Teams will meet with 100 mentors over 13 weeks to help shape their businesses and get their products to market, culminating with Demo Day as well as launching Kickstarter campaigns.

And now, with the clock ticking and the engines running, we are very proud to announce the eight teams of Springboard IoT:

Boxi.ng
We make boxing & MMA gloves smart!

BrightMove Media (http://brightmovemedia.com/)
We sell geo & time-based digital advertising on LED screens on the rooftops of London Black Taxis.

Playground Energy (http://playgroundenergy.com/)
Harvesting the kinetic energy from playgrounds and giving it back to children in the form of light or sounds in order to motivate them to play more.

Siine (http://siine.com/)
Setting out to reinvent the most used interface on the planet - the text keyboard.

TapTo (http://www.bluebutterfly.co.uk/)
We connect your phone to the internet via NFC - just tap it to our sign.

TOPPOT (http://www.toppot.co/)
Dedicated to radically improving home cooking through technology.

Wicastr (http://wicastr.com/)
We facilitate proximity broadcasting of digital content without the use of Internet, App or Location based services.

Wifido (http://www.wifido.co/)
We're dedicated to improving your pet’s health and well being through the use of internet connected sensors.

VentureOutNY is Seeking UK Tech Startups to Pitch NYC Venture Investors

jess — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:53:00 +0000

Want to pitch investors in the Big Apple?

British Tech Invasion, taking place in a month's time, is looking for rockstar startups from the UK to take the stage in NYC. Details from Brian Frumberg of VentureOutNY below!

VentureOutNY, in partnership with the TCIO and UKTI, is seeking British tech startups interested in raising capital and promoting their brand throughout New York City as part of their April 8th "British Tech Invasion" event. VentureOutNY is a NYC-based nonprofit helping international startups accelerate into the New York market. Details about the event and how to apply can be founder at ventureoutuk.com.

Date: April 8, 2013
Where: New York, NY
URL/Application: ventureoutuk.com

Apply to TechStars London Today

jon — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

TechStars is now part of the London and European tech and investment community. As of today, Springboard has become part of the TechStars family, becoming their first international office.

Success has many fathers, and Springboard is no exception to this. There is, however, one individual who has had more influence upon Springboard’s inception and core philosophical views than anyone else. David Cohen helped me create and launch The Difference Engine, the predecessor of Springboard, and has had a guiding hand ever since.

My initial meeting with David was as a result of a number of random coincidences – ultimately leading to a 20 minute discussion in the “bunker” at TechStars Boulder just over three years ago. Ten minutes into that discussion, David interrupted me and said “How can I help?” – which I subsequently discovered was a common response but also core to TechStars.

I returned to Boulder eight weeks later to learn more about TechStars and David also spent a couple of days in the UK helping to launch The Difference Engine. Whilst, I had the good fortune of David teaching me, first hand, how to run a programme – what had a much more profound impact was his attitude and motivation for running TechStars. Running an accelerator is less about the “mechanics” of a 13 week programme but more about building a platform that is founder centric.

Just over three years later, David and I once again had the good fortune of meeting. Whilst we had taken different paths in our respective programmes, it was apparent that our core values had not changed. Moreover, we had both become even more focused upon creating greater value for the teams that took part in our programmes.

It was the core values of TechStars, more than anything else, which prompted me to merge Springboard into TechStars to become TechStars London. As a combined entity, we can create more opportunities for the teams that participate in TechStars London and build tangible links between TechCity, London, Europe and the US.

As has been said before, Europe does not need valleys rather it needs bridges. I believe that TechStars London will be the first tangible bridge that brings the tech and investment communities in the US and Europe much closer together to create substantive value to founders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Only 2 Days to Go: Springboard IoT

jon — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

With only 2 days before the close of applications for Springboard IoT and we are proud to announce our home for the programme in Central Cambridge.

Springboard IoT has a new home, right in the middle of Cambridge, only 2 mins walk from Makespace which will provide the teams with access to resources such as the latest rapid prototyping equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters, and kit for electronics, woodwork and textiles.

In addition the facilities at the magnificent ideaSpace located in the Hauser Forum where the original Springboard Cambridge was situated, Springboard IoT will be based just off Mill Lane.

For a 360 Panaroma view of the new office click on the image below.

Central Cambridge? Check out the map below to find us.

View Springboard IoT in a larger map

Accelerated (and Kickstarted) to Success

jon — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Springboard Internet of Things (“IoT”) integrates with Kickstarter to bring more funding opportunities to startups

Today Springboard Internet of Things (“IoT”), the London and Cambridge-based accelerator program, has announced it is adding Kickstarter as an additional funding option alongside the traditional Investor Day to become the world’s first accelerator to integrate crowdfunding as part of its program.

At the conclusion of the Springboard IoT program the teams will simultaneously launch Kickstarter projects (at www.kickstarter.com/springboard), as appropriate, alongside the traditional Investor Day when they present their business propositions to Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors.

Accelerator programs and crowdfunding are the two of the most significant advancements in financing for startups. The experience, expertise and knowledge that Springboard IoT can offer teams will substantially reduce the risks associated with planning and executing a Kickstarter project. Meanwhile the Kickstarter platform will allow teams to test their products in the real world, lowering the risks of failure and enhancing the opportunity to raise further finance if they reach the projects’ goal.

Jon Bradford, co-founder of Springboard commented: "We are constantly looking to find ways to evolve and improve the accelerator model. We believe that the combination of an accelerator for the Internet of Things and the crowding funding platform Kickstarter are a perfect fit.”

Springboard has also confirmed additional program partners Bosch, Cosm, Living PlanIT and Nokia Growth Partners. Each core partner will play an active role in supporting the selected Springboard founders, as well as providing senior mentors to those accepted to the program.

Finally, Springboard is proud to announce that it has partnered with Makespace based in Cambridge to help provide the Springboard teams access to the specific specialist resources that might be required for rapid prototyping equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters, and kit for electronics, woodwork and textiles.

Springboard Internet of Things IoT is an accelerator program that accepts the ten best teams in any area of IoT technology, from bright idea to Series A funding. Participating founders will receive more than $150,000 of free services, seed capital and mentoring from more than 100 industry leaders around the world, in an intensive three-month bootcamp.

Springboard IoT has a wide variety of mentors who have vast experience as investors and/or entrepreneurs in this space including, Hermann Hauser (Amadeus), Sherry Coutu, Niall Murphy (Evrythng & The Cloud), Usman Haque (Cosm & Pachube), Pilgrim Beart (AlertMe) and Brad Feld (Foundry Group & FitBit).

Springboard IoT is part of Springboard, an established accelerator program with historical funding success rates in excess of 70%. Entrepreneurs have until 13 January 2013 to compete for one of ten places on the program and can apply for a place at www.springboard.com/iot.

Day 91 - Team Reflections

jon — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Final program reflections from our teams below.

ApptheGame

Springboard was an incredible opportunity to spend 3 months with the leading minds in international mobile-first businesses. Entering into the British culture and seeing first-hand that the social connection of sports transcends national boundaries was also beneficial for us to understand how big we can make ApptheGame - something that wouldn't have been possible without all of the pizza and warm beer.

BuildGauge

Springboard was an experience that we will never forget. It's rare to meet and get to know such a splendid group of people who are all pulling for you and want to help.

House Map

For House Map's team it was a great experience! We learned loads about the start-up environment, about ourselves and about the business. After 13 trying weeks we feel stronger, wiser and humbler. It has been an honor to participate along with such great teams in the Springboard Mobile accelerator program, and we are grateful for being able to think of such wonderful people as our friends.

After a few weeks of rest and relaxation with our families for the holidays, I'm quite sure we'll be more energized and ready than ever. This being said - Who is up for round two?!

iJudgeFights

Our time at Springboard was great for both personal growth as entrepreneurs and for cohesion as a team. Working day in and day out with other teams that were facing similar challenges helped focus our energies. Springboard has assembled a great group of mentors and we look forward to remaining engaged with them in the years to come.

Shhmooze

We had high hopes of time on Springboard. And we weren't disappointed. The challenge and inspiration we encountered exceeded anything we anticipated, and our whirlwind of international demo days was the icing on the cake. We're now 13 weeks older, a whole lot wiser and full of energy and plans for 2013…bring it on!

We Are Pop Up

Springboard Mobile was an incredible programme. Over the last 13 weeks, mentors pushed and pulled at We Are Pop Up – resulting in what we have today, Wired UK’s ‘Startup of the Week’.

And beyond WAPU, we watched each of the other teams go through the same process. Honing value propositions, adding key features, and becoming great at communicating their unique offers to customers and investors.

Overall, Springboard has been one of those intensely formative experiences – the best thing you never want to do again. Basically, Springboard shaped We Are Pop Up the same way Michaelangelo sculpted the David.

Day 90 - 10 Startups. 13 Intense Weeks. Springboard Mobile hits Facebook HQ for Silicon Valley Demo Day [Video on @TNW]

jon — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Our series following startups taking part in London’s Springboard Mobileaccelerator draws to a close as the teams descend on Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, Silicon Valley to show demo their ideas to investors at the heart of the global startup scene.

Having previously demoed in London and New York City, how will they fare in a place where the competition is fiercer than anywhere else in the world? Watch this week’s episode and find out. You can catch what our Bay Area reporter, Ken Yeung made of the pitches in Silicon Valley in his report.

Day 89 - Program reflections from an Intern

jon — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This was my first exposure to an accelerator program and wow, what an intense, exciting and, at times, overwhelming, experience this has been.

I could mention some of the things I have observed, learned and participated in - business model innovation, when to (and not to) pivot, how to generate traction (discovery, acquisition, retention models and derivatives of), translating sales and marketing strategy into execution, how to manage branding, press and social media channels, through to best practice in managing a plethora of varied workstreams from product build to investor relations through to developing a kick ass pitch (to name a few things)! But that's a given, yes?

I could also mention the sweat, blood and tears (and hours!) that comprise the organisation required to support 30 + founders across 10 teams from numerous cities and countries across the globe through a 13 week program and to 3 Demo Days based in 2 continents and 3 cities across 5 days as carried out by myself and the lovely Jess. But that would be a tad too self-indulgent ;)
So what have been the most memorable aspects of this program? For me, without hesitation, it's been the awesome Springboard Team, Mentors, Founders and their teams.

It's been simply wonderful to work with Jon Bradford (co-founder of Springboard) and Jess Williamson (Springboard's Community Manager). They have redefined my definition of the 'spirit of generosity' and I'm incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them both. I've learnt heaps, for which I'm incredibly grateful. And we've laughed lots - a reminder that a day without laughter is a day wasted - which should be hard-wired into the Lean Methodology framework in my view!

It's been overwhelming to meet so many talented and successful entrepreneurs, advisors and supporters of the Springboard program, many of which I now regard as friends.

It's also been inspirational working with our teams throughout the program. And as I reflect on the program, I can't help but focus on the qualities and attributes demonstrated by these guys - three of which, I've expanded on below:

Striving and thriving

For our non-UK teams, participating in the program has meant leaving their homes and countries to experience London for the first time. Whilst most of our guys had visited London before, and many are well travelled and experienced, London can, nonetheless, be a very daunting, exhausting and frustrating experience.

It's a big, bustling, expensive and cosmopolitan city, and for those determined to exist on lean budgets, can mean commuting into and across the city to add to the mix. So it's not for the faint-hearted. You need energy, resilience and a good dose of courage to embrace its charms and challenges. Attributes I witnessed in bucket loads by all of our overseas teams, most of which needed a flight and passport to join the program!

Having guts

Starting and building a proposition takes guts. Founders are putting their intellects, hearts and souls on the table.

First, to be torn to shreds by our well-meaning and experienced mentors as propositions are shaped (and re-shaped) into commercial offerings.
Second, to be witnessed by the world at large, as press, social media, and eventually external stakeholders, investors and the wider community are exposed to and interact with each company's vision, strategy and execution (oh, and performance).

It takes inner strength and confidence in both yourself and your team to thrive under this kind of pressure. Some teams handled this better than others, but each and every one of our founders finished our program stronger than they started. This was magical to witness.

Being nice

The call returned, the thank you email written, the engagement demonstrated during Founder story-times, the embracing of a mentor who doesn't immediately appear relevant, turning up on time with interest and enthusiasm, jumping in a car when an opportunity for a press interview arises, agreeing to early morning, late or back-to-back potential investor meetings (when product development and sleep are calling), the list goes on. These are the qualities that breed success.

The intensity of being in the constant company of your team, other program teams and the wider community of entrepreneurs and their teams, requires stellar communication and inter-personal skills.

'Being nice' was a motto that was ingrained in our teams from the outset and one I initially struggled to understand as being 'so' important (as surely we're all 'nice', yes?).

But as the days and weeks unfolded, pressures mounted and the exposure to people intensified (some relevant to our teams, some not), the importance of remaining polite, courteous and generous to all as well as grabbing opportunities as they serendipitously presented themselves (with energy and enthusiasm) became increasingly apparent.

And most importantly, it can make the difference between success and failure.

And thankfully, I witnessed these qualities in abundance across all of our teams. A nicer, more charismatic and fun cohort of talented Founders, who consistently demonstrated the art of 'being nice', I could not have hoped to meet. All contributing to the wonderful community that Springboard has created and continues to support.

It's been an awesome program. It's been awesome because of the people. Wishing all our 'alumni' teams the very best of luck and long may our friendships last.

Elaine

Day 88 - Springboard on a plane

jon — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Heading home to London (and Canada, South Korea, Lithuania, Northern Ireland, Romania, various cities in US - from Michigan to LA to Sacramento - and China. Did I mention Germany?)

Day 87 - Google Campus, Mountain View

jon — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Today was the last official visit for our Springboard teams as we headed to Mountain View and the Google Mothership. We're very grateful to Google's Eric Kami who presented to us the latest offerings and support to our start-ups (including some generous offers and discounts). We managed to get a mini-tour in and noted the countless buildings, hang-out areas and social facilities that comprise the campus - the volleyball nets being an interesting highlight!

Business as usual ensued as many teams had follow-up meetings with a number of VC's and business angels (as a result of the SV Demo Day). Fingers crossed that deals are closed and money is raised (watch this space!). As importantly, that relationships are built and maintained as our global teams pursue global aspirations.

And then the sadness crept in as teams disappeared off to visit friends, family and to the airport as the program came to a close and our Founders headed home. Goodbye's were had, hugs were shared and expressions of thanks and support were exchanged.

But to quote one team, this is not the end - simply the end of the beginning.

Springboard Mobile 2012 very proudly made an impact in Silicon Valley and we're incredibly grateful to all who supported and attended our final event and the SB program. Thank you US of A for an awesome time - see ya again next year.

Day 86 - The morning after the night before

jon — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A few croaky voices and sore heads marked the end of our Demo Day spectacular. We celebrated in style - hanging out with Stanford Uni sports fans - in Palo Alto.

We reminisced over the week's rip-roaring and frenetic events, the new exhilarating experiences had and wonderful new friends and contacts made. However, we are also incredibly grateful to our existing network with the delightful Nate MacLeitch and Sean Kane who flew over to The Valley to support us at Facebook HQ for the final Demo Day. A special effort guys - much appreciated!

We are also thankful of the support we received from London's UKTI team, and in particular Christopher Hopkins, who joined the SB tour to offer support when needed, ensuring British interests were represented throughout. A big shout out to UKTI reps in NYC and San Fran too - great to meet you all!
And with the pitches behind us, the tour shifted gear down to a slightly more leisurely pace. We moved location to central San Fran and our teams took a well-deserved rest to catch up with family, friends and to explore this wonderful city.

There are no words to explain the emotion of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time (let alone the excitement of crossing it!) - or the sight of the infamous Alcatraz as memories of Clint Eastwood's 'escape' come flooding to mind - or the rather scary experience of driving down the near-perpendicular streets (I'd love to say 'at speed' but tram lines, electric buses and red lights you can turn right at - ? - kept this driver at a sensible pace).

San Francisco Bay is a sight to behold, particularly from the north side, as the views of the city and the bridge are set within a spectacular backdrop of hills and water and boundless skies. The sunset was striking and simply wondrous.
This blogger has definitely found a little plot in Sausolito with her name on it - once that exit has manifested itself that is ;)

Exhaustion was now setting in and whilst the partying continued to some degree, the toll of the last 90 days was starting to kick in. Our teams are ready to go home.

Day 85 - TNW's top 5 picks following Silicon Valley Demo Day

jon — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

On the Facebook campus in Silicon Valley, nine companies gathered in a room and presented their product and ideas to a room filled with investors. It was the culmination of a 13-week program as part of theSpringboard Mobile Accelerator, a London-based program that focuses on mobile companies seeking to make it big in the market. Participants came from all around the world, including from South Korea, Shanghai, Romania, Berlin, London, and Silicon Valley.

Throughout their journey, TNW has been following along and each week we’ve shared a video of their progress (you have been watching it, right?). Working out of Google’s campus in London, England, each startup received intense coaching from a group of advisors while having to work hard to make their ideas come true. In the end, each company presented to over 150 investors in London, 100 investors in New York, and now faced another group in Silicon Valley — all within a five-day cycle.

Similar to Y Combinator and Techstars, Springboard seeks to help companies get their footing. Companies receive a £15,000 investmentfrom the accelerator in exchange for 6% of the business.

So in the final days of this season’s program, we take a look at some of the best companies that presented at the Silicon Valley edition of the Springboard Demo Day.

Day 84 - SB on a plane

jon — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Next stop Menlo Park, Silicon Valley.

Day 83 - 10 startups, 13 intense weeks: What happens when a UK accelerator hits New York City [Video on @TNW]

jon — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We’re nearing the end of our video series following startups participating in London’s Springboard Mobile accelerator. The teams ended the program with demo days in three cities; London (see last week’s video), New York and at Facebook’s Menlo Park HQ. What did Flitto, We Are Pop Up, I Judge Fights and House Map make of the New York demo day after having been accelerated in the very different surroundings of the London tech scene? Watch the latest episode and find out.

Day 82 - The Big Apple

jon — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve arrived in the Big Apple and there’s nothing quite like the sight of yellow cabs, the sound of NYPD sirens and the smell of Atlantic air washing over the infamous New York skyline to put a smile on our faces. We simply love NYC.

The Springboard Team launched their day with lunch at Katz with the wonderful Kelly Hoey, Co-Founder, Women Innovate Mobile and friend of Springboard. Kelly has been our gal-in-NYC assisting us with logistics and reaching out to New York’s finest start-up investors and advisors. We’re incredibly grateful to have her on our the US side to help coordinate events. As for the pastrami sandwiches, my digestive system might not thank me, but wow, do they know how to make a meat-laden sarny.

But the excitement of our arrival (and the odd hangover due to a understandable Saturday night sampling of NYC’s nightlife) didn’t detract from the business at hand – our NYC rehearsals.

It can be a little nerve-racking all round (for all of us) as we hit a new venue we’ve had no experience of, only 24 hours ahead of the event – but our guys stood up to the task. Projective LES is a beautiful co-working space in Lower East Side. And with a thriving community of start-ups operating out of this space, we knew this would be a great location to launch our inaugural NYC Demo Day.

And the rehearsals went incredibly smoothly. Our guys adjusted to the wooden floors, use of a mike (yet to be employed) and the anticipation of an unfamiliar and curious gathering of New York's finest seed and early stage investors, with grace and aplomb.

And as night fell, we all headed for home for a good night's sleep and rest ahead of the exciting day to follow.

Who am I kidding?

Our guys continued to have investor meetings and meet ups with new connections, press and stakeholders in addition to last minute practising and tweaking of pitches. As the reality is a start-up never sleeps.

Day 81 - SB on a plane

jon — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Next stop NYC.

Day 80 - Demo Day #1 - London

jon — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

In episode 12 in our video series following the Springboard Mobile accelerator in London, the first of three Demo Days arrives. How will the teams we’re following – Flitto, We Are Pop Up, I Judge Fights and House Map – fare in the face of investors? Are they ready?

Following the London demo day captured in this video, the teams have now headed to the USA to pitch to investors in New York City and Silicon Valley. Having been accelerated in the UK, will they face a culture shock? Tune in next week to find out.

This video series is produced by HAUS Pictures. Don’t forget to catch up with all the episodes so far.

Day 79 – Tumultuous Thursday

jon — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Today was tough. For all. Final rehearsals. Final slide-deck prep. Final outfit checks. Final voice checks. Pitches to remember, slides to finish, presentation styles to figure out. The nerves were starting to kick in. And not just for our teams.

3 Demo Days in London, NYC and San Fran, does not happen on its own. Travel arrangements, venues, logistics, invitations, catering, press, investor-follow ups, the list goes on.

So it was a welcome relief to have George Karidis, SoftLayer's Chief Strategy Officer, visiting our teams for our final roundtable (and partner-in-crime of Paul 'the beard' Ford, who joined us right at the beginning of the program). It was a chance to take an hour off the pressures of Demo Day activities and understand a little more what to expect when we hit the Valley.

George is incredibly well travelled - in fact we started to get the feeling that working and living in the same country was a dynamic George has no interest in - a career in travel guides surely awaits at some point?

So what do our teams need to think about when approaching and meeting US investors for the first time? George advised the importance of research as a first step - getting to really know who the investors are and which ones are worth pursuing over which ones that aren't. He suggested everyone make use of thefunded.com, particularly with its rating system that allows the community to comment and grade on the investors attitude, approach and delivery.

He advised that New York and London were likely to be quite similar in the breadth and diversity of investors and their perceptions and tolerance of what constitutes an investible proposition. However, he did warn that the polite and reserved British approach to questions and challenges is likely to be a little different in NYC, with investors being a little more assertive in that regard.

In contrast, Silicon Valley is awash with start-up activity and pitching days. Whilst the audience is likely to be a little more laid back, the harsh fact is that due to the volume of ideas and activities in the Valley, our guys could end up being dismissed pretty quickly if they don't get their messaging across in an impactful and striking way, fast.

George encouraged everyone to be themselves, to know your numbers, to be ready to answer questions our Founders have yet to think of, to focus their attention on each Demo Day as it happens, to know your audience and those individuals that you want to reach out to, and to have and communicate a vision of where each company is going.

Great advice George - we thank you for your time and wisdom, and for giving all of us a well-deserved respite.

And that ends our program of speakers, mentor visits and program guests. A huge thank you from the Springboard team and our Founders - the 13 weeks would not be possible without your time, support, advice, guidance and encouragement throughout.