Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Seed Accelerator™

Below you will find a long and broad list of Seed Accelerator's FAQ's, which cover most aspects of who we are, what we do, how we do it, what we are passionate about, how we help others, how we can help you and how you could help us.

Since we always like to keep things simple, clear and transparent, the list with questions and answers below is varied and long. The FAQ sections below are:

Seed Accelerator™
Programs
Investment
Mentors
Qualification
Application
Location
Facilities
Other Questions

1. SEED ACCELERATOR™

What is Seed Accelerator™?

It’s Asia Pacific’s first seed-stage startup accelerator and later-stage business accelerator. We are taking emerging technology startup entrepreneurs from “zero to fundable” and we are taking early and later stage technology startups to the global A-league by accelerating their global growth faster and better!

We offer three different custom Seed Accelerator™ programs for entrepreneurial teams with the brains, balls, ambition and passion to conquer the world and we offer one Seed Accelerator™ program to help enterprise organisations to innovate!

Startup Seed Program: This is a 16 week in-house program for teams with only an idea or a proof-of-concept. We look for outstanding people from around the globe with a compelling and unique idea to startup a new technology business with a global focus: web applications, mobile applications and software. We’re looking to invest in entrepreneurial teams with big 'blue ocean' ideas and a need for seed capital, all-round and long-term support and mentoring to turn their ideas into great companies. We are willing to invest in unproven teams attacking uncontested markets with unproven solutions. In return for an equity stake (15-25%) we provide a 16-week fulltime, intense, complete and unique journey full of coaching, seed funding, team building, mentoring, innovation, training, product development, fun and life changing excitement; all being delivered by a great team of people and supported by a pool of over 100 great entrepreneurs, business leaders, advisors, investors and specialists from around the globe.
Business Seed Program: For technology entrepreneurs who already have successfully built a powerful team and have developed a unique proof of concept or launched a new product/service, this program will provide them with customised support, mentoring, coaching and education to assist them in market launch and rapid global growth. It's a long-term business accelerator program to help you build up a sustainable global business. In return we ask for a combination of success & performance based equity and/or fees.
Idea Seed Program: For emerging or established technology entrepreneurs with an outstanding team but without an idea for a unique new business. You bring your exceptional team and in return you will receive: the best of our startup accelerator program, on-going mentoring/coaching/education, 5% to 20% equity of the new company, access to growth capital, business development support and on-going support to help you build a great sustainable global business. We will provide you with all the ingredients for a successful new global venture; you and your team will do the cooking!
Innovation Seed Program: For established medium-sized and large enterprise businesses we provide and implement custom internal and external innovation programs to help these organisations to boost their innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities. These fee and/or equity based programs are run by teams of innovative and passionate entrepreneurs, who enable our clients to increase their human capital innovation resulting in the creation of new or improved products, services, brands and business models, thus boosting business development to help grow their business and their bottom-line! One of the core offerings of our program is outsourced innovation: our corporate client gives us a mandate for a new business model and in a joint-venture based model, we will create and build a new business/brand/product/service, using the power of our selected team of entrepreneurs, often mixed with client staff members, backed by the mentorship and support of the entire Seed Accelerator organisation. It's outsources and external innovation at its best! The client holds the majority of the equity and has the flexibility to bring the new business into their existing business at a later stage or keep it as a separate business.

All of these programs provide:

A Cohort
A Winning Mix of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Leadership
Outstanding Mentorship, Coaching & Networking
Best-in-Class Training & Education
Assistance in Product Design & Development
Personal Development
Strategy Development
Access to Funding and Co-Investments
Timelines & Milestones
Dedicated Attention
On-going Support to Help You Succeed
A Vibrant & High-Performance Ecosystem
Global Alliances & Partnerships
Minimised Risks & Accelerated Success!

What kind of Unique Value does Seed Accelerator™ provides?

Some of the unique values we provide and offer are:

Lowering Risks
Increasing Success
Faster Results
Bigger Results
Sustainable Results
Personal Development
Team Development
Leadership Development
GrowthVersity Education Program
Business Development
Rapid Growth
Seed Accelerator Campus
Funding & Capital Access
Global Ecosystem
Support Network
Long-term Partnership
New Friendships
Seed Accelerator Alumni Program
More Enjoyable
Fun & Excitement
The Best of Sydney & Singapore!

What does Seed Accelerator™ exactly do?

Seed Accelerator specialises in taking pre-seed and early-stage tech ventures and invests lots of time, passion, coaching, mentoring, education, resources and funds to accelerate them from seed to exit - faster, smarter, better and with less risk, resulting in higher returns on investments for everyone involved. We offer mentorship, practical business and industry knowhow, as well as a wide network of contacts including experts, specialists and investors looking for the next generation of promising high growth investment opportunities.

How many emerging and established tech ventures can Seed Accelerator™ accelerate?

While many traditional venture capitalists and incubators have struggled in the current economic climate, Seed Accelerator's unique investment model and Sydney & Singapore locations will allow us to help launch at least 15 to 30 new startup companies in 2010, and at least 40 new startups (in our Startup Seed Program) per year as of 2011. And.... we will accelerate at least 20 emerging technology businesses per year in our custom Business Seed Programs! Last but not least, we will incubate at least 6 new startups per year in our Idea Seed Program. Yes, we are KICKING ASS and accelerating the development and growth of many tech ventures, because that's what we love, that's what we do best!

What are the Seed Accelerator™ core values?

Help: Help great people with great ideas, become great entrepreneurs and build great global technology companies.
Eliminate: Eliminate all the obstacles and roadblocks that prevent innovative entrepreneurs from turning their ideas into viable and sustainable businesses and eliminate any obstacles along the road to global expansion and market leadership.
Support: Provide tech ventures with on-going and long-term support till we exit their company. Their success is our success!
Product Development: Rapid product development from idea to new product or service, and on-going product improvements.
Personal Development: Turning the people behind the idea into more stable, balanced, and successful leading entrepreneurs and company directors who can take on and conquer the world.
Business Growth: Growing tech ventures into successful and sustainable businesses with a global focus, a leading market position and a high market value.
Ecosystem: Create, build and host an ecosystem to inspire, educate, support and facilitate technology startups, entrepreneurs, investors, business partners and supporters in the Asia Pacific region.
Transform: Transform Sydney & Singapore into the most vibrant communities of high tech startup activity!

What about your IBAECS campaign?

The Seed Accelerator™ acronym that encompasses our organisation’s campaign is to Inspire, Build, Accelerate, Educate, and Communicate & Support (IBAECS). For more details, please click here.

Who is behind Seed Accelerator™?

Seed Accelerator™ is an Australian private company formed on October 7th 2009 by Dutch-born business leader, serial entrepreneur and angel investor Patrick Driessen. Patrick currently heads up Seed Accelerator™ in Sydney and Singapore. Seed Accelerator™ is the 10th business that Patrick has founded, since he started his first business at the age of 14.

Since starting to built up Seed Accelerator™ in June 2009 (after 18 months of preparation and R&D), Patrick has successfully built up a strong leadership team, a global delivery team, an outstanding board of advisors and an exceptional pool. of mentors For all these supporting teams, Patrick and his team selected the best top entrepreneurs, CEO’s, business leaders and experts who will help the Seed Accelerator™ program participants to succeed faster and better!

When did Seed Accelerator™ start?

The team behind Seed Accelerator started building up the business model behind the scenes in November 2008, started working on it fulltime in June 2009, went to market in October 2009, launched the Business Seed Program in November 2009, and will start the first Startup Seed Accelerator program in Sydney in Q2 2010 followed by Singapore later in the year.

Is Seed Accelerator™ an incubator?

No. We are a specialised startup accelerator and seed-stage investor: we accelerate technology startups & promising technology businesses, who provide compelling and disruptive solutions with global growth potential.

What is the difference between an incubator and a seed accelerator or startup accelerator?

Where these models differ is largely in how much equity they take in the participating companies, and how each model makes money. You'll find commentary from a lot of venture capitalists and others today saying that conventional business incubators have a bad name in the new age of bootstrapped tech startups. We see a conventional incubator as basically a program run by a business development organization, chamber of commerce, or as a for-profit entity. They're pay-for-space programs that basically toss a bunch of early-stage companies into a building, charge pretty high rates for rent, and may have some kind of business services available.

Business incubators generally do not take equity in their start-ups, whereas so called seed accelerators, startup accelerators or micro seed accelerators generally do take equity in their startups. While the incubators are typically run as non-profits and charge startups for rent/facilities/services, start-up and business accelerators are typically run as for-profit ventures and provide entrepreneurs with startup funding and all kinds of pro-active support to help them succeed on the longer-term. This is a dramatic difference in business model, and is why seed/startup/business accelerators can be seen as such a break from past models. The startup & business accelerator’s incentives are directly aligned with their start-ups; only when a startup succeeds will the business accelerator business model be financially viable. Finally, a startup or business accelerator is not reliant on funding from government sources, which is quoted as one of the top value-adds from incubators.

What is the Seed Accelerator™ mantra?

Growing startups and later stage tech ventures in Asia Pacific!

What is the Seed Accelerator™ vision?

Seed Accelerator is Asia Pacific’s premier technology startup & business accelerator, facilitating the commercialisation of innovative ideas by turning them into exceptional and sustainable global businesses and turning their founders into leading entrepreneurs and company directors.

What is the Seed Accelerator™ mission?

To commercialise innovative technology startups through world-class infrastructure, business coaching, mentoring, education, skills development, seed funding and access to strategic networks and partnerships.

What do we love the most?

Investing in people, inventing new things, starting new businesses, rapidly growing businesses on a global scale, enhancing & empowering the regional startup ecosystem, inspiring people and helping people succeed faster and better!

What are the building principles of Seed Accelerator™?

The Seed Accelerator™ business model and programs are based on these three building principles:

Rapid Product Development: from idea to new product or service by using the best available technologies, methodologies and people;
Rapid Personal & Leadership Development: turning the people behind the idea into more stable, balanced, and successful leading entrepreneurs and company directors who can take on and conquer the world;
Rapid Business Growth: growing startups into successful and sustainable business with a global focus, a market leading position and a high market value in an accelerated way.

In which phases can Seed Accelerator™ accelerate the growth of emerging entrepreneurs and their tech ventures?

Idea: For a concept to be developed to a point where it attains market entry, there are a number of stages to be followed, from fundamental research to market entry. Seed Accelerator targets and selects promising pre-seed and early stage ventures with innovative technologies and transforms them into thriving and productive global businesses.
Pre-Seed: Typically at this stage the entrepreneur has a pre-prototype technology and perhaps filed a patent application. There was a preliminary business analysis to the idea and if there was any money required it was provided by the entrepreneur, his family or friends. This is also the point where Seed Accelerator's activity is most valuable to the entrepreneur and where the partnership is formed after the initial evaluation process.
Seed: A company that has not yet fully established commercial operations, and may also involve continuous research and product development. This stage may be further divided into sub categories according to the different milestones achieved in each phase. Funding at this stage may also be according to milestones achieved in development and/or commercial progress. During this stage further development of the business is completed such as Business plans, IP, prototype, marketing strategy and more.
Start-up: The stage at which a project is clearly defined or the prototype is finished and the business is starting commercialisation.
Expansion: Product or service is in production and commercially available. The company demonstrates significant revenue growth, but may or may not be showing a profit. Usually in business for more than two or three years.

In all of the above phases, Seed Accelerator can use its powerbase, team members, mentors and unique programs to accelerate the personal growth and global business growth of the entrepreneur(s) behind the business ideas.

What is the Seed Accelerator™ investment model?

In selected startup teams/portfolio companies on our Startup Seed Program, we will make small seed fund investments (rarely more than AUD $15,000 to $35,000 per startup) and will provide support and various other services valued at over AUD $350,000 per startup in return for small stakes in the companies we fund. Occasionally we invest more. The goal is usually to give you enough money to build an impressive prototype or version 1, which you can then use to get further funding.

In exchange for our unique Seed Accelerator™ Startup Seed Program, including; seed funding, advice, training, mentorship, global connections, coaching, access to capital, vibrant ecosystem, campus facilities, investor demo days, extensive education and on-going support (alumni program), we will receive a 15%-25% equity stake in the new startup companies. We will receive “founders stock” (Class A) which is common stock. We want to be thought of as an experienced and well connected co-founder so we will have the same risk and reward system that our startup entrepreneurs do. Their success is our success!

What else does Seed Accelerator™ provide?

We provide significant hands-on mentoring, contacts from around the globe, rapid learning programs (GrowthVersity), extensive business development support, personal development programs, recruitment & staffing support, introductions to your first clients and business partners, we facilitate weekly dinner sessions with successful entrepreneurs, investors and business experts, organise bi-weekly networking events with compelling guest speakers, we organise various events to stimulate and support the startup ecosystem, we organise demo days at which our startups can pitch their prototype to venture capitalists and angel investors, we provide an alumni program, etc., etc. All on an on-going basis to support our portfolio companies and the wider startup community to achieve sustainable and exceptional success!

What kind of networking and educational opportunities does Seed Accelerator™ provide?

On an on-going basis we will organise informal lunch and dinner meetings (2-3 times per week) at which we invite our mentors to speak on a relevant topic. These will be presented as appropriate by highly successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, technology experts, angel investors, industry analysts, legal experts, venture capitalists, investment bankers, etc. Sometimes, we’ll just organize a brief talk with Q&A by a CEO or CTO of a well known local startup or an overseas startup (via live streaming). We'll also host external meetings at the offices of some of our alliance partners or at some of the large enterprises we work together with. Business leaders, top executives and techies from Citrix, HP, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Apple, Amazon, and many more visit our campus and provide early feedback and accelerated growth opportunities to our portfolio companies.

Where is Seed Accelerator™ located?

Since October 2009 Seed Accelerator is based in the city centre of Sydney and in 2010 in Singapore as well. We run our programs and host our ecosystem out of Sydney and Singapore as we wanted to host our programs and events in a vibrant, inspiring, entrepreneurial and thriving technology community. In both cities we will provide our programs out of the Seed Accelerator Campus with complete facilities ranging from full-fetch office space, meeting rooms, multi-media rooms, games room, lounge room, dream room, innovation room, team kitchen, fitness & health centre and music recording studio to a complete library with hundreds of compelling books.

Our campus mixes all ingredients of startups, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in all stages: pre-seed, seed, early-stage, later-stage and majeur companies: all focused on helping each other succeed! Our campus helps to begin to build shared experiences. Like grad school, where everyone shares the triumphs and challenges because of the close proximity. It’s not dependent to have a shared office space, but common meetings, shared mailing lists, joined sessions, badges of honour, and shared timelines can help entrepreneurs feel part of something that is bigger, much BIGGER! As the program evolves it becomes a shared pedigree, much like an alumni program. It's a life changing experience!

What can we offer that others cannot?

We are the first start-up seed accelerator in the Asia Pacific region and we focus on providing excellence in two areas:

Accelerating the development and growth of exceptional tech ventures to turn them into global market leaders;
Accelerating the development of the entrepreneurs behind the business, by turning them into leading company directors and outstanding entrepreneurs who can take on the world!

Unlike the established incubators, business accelerators and VC’s, we are offering seed funding, exceptional facilities, support, coaching, the best mentoring, rapid product development, 1-on-1 personal development, training & education, teambuilding and long-term support to help the companies we invest in to succeed better and faster.

We offer various programs, which besides investing in the startups and turning their ideas into successful companies, will provide a complete training program which is focused on turning the people behind the idea into healthy leading entrepreneurs.

We are also different because we are the only one offering long-term coaching, mentoring and training, make our startups part of a global eco-system and we have a global focus, which translates into providing unique support from business partners and investors from around the globe. The success of our portfolio companies is our success, so we will do everything in our power to help them succeed on the short- AND the long-term!

What kind of ecosystem does Seed Accelerator™ provide?

The Seed Accelerator business model is focused on creating an eco-system, which allows entrepreneurs, investors and service providers to collaborate on a local, regional and global level. It will allow us to encourage and support startups in the community, which will increase the overall number of companies getting started and with long-term employment from those companies. We will also use Seed Accelerator as catalyst to build a bigger and better startup environment for early- and later-stage startups in the Asia Pacific region (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Wellington, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai).

What do others say about Seed Accelerator™?

We have asked a few of our portfolio companies and first round program participants: "What do you think of Seed Accelerator, what unique value does Seed Accelerator bring, and/or what is unique or different about Seed Accelerator?". You can read their responses and comments here.

How does Seed Accelerator™ measure its own success?

Our main KPI’s are: 1) the positive endorsements by our program participants, 2) the successful and accelerated growth of our portfolio companies, and 3) successful exits resulting in a positive return on investment on the capital, time and effort we have invested in our portfolio companies.

What kind of services and support does Seed Accelerator™ provide to the wider startup community?

Based on these values:

provide short term and longer-term support,
eliminate all the obstacles and roadblocks,
enhance the startup ecosystem, and
transform Sydney & Singapore into the most vibrant communities of high tech startup activity.

We are creating these new free services: a global platform to share and enhance ideas, a global marketplace to sell ideas, a global platform to pitch for funding, a regional platform for the best startups jobs & internships, and a global platform with support services for startups. As of Q2 and Q3 in 2010 we will be introducing these new platforms, websites, mobile applications and services to the startup community. We'll keep you posted!

What partnerships does Seed Accelerator™ have in place?

Since the start of Seed Accelerator in 2009 we have developed strategic and valuable partnerships with many leading international organisations and power houses of the high-tech world, leading universities, education providers, niche technology providers, media & content providers and a wide range of business services organisations. You can review some of them here.

Why start Seed Accelerator™ in an economic down turn?

In the midst of the present economic angst, it is without a doubt intimidating for potential entrepreneurs and business owners to seriously think about investing time and money in new enterprises. However, we are confident that the startup/business ownership dream is alive and flourishing today! In fact, we believe that the entrepreneurial spirit thrives in slow economic times.

Entrepreneurs recognise problems or issues and implement solutions to improve the situations or hardships that an economic crisis imposes on people. It’s true that that the current global crisis has put noticeable strains on the global loan industry, yet we are convinced that NOW could be potentially the best time to take on the challenges of entrepreneurship! There is no bad time to innovate and improve our world! We believe this is one of the best times to start a new technology company and we are ready to help you do it successfully, do it better and do it faster, by accelerating your personal AND your business growth!

What is different to other startup accelerators like Y-Combinator, Techstars and SeedCamp?

Seed Accelerator focuses on the start-up entrepreneurs AND their ideas. Besides rapidly turning start-up ideas into a fundable and sustainable business, we take the high-potential individuals behind the idea and educate, coach and mentor them to become a disciplined company founder, an all-round entrepreneur and a successful business leader who can take on the world;
Instead of primarily focusing on start-ups, we focus on accelerating the (global) growth of startups, and early-stage tech ventures and later-stage tech ventures;
We have taken the best ingredients we could find in the global market space: we've mixed the success factors from various leading seed-fund accelerators, successful incubators, entrepreneurial VC's, innovative enterprise organisations and combined them with the lessons learned from many leading entrepreneurs and business leaders. The outcome is a model which is focused on minimising risks and maximising success;
We are first to market in Australia and the Asia Pacific region and will only focus on this region. Sydney - Singapore - Shanghai are our target base locations;
We also offer a program for exceptional teams without a unique business idea: our Idea Seed Program;
We have developed the Seed Accelerator business model based on researched risks and success factors, resulting in the most complete, detailed and lowest-risk business model in the market;
We offer the best to the best: we focus on selecting the best startup entrepreneurs from around the world, using a thorough selection process, which also utilises science based processes;
We will host our programs out of Sydney and Singapore; both cities and excellent locations to startup a new technology business because of the low cost, established support networks, wide range of business and technology universities, presence of large technology providers and global corporations, availability of skilled resources, sunny and warm (beach) climate and easy access to Asia and Greater China.

What Seed Accelerator™ isn’t - the misconceptions.

Don’t look at just the money: look at the team, partnerships, mentors, global network, and the network of investors around the Seed Accelerator programs, not just valuation.
It's only for early stage startups that just have started: nope! We select and invest in both early stage startups and emerging later stage tech ventures that have been in business less than 5 years.
It’s myth that our programs are only for young people: the median age is about 28,5. At present the youngest founder on our programs is 15(!) and the oldest is 53.
We only help teams to succeed: not true! We do mentor various startup founders who are on their own, we provide co-working office space to individuals, and for our programs our selection board is willing and able to select single founders with a great idea - though teams have a bigger change to be selected.
People need to value the Seed Accelerator alumni network more: it provides them with long-term and ongoing value and growth opportunities. For example: their startup can fail and they could hop to another successful startup.

How can I apply for one of the Seed Accelerator™ programs?

You can learn more about the Seed Accelerator programs, the application criteria and how entrepreneurial teams will be selected here. Before you apply, please read the insights and advise for any company hoping to get chosen for a Seed Accelerator program here.

Why would ‘you’ use your service? Why would others?

We have done our homework (18 months of R&D) and invested a lot of time and effort in building up the best startup & business accelerator programs in the world;
We have an exceptional A-team of great people to run Seed Accelerator and to successfully run our programs, events and ecosystem: providing entrepreneurs and their teams with the best possible accelerated growth support;
We offer all the support / services / tools / processes / brain power / assets / networks / alliances / partnerships an entrepreneur will need to successfully accelerate the growth and global expansion his/her tech venture;
Our programs offers unique value in many ways as they are complete, intense and customised per portfolio team and per individual team member;
Being selected and taking part in any of our Seed Accelerator™ programs will be a life changing experience and the best journey any tech-entrepreneur could wish for!

What are other considerations for tech startups to join Seed Accelerator?

Not every startup will be sold to Google, IBM, Apple or Microsoft; in fact it's a tiny percentage that will be acquired, and even smaller which will IPO. The harsh reality is that most FAIL! Can you get lucky and hit on something that makes money? Sure. But once you find yourself talking to Angels or VC firms, how will you defend your valuation? Once you have the funding, how will you find and hire the best people? How do you mitigate most risks on your path to success? How will you accelerate your global growth faster than anyone else? How will you win the race against similar teams trying to do and achieve the same kind of thing? How will you succeed faster & better in each and every way; in life and in business? Who will help you from start till beyond the finish line?

This all sounds too good to be true. Do you walk the talk?

We get to hear this question on a regular basis. Our claims, offerings, programs, facilities, value statements and ambitions are ALL 100% true! We are focused on building and delivering the best startup and business accelerator in the world and we are making it happen for you and with you. We just do it; we accelerate the personal growth and business growth of many exceptional entrepreneurs!

What kind of charities do you support?

As we are passionate about and focused on helping other people succeed by providing them with dedicated support, education and mentoring, the Seed Accelerator team supports, promotes and raises funds for various positive charities which are aligned with our passions, values and principles. You can read more about them here.

Can Seed Accelerator™ provide me with access to the Microsoft BizSpark Program?

Yes! As certified Microsoft BizSpark Network Partner for the Asia Pacific region, we can offer you full access and support to the BizSpark program. You can apply for an enrolment code and program access via our website. Click here for more BizSpark information or to start the application process, so you can get started with BizSpark as soon as possible!

Are you looking for additional co-investors and mentors?

We appreciate the support of both potential co-investors and mentors. If you are interested in either, please reach out to us at info(at)seedaccelerator.com or use the contact form on our website.

Where can I find out which events to attend?

On our website we have created an events agenda, which aims to provide you with the most complete events overview in Australasia: all the interesting tech, startup, funding, entrepreneurship, networking and community events in Australia and Singapore. We also have included some of the most compelling global events. You can access the events agenda here.

Which startups and emerging tech ventures are taking part in your programs?

At present we have a select number of teams and companies taking part in our Business Seed Program or our Idea Seed Program. We have briefly described some of them here.

Why did you choose the name "Seed Accelerator?"

Because it exactly explains our business model: we are a seed accelerator! We accelerate the growth of startup seeds! The term and name 'seed accelerator' also has been adopted as one of the industry terms for our type of business model (start-up accelerator, micro-seed accelerator, seed-stage accelerator, seed-fund accelerator, business accelerator, or seed accelerator). It also describes what we do: It's a program that runs programs; we're a company that helps start and grow startup companies and later-stage ventures.

What is the term or name for your type of business model?

American serial entrepreneur, investor, author and chief-hacker Paul Graham started Y Combinator in 2005 and is the founder of the accelerator business model. Various other serial entrepreneurs and investors followed Paul's example and accelerators such as TechStars (US), Bootup Labs (Canada), and SeedCamp (UK) were born. Until recently their business models were all qualified and named with terms such as: "a combination of an incubator and accelerator". At an event at the end of January 2010, Bootup Labs' founder Danny Robinson announced that he along with Y Combinator's Paul Graham and TechStars' Brad Feld have agreed to drop the "Incubator" term for good in favour of "Seed Accelerator". This makes us at Seed Accelerator™ very happy!

I heard Seed Accelerator™ will organise and host startup boostcamp workshops. Please tell me more.

To inspire, help and support more people to start their own tech venture successfully, we will be organising various startup booster workshops in all the major cities in Australia and in Singapore. Most of the half-day and full-day workshops will be hosted on universities, and we will also organise workshops focused on the corporate market; to inspire more corporate employees to become an entrepreneur! At present we are working together with a wide range of people and organisations to make it all happen. We'll keep you posted via our News page.

Where can I learn more about startups, entrepreneurship and technology?

Please have a look at our Video Library, our Startup Bookstore, our Startup Library, and our Thought Provoking Quotes & Advice. These Seed Accelerator web pages contain lots of useful and inspirational content, links and lessons learned to inspire you, to stretch your thinking and to help you succeed.

Where can I see and buy that cool Seed Accelerator™ merchandise?

Please take a look at our Seed Accelerator Store, where you'll find custom designed fashion, apparel, gadgets, cards, posters and much more cool stuff, which you all can order online. The small profit we make by selling these goods will be entirely donated to the charities we support!

Why does the Seed Accelerator™ website lacks any form of design and still looks like sh**?

Because we're still in stealth mode and have not officially launched our Seed Accelerator programs to the global market place and startup community, our current website lacks any kind of design. We will launch our programs and our new website soon and we will make sure you know and hear about it!

What are some inspirational and original quotes from the Seed Accelerator™ leadership team?

"The best investment anyone can ever make is an investment in oneself!”
"You can do anything you need if you just believe in it!”
"Life's too short not to show your love or appreciation to someone or something!”
"Sell like hell and deliver well! So what do you need to succeed?"
"Whatever you want in your life, the key to your success is to transform your thinking, emotions and behaviour!”
"True leadership is the art of creating and clearly communicating your vision, hope, passion, inspiration and the journey you will take your team members on.”

2. PROGRAMS

What is the Startup Seed Program?

For emerging technology entrepreneurs with a great idea, the Startup Seed Program will provide to selected entrepreneurs - in a short and focused period of 16-weeks - high-impact knowledge, seed capital investment, support, mentoring, education, contacts and experience so that their businesses are more likely to succeed in the prevailing economic environment. Graduates of the program will be poised for further growth and heightened appeal for capital investment, as needed. The Program, which provides participants with many of the advantages of venture capital involvement in a business, adds additional benefits not usually associated with a venture investment - intensive and active participation in business planning and execution, access to structured and individual educational programs, rapid product development, capital raising facilitation and free exchange of experiences and information among the participating entrepreneurs, mentors, specialists and other participants in the program. This program will commence in Q2 2010.

We will supply our selected startups with:

Seed funding;
A collaborative work space;
Business advice, product advice, strategy advise, sales & marketing advise, etc.;
Complete Seed Accelerator Campus facilities ranging from full-fetch office space, meeting rooms, multi-media rooms, games room, lounge room, dream room, innovation room, team kitchen, fitness & health centre and music recording studio to a complete library with hundreds of compelling books;
All the hardware, software, processes and tools they will need to succeed;
GrowthVersity™: a customised fast-growth incubation education program, which includes all elements to become a leading entrepreneur and seasoned company director;
A pool of over hundred Mentors, Coaches, Experts and Advisors who have "been there and done it" before;
Donated legal, accounting and administrative help to form start-up companies properly;
Business development, sales & marketing support to help you start generating revenue around the globe;
Networking: our global network of contact is yours to support you on the short and long-term;
Introductions to other funding sources (including Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists, fund managers, private investors and public sources of funding);
Becoming part of the our Seed Accelerator Academy alumni program; an ecosystem which offers continued support, coaches, mentoring, training and access to a global network of entrepreneurs and specialists to help you succeed.

What is the Business Seed Program?

For established technology entrepreneurs who already have successfully created a powerful team and have developed a proof of concept or launched a new product/service, this program will provide them with customised support, mentoring, coaching and education to assist them in market launch and rapid global growth. This program has been launched in November 2009.

The Business Seed Program provides the following features, benefits and unique value:

Create a solid basis: Making the business growth- and investor ready: create the basis for accelerated global growth;
Focus & execute: Provide practical, hands-on support to accelerate global growth on a long-term and on-going basis;
Creation and optimisation of the growth strategy and exit strategy, which will define many other critical strategies, all focused on establishing sustainable growth and creation sustainable and unique market value, to justify a successful trade sale or Initial Public Offering (IPO) faster and better;
The Seed Accelerator team and organisation acts as pro-active co-investor, hence why we utilise and give full access to:
- An exceptional senior leadership team who can assist in strategising execution and executing strategies
- Additional innovation and commercial experience and support
- New sources of ideas and thinking
- A pool of marketing & sales experts who can assist in building a sales framework and process to rapidly grow revenue and expand the client base on a global level
- A large (100+ people) pool of outstanding entrepreneurs and business leaders who can act as mentor, advisor, director and/or non-executive director
- A pool of accredited mentors who ‘Have been there and done it’ and who will provide on-going coaching and mentoring to help you succeed on the long-term
- Extensive industry, research and government networks around the globe
- Various sources for funding (equity and debt capital) from private and government (grants & loans) sectors.
Other forms and areas of the dedicated support the Seed Accelerator team and organisation provides:
- Assistance to expand business networks and provides introductions to potential partners of interest around the globe
- Assistance through independent facilitation of new commercial negotiation and partnership agreements
- Assistance in fund raising at any growth phase, focused on creating a pool of investors in line with the company’s growth and exit strategy. We will select the best co-investors and will negotiate any capital injection with our global investor network to provide the best possible equity or debt capital. This will make the execution of our joined global growth strategy possible in the short timeframe necessary
- Assistance in the creation of a Board of Advisors and/or Board of Directors in line with the company’s growth and exit strategy
- Support and intelligence to assess solutions and opportunities of interest
- Extensive commercialisation experience and strategic support
- Independent advice and negotiation facilitation
- Participation in workshops for all portfolio companies; on a weekly and monthly basis a team of top-entrepreneurs and subject matter experts, will assist in optimising growth strategies, giving new insights, inspiration and valuable lessons learned to help our entrepreneurs succeed
- Participation in various events which Seed Accelerator will organise to support its portfolio companies. Examples: weekly dinner meetings with leading entrepreneurs, bi-weekly networking event, demo days and mentoring days.

What is the Idea Seed Program?

For emerging or established technology entrepreneurs with an outstanding team but without an idea for a unique new business. You bring your exceptional team and in return you will receive: the best of our startup accelerator program, on-going mentoring/coaching/education, 5% to 20% equity of the new company, access to growth capital, business development support and on-going support to help you build a great sustainable global business. We will provide you with all the ingredients for a successful new global venture; you and your team will do the cooking!

What is the Innovation Seed Program?

For established medium-sized and large enterprise businesses we provide and implement custom internal and external innovation programs to help these organisations to boost their innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities. These fee and/or equity based programs are run by teams of innovative and passionate entrepreneurs, who enable our clients to increase their human capital innovation resulting in the creation of new or improved products, services, brands and business models, thus boosting business development to help grow their business and their bottom-line!

One of the core offerings of our program is outsourced innovation: our corporate client gives us a mandate for a new business model and in a joint-venture based model, we will create and build a new business/brand/product/service, using the power of our selected team of entrepreneurs, often mixed with client staff members, backed by the mentorship and support of the entire Seed Accelerator organisation. It's outsources and external innovation at its best! The client holds the majority of the equity and has the flexibility to bring the new business into their existing business at a later stage or keep it as a separate business.

Are the Seed Accelerator™ programs only open to people based in Australia or Singapore?

Our programs are open to entrepreneurial teams from around the globe, so within and outside Australia and Singapore. The key criteria are that the teams be committed to building their business in Asia Pacific as a starting point.

What makes the Startup Seed Program unique?

The program is focused on personal growth AND business growth; turning you into a leading company director and turning your idea into a successful global business. In return for an equity stake, we will supply all the support needed to build the next great company. We will supply our selected start-ups with:

Seed Funding;
A collaborative work space;
Business advice, product advice, strategy advise, sales advise, etc.;
Complete facilities ranging from full-fetch office space, meeting rooms, multi-media room, games room, lounge room, dream room, innovation room, fitness room and music room to a complete library room;
All the hardware, software, processes and tools they will need to succeed;
GrowthVersity™: a customised fast-growth incubation education program, which includes all elements to become a leading entrepreneur;
A pool of over hundred Mentors, Coaches, Experts and Advisors who have "been there and done it" before;
Donated legal, accounting and administrative help to form start-up companies properly;
Sales & marketing support to help you start generating revenue around the globe.
Networking: our global network of contact is yours to support you on the short and long-term.
Introductions to funding sources including angel investors, VC's, private investors, fund managers, private equity, corporates and public sources of funding;
Becoming part of the our Seed Accelerator Academy alumni program; an ecosystem which offers continued support, coaches, mentoring, training and access to a global network of entrepreneurs and specialists to help you succeed.

The Startup Seed Program: Enables You to Jump Start the Startup Process!

Starting a company is a lot of work and a lot of very important decisions need to be made early on. Who do you pick as co-founders? How should you set up vesting schedules? What corporate structure is best? How do you assign board seats? How much money should you raise? What do you focus on early on? How to define your growth strategy? What's your exit strategy? What technologies to use to develop or optimise your product(s) and/or service(s)? How to select and create a test audience?

The Seed Accelerator Startup Seed Program not only provides a solid battle-tested structure for setting up your startup, but also gives tons of advice on how to succeed at your startup. The advice comes from a variety of speakers that the Seed Accelerator team brings in on lunch and dinner meetings and from mentors in our numerous workshops.

What is the planning of the Startup Seed Programs?

As of Q2 in 2010 we will organise two Startup Seed Accelerator™ programs per year in Sydney and Singapore at which approximately 10 start-ups will be taken in-house for a period of 16 weeks. At the end of week 14, the start-ups will present to investment forums in Sydney, Silicon Valley and Singapore to received further funding. After exiting the program, all starts will become part of the on-going Seed Accelerator™ Academy program, providing them with long-term coaching, mentoring and training to help them succeed till we exit their company.

Why would start-up entrepreneurs like to participate in our Startup Seed Program?

Some of key reasons why start-up entrepreneurs would like to participate in one of our Seed Accelerator™ programs might be because:

They will receive financial support and initial funding: Seed Accelerator™ will aim to provide enough financial assistance that founders can live for the 4-month term of the program without any other job or financial assistance. We will provide start-up teams with funding in the range of $15.000 - $30.000 per startup, which should be sufficient enough to pay for their cost of living and allows the entrepreneurs to fully focus on their new business venture.
They will receive the best available product support: Seed Accelerator™ will provide the start-ups with hands-on advice on building the best product they can by utilising a pool of experiences entrepreneurs, product development experts and innovation experts.
They will receive on-going business support: The Seed Accelerator™ programs will be very helpful to emerging and well-established entrepreneurs, as we will help them to avoid unprincipled investors, contractors and others to take advantage of their naivety. We will also help them to prevent making early business mistakes that could be very costly to their company or wealth in the long-term. Additionally our guest speakers, mentors and educational program will talk founders through the common problems and issues they will need to consider as their company grows and seeks future funding. In addition to legal and financial issues, there are issues around hiring, public relations, marketing, pricing strategy, and many others, which are all covered within our business support program.
They will receive the best educational program: Based on individual and team assessments, Seed Accelerator™ will provide a customised education program, which is focused on turning the start-up entrepreneurs into leading entrepreneurs. We will provide general advice applicable to everyone, and specific advice applicable to a single start-up. The general advice is the advice that all start-ups need to understand; how to run a company, how to raise additional funding, the legal complications of startups, how to find and hire new employees, how to successfully lead a rapidly expanding team of people, how to improve productivity, how to manage your overseas operations, etc. The specific advice is typically product-focused: why would customers use a specific product, how to charge for a product or service, etc. Our education program will be provided by a combination of in-class room training, online training, coaching and mentoring and includes a broad range of topics, focused on minimising risk of failure and increasing strengths and skills on both an individual and team level.
Seed Accelerator™ brand connection: The credibility that comes from being a Seed Accelerator sponsored company. As we will be positioning Seed Accelerator™ as the leading seed fund accelerator provider within the Asia Pacific region, we will be building a strong brand which will also articulate the value of our compelling startup & business accelerator programs. The value for the program participants will rest in a permanent connection with Seed Accelerator™, which includes identity and affiliation, our alumni network and sense of community. Our brand will be established primarily through our success and how we distinguish ourselves from our competitors from around the globe.
Seed Accelerator™ provides connections to future capital: One of the most important success factors to long-term success of the companies funded by Seed Accelerator™ is through connections to investors. To raise capital and arrange exits or expansions, we work together with angel investors, VC's, fund managers, private equity firms, large corporates, multinationals and technology firms from around the globe. While our program ensures that the first product is successfully developed and pitched, many of our start-up companies will require some level of additional capital to continue their operations beyond our 4-month program. Seed Accelerator™ will host various weekly meetings with entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, which will provide a rich structured source of contacts throughout the program. The close relationships with a broad selection of mentors will help the Seed Accelerator™ start-up companies in their fundraising. In week 14 of the program all start-ups will pitch to a forum of pre-selected investors on Demo Days in Sydney, Singapore and Silicon Valley. At these Demo Days angel investors and early-stage venture capital firms can evaluate our start-up companies and we will facilitate and manage the process for securing additional funding. Seed Accelerator™ will also leverage expertise from a large pool of entrepreneurs, advisors, specialists, mentors and coaches from around the globe. We will also leverage our global alliance networks and our personal networks to make sure the startup companies will be able to build relationships with the best available investors.
Seed Accelerator™ provides an innovative and inspiring start-up community: Our facilities are all focused on building an innovative and collaborative community for start-up entrepreneurs, which includes facilities like: compelling office space, video conference rooms, an innovation room, a library with hundreds of books, a complete e-games room, a well equipped music room, a fitness & health room, a kitchen for group cooking sessions, a lounge room, etc. All focused on a high performance, innovative, inspirational, supportive and social culture in which people help each other to succeed. Once the in-house start-ups have completed their 4-month Seed Accelerator™ program, all companies and their teams will become part of our Alumni Program, which provides them with (mandatory) on-going training, coaching and mentoring focused on establishing long-term success.
Seed Accelerator™ will be located in the best location(s) to start a new technology company: For many start-ups Sydney (and in a later stage Singapore) will be the ideal place to startup a new technology business for various reasons. There are a large number of engineers and engineering graduates available, the cost for developers and designers is relatively low compared to US and Europe, cost for IP protection is relatively low, infrastructure is good, the climate and environment are clean, various leading universities have a Sydney campus, R&D organisations like CSIRO and NICTA have a Sydney base, all leading international technology companies are based in Sydney, most technology start-ups are based in Sydney, there’s a substantial start-up community in Sydney and Australia and Sydney have a positive brand awareness around the globe.

Will you also start organising Seed Accelerator™ programs in other regions?

No. Our focus is on becoming the leading startup and business accelerator in the Asia Pacific region. We will provide our programs out of Sydney (Australia), Singapore and (in a later stage) Shanghai (China).

What are the benefits of the Seed Accelerator™ programs?

As co-founders, we help founders and their businesses to succeed faster and better! Their success is our success and we will provide all the help and support required to help them succeed on the short and longer term;
We'll provide you with everything you'll need to succeed: We are experts in building up new businesses and brands. We are experts in strategising execution and assisting in executing strategies. We are experts in global business development, thus boosting and accelerating your global growth. We are experts in networking, thus utilising our contacts to find the best people to do hire or do business with;
We turn their idea into a business and turn the people behind the ideas into well-balanced leading entrepreneurs and company directors who are being coached, mentored and supported by some of the best experts from around the globe;
Our programs are focused on mitigating most of the failure risks on the road to success, hence why our programs include training and coaching on elements such as: emotional intelligence, health (well-being, nutrition, and exercise), leadership development, team building and personal development. The outcome is a much higher success rate in starting a new business. The global average success rate of survival for a new technology startup business is less than 50% if they try to do it on their own. If they do it with the help of an experienced and business growth focused incubator, their survival rate can go up to 60-80%. With the help and dedicated long-term support of a start-up accelerator their survival rate could go up to >90% (source: Sprout.nl & Techcrunch.com);
We provide on-going and long term support till we exit the company we have invested in as co-founders;
All our program participants will become part of our ecosystem, our Alumni Program, and our GrowthVersity, which will provide them with many benefits during and after the programs they participate in;
Our programs are being provided by a strong team of exceptional entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and leaders;
We provide access to growth capital: to raise capital and arrange exits or expansions, we work together with angel investors, VC's, fund managers, private equity firms, large corporates, multinationals and technology firms from around the globe;
To boost growth, we help sell and deliver well: around the globe we partner with the best providers in law, accounting, marketing, digital services, property developers, investment banking, finance, insurance, business development, recruiters, consulting and technology. These help our portfolio companies to excel in boosting their global growth and optimising their operations and delivery.

What is one of the hidden values of the Seed Accelerator™ programs?

The fraternity of entrepreneurs! One of the most remarkable phenomenon's is the bond and shared passion that is created between fellow entrepreneurs who have gone through a shared experience of trying to make something people want. What results is a fraternity of startup founders. This fraternity extends beyond your own class of Seed Accelerator startups to the entire alumni network of Seed Accelerator startup graduates, portfolio companies, program participants, advisors, mentors, business partners and..... Seed Accelerator's own huge global network! This unique and powerful alumni and support network is accessible each and every day for founders to get advice ranging from who is the best hosting provider, to evaluating deal terms, to making intros, and more., much more For those new to the startup community, there is no easier way to get assimilated!

Your program looks more intense, diverse and expensive than others. True?

True! From the early days when we started to turn our idea into a business plan in 2008, the key principle has always been: develop the best possible startup & business accelerator model in the world!!! Because we have based our business model and programs on long and very intense research and interviews, we could analyse the risk factors and success factors of other business accelerators, incubators, VC's and successful startups. Hence why:

We have based our programs on mitigating the failure risk for startups;
We developed a strict and thorough selection process;
We will be turning the people behind the ideas into leading entrepreneurs;
We developed a top-notch education program (GrowthVersity) with hundreds of different courses for the best 1-on-1 and team training;
We included customised health & wellbeing programs;
We have built up a growth library with hundreds of books;
We have included a complete music studio with the best instruments,
We included a complete and very compelling games room
We have designed the best possible campus with complete office and facilities fit out;
We have developed an alumni program to provide on-going long-term support;
We have attracted some of the best specialists from around the globe;
We are working together with the best mentors, entrepreneurs, coaches, business leaders and subject matter experts who will help us to turn many new technology startups into leading global businesses and leading entrepreneurs.

It’s all about quality, risk mitigation and increasing success. If you count this all up, the cost of our programs is much higher than most other similar programs.

You have incorporated a lot of unusual fun elements into the Seed Accelerator™ programs. Is it about fun or serious business?

Seed Accelerator is all about high performance, team building, success, socialising and helping each other succeed within a vibrant ecosystem. Because our programs are intense it is important that we offer a healthy balance between hard work and revitalising. Some of the elements and facilities in our program have been specifically designed to achieve this balance; music, games, cooking, sports and different kinds of socialising, not only help to revitalise; they also can help to inspire, relax, build new relationships, and have fun! We take the health and well-being of our participants serious, hence why we have incorporated special programs to measure and coach the health & well-being of our program participants. A great team of specialists will provide them with exercise and nutrition advice and professional doctors and medical specialists will coach them on how to maintain your health as entrepreneur.

What does the Seed Accelerator™ Alumni Program consists of?

After our program participants have celebrated the end of the 16-week program, they will all become part of our Alumni Program. This program is focused on providing them with on-going support: coaching, mentoring, training and networking. Besides on-going coaching and mentoring sessions, the GrowthVersity™ education program will be available for all alumni as an Extranet solution; they can access and use all available training material online when ever and where ever is convenient to them. This will help them to improve specific skills and can more experience to successfully deal with critical business challenges of a growing business.

Do you provide the Business Seed Program to tech ventures outside of Sydney?

Yes of course! For our Business Seed Program we work together with early-stage and later-stage tech ventures, which are based in all of the major cities in Australia, in New Zealand and in Singapore.

Which teams, startups and emerging technology businesses do you have on your programs?

At present we have a select number of teams and companies taking part in our Business Seed Program or our Idea Seed Program. We have briefly described some of them here.

Do I have to stay in Sydney or Singapore after the 16-week Startup Seed Program?

No. You're fully flexible on where to continue to grow your new business. You'll become part of our Alumni Program, which provides you with ongoing mentoring, coaching, education and support where ever you and your team are.

3. INVESTMENT

Is Seed Accelerator™ funded by the Government?

No! Although we work closely together with various Government departments in both Australia and Singapore, we are not being funded by them. We are funded by our founder and a select number of high net-worth individuals and angel investors: all top entrepreneurs and/or business leaders with affinity and experience in investing in technology innovation.

What kind of investors and fund raising can you help us with?

We have an Australian Financial Services License and can help teams that want it and need it, access seed or venture capital by working hand-in-hand with investors active in seed ($100k-$1m) and venture ($1m+) capital rounds. To raise capital and arrange exits or expansions, we work together with angel investors, VC's, fund managers, private equity firms, large corporates, multinationals and technology firms from around the globe.

How are you providing access to further capital?

Access to steady cash flow is key to growing any business. Our technology startups will often lack the working capital to fund and sustain their growth. Even with a successful new product or service and strong market demand, many startups may find themselves short of cash to purchase the supplies or fund the staff required to further grow their business. We expect that nine out of ten of the start-ups on our program will require additional funding. The business financing options from Seed Accelerator that can help businesses meet their short term and long term cash requirements when other traditional funding options are exhausted:

There are various financing options that Seed Accelerator will offer through a combination of in house service and strategic alliances:

Funding by angel investors and venture capital firms – pitching on Demo Days in Sydney, Singapore and Silicon Valley;
Funding by corporates, VC's, fund managers or other strategic investors who take part in our program workshops or investor dinner meetings;
Funding by applying for government grants.

The Seed Accelerator team provides everything needed to succeed in securing the required additional capital.

What sort of control are we giving up by granting (Class A) equity to Seed Accelerator™?

We ask for Class A equity (founders stock) because the Seed Accelerator team wants to be viewed as your long-term co-founder. We expect to have all the same rights as any other founder, relative to our minority ownership position. In a nutshell, we don’t want any special or controlling interests in your company. We won’t ask for a board seat or for any uncommon investor rights. You will run the show, we are there to help you accelerate the (global) growth of the business and help you succeed in each and every way!

How long does it take to build a successful global tech business?

Based on global research and based on our own experience and insights, we dare to say that it normally will take at least 5 to 10 years to build up a global technology business with a substantial size, sustainable market position, solid unique value and a high market value, which would justify a successful exit. We think we can help you do it faster, smarter and better! Our Seed Accelerator programs are focused on accelerating your personal development and global business growth in each and every area: resulting in building up your global business at least 50% faster and 10 times better!

Does Seed Accelerator™ take a board seat?

No - For startup portfolio companies within our Startup Seed Program. Often times, seed stage companies don't even need a board.
Yes or Maybe - For emerging portfolio companies within our Business Seed Program.
Yes - For startup portfolio companies within our Idea Seed Program, once we establish a board at a certain growth phase.

What kind of investments does Seed Accelerator™ make?

We are very selective in how we invest our time, energy and resources, hence our strict program selection criteria and thorough application process. We mainly invest in exceptional people and technology companies with the potential to increase our investment tenfold within 2-3 years. We like to accelerate personal & business growth and maximise our joined investments!

How does Seed Accelerator™ make its investment decisions?

At the end of our application and selection process the Seed Accelerator team submits a short list of candidates to our Selection Panel. All of the Seed Accelerator investors are invited to participate in the Selection Panel's decision of making any investments as we are allocating their capital. The Selection Panel will be assisted in their decision making process by various industry experts and members of our Advisory Board.

Is Seed Accelerator™ looking for quick-sells?

No, although we would love it if you’re able to sell your startup for a fortune within 12-24 months! We prefer to help build global businesses that are scalable, can achieve sustainable growth, a dominant market position by providing disruptive solutions with unique value (meaning). We won’t force our portfolio companies to sell. We do not run a fund; we are entrepreneurs ourselves, hence why we think and act as co-founders!

Is Seed Accelerator™ looking for additional co-investors?

We are always looking for entrepreneurial co-investors who can help us to expand our Seed Accelerator business. We prefer high net-worth individuals and angel investors who have a successful track-record as entrepreneur and/or business leader, who are passionate about helping start-ups, who have experience in investing in innovative technology, who are down-to-earth and sincere, and who have a substantial network of valuable relationships. Please get in contact with us if you're interested to invest and help us succeed together.

For technology and early-stage focused investors, we offer pre-qualified and high potential deal flow! We organise Demo Days at various locations (Sydney, Singapore, Silicon Valley) twice a year at which the latest batch of startups present to a select number of qualified investors from around the globe. For these Demo Days high net-worth investors, angels investors, VC's and institutional investors may contact us so we can discuss if they will meet our selection criteria.

How can we get funding for our startup?

Apply for our next round of funding via the application process on our website. We do two rounds a year.

Can I apply if I am already fundraising?

Yes you can. We do encourage active fundraising before and throughout our programs for startups that are prepared and require additional capital beyond the scope of our programs and the seed capital we provide. One of our goals is to prepare and coach the startup teams and get them in front of investors multiple times before the Demo Days at the end of the 16-week program.

4. MENTORS

What is the Seed Accelerator™ Mentor Pool?

We believe that beyond providing funding and all kind of services & support, critical to a company’s success is an active and vibrant market in which a company operates. There are many indirect and direct players in the market that growing companies work together with to build successful global businesses. This is the network of mentors; ranging from serial entrepreneurs and technology experts to lawyers, accountants, business leaders, VCs, technologists, sales and marketing experts.

To provide our program participants with the best possible support, we have built up and are still expanding our Seed Accelerator Mentor Pool: a group of top entrepreneurs, business leaders, accredited coaches, business mentors, lawyers, accountants, investors, technologists, telecommunications specialists, financial specialists, marketing & sales specialists, health specialists, education specialists, medical specialists and various other specialists and advisors. This great group of exceptional people is dedicated to support, assist and mentor all participants on our programs. They will help them to success faster and better!

What’s the Business Advisory Board?

To each startup at least one or two members of the Seed Accelerator mentoring pool will be assigned as members of their Business Advisory Board. The Business Advisory Board is designed to support the entrepreneur/business owner and their executive management team by providing senior level support to help with critical company decisions. The goal is to fill critical skill set gaps at the board level to help ensure a 360 degree review of all critical decisions. Frequency of meeting is typically quarterly but can be adapted to meet the company’s specific needs.

What is a mentoring session?

A key element of any of the Seed Accelerator programs, are the intense and varied mentoring sessions in which we bring together the program participants with experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, technology experts and all kind of other leading experts to give advice and support based on their specific expertise.

Do you provide on-going mentoring?

Yes. After the Startup Seed Accelerator Program all participants will keep in contact with their Seed Accelerator Mentor(s). We will place no restrictions on continued contact between the Seed Accelerator Mentor and program participants once the program has completed, and they are free to discuss a continued commercial relationship with their Seed Accelerator Mentor. Most likely for a position on their company's board or in an advisory role.

How can I become a Seed Accelerator™ Mentor?

Our mentors believe in the vision of working together to improve entrepreneurship and innovation. They have a passion to help others succeed and like to share their lessons learned and insights. If you posses exceptional qualities and experience which you would like to use to help our start-up entrepreneurs succeed, then please send us an email with your motivation and qualifications.

5. QUALIFICATION

What’s the Seed Accelerator™ investment focus?

We will select teams with a compelling and unique idea to startup a new technology business with a global focus: web applications, mobile applications and software. We’re looking to invest in entrepreneurial teams with big ideas and a need for seed capital and dedicated support to turn their ideas into great companies. We are willing to invest in unproven teams attacking uncontested markets with unproven solutions. We love creating ‘blue oceans’ and helping you to make the impossible possible!

We do not need seed funding, and cannot afford to spend 4 months on your Startup Seed Program. What can you do for us?

For early and later stage startups who already have successfully created a powerful team and have developed a proof of concept and/or launched a new product/service, our custom Business Seed program will provide them with customised support, mentoring, coaching and education to assist them in market launch and rapid global growth.

We have a great idea for a new technology startup, but we are not technical. Will you still fund us? Can you help us find programmers to implement our idea?

Of course we will consider to fund you, but your chances are about ten times better if you find yourself a technical cofounder. It's much better if you find one yourself through friends of friends than if we would introduce you to someone you do not know. Teams thrown together for the purpose of starting a startup usually fall apart under stress. You need some kind of personal connection + synergy and you will need to share the passion and ambitions for your unique idea.

Do we need a prototype or proof of concept?

Although we like unproven ideas and concepts, we do believe it is important that ideas have been through a whetting process by entrepreneurs. We strongly advise you to apply if you have a prototype or proof of concept that you have started to build or already completed building. We are really interested in big and 'blue ocean' ideas and we would like to see some proof of how you put your great idea into practice. This process will also help you to stretch your thinking and optimise your idea before you share it with us.

Do we need to have a technical person (programmer) as a co-founder?

Yes, preferably all teams on our Startup Seed Program are required to be able to write their own code.

Can we participate in the Startup Seed Program without moving to Sydney or Singapore?

No. Our 16-week program is in-house, intense and full-on, hence why we ask you to make the investment and spend at least 4 months at one of our locations. You can leave one of your founders at home, but the rest, including the CEO, have to live in Sydney or Singapore during the 4 month funding cycle.

For early and later-stage startups who are already up and running and have received some funding, we provide the Business Seed program, which does not require your team to be located in our premises.

Can we apply if we have an established startup?

Yes. Seed Accelerator will accept applications of any startup team that is running a business less than 3 to 5 years old with less than one million dollars in annual revenues (as general rule of thumb).

Which criteria do we (as startup) need to meet to apply for the Seed Accelerator™ programs?

A team gaining admission to the Seed Accelerator program should meet most of the following selection criteria, which are also part of our online application process:

Invention / Idea

Produces new ICT products or services (software, content, etc) or products and services for which ICT is a key driver of competitive advantage and does not exist yet;
The startup idea/business model is innovative and can be qualified as a ‘Blue Ocean’ (the opposite of a ‘me-too’ and competitive red ocean);
Is a startup idea or newly incorporated company and has fewer than 5 employees / team members;
Is the idea scalable globally? Can the idea be easily transportable to new markets at relative low cost? Can it be sold in Japan, China, US and France?
We are looking for compelling technologies that can maintain a competitive and sustainable advantage for the company we are starting together. Whether it comes from intellectual property protection, from deep domain expertise or merely from the fact that we are “first to market” – there must be something!

Market

The idea or concept represents a clear opportunity to differentiate against the existing marketplace: focused on a niche market or uncontested market space;
The people behind the idea have a solid understanding of its market opportunity: Your invention should address a clear need in a market with no good solution;
Large market: the problem that you are trying to solve should have a sizable and global market.

Team

The team: we look to build a long-term partnership with passionate people who are fun to work with and the best in their class, who have deep domain expertise and dare to dream big, who are keen on building strong teams with background diversity;
There is a management team in place which can bring the idea to market. If not, is the founding entrepreneur open to inserting strong leaders with proven track records?
Is the team willing and able to move to Sydney or Singapore for at least 4 months?
The team members share a strong passion and ambition and have the vision, brains and balls to conquer the world;
The team has the support of all its shareholders to execute its business plan;
The team understands its strengths and limitations, and recognises the value of the Seed Accelerator contribution to overcoming weaknesses;
The team is willing to provide a minority equity stake (up to 25%) in return for the Seed Accelerator contribution of seed funding, advice, mentoring, coaching, training, education, guidance and on-going support.

If the above criteria are being met and we receive an application, the Seed Accelerator leadership team and our Selection Board will be assisted by various vertical industry experts to help us review and select the best applications. The down selected team will be invited for interviews and assessments, to help us select the best of the best.

Is your program open to anyone from around the globe?

Yes. Anyone with a great idea can apply for our Startup Seed Accelerator program, as long as they are willing and able to participate in one of our Startup Seed Programs in Sydney or Singapore.

How can I increase my changes to be selected for the Startup Seed Program?

We have created an overview with insightful tips and advice to help you succeed in your application and selection program. You can find it here.

Do we have to be an Australian or Singapore citizen?

No, as long as you can get here for at least four months and can arrange a visa (if required).

Can you get us visas?

No, sorry; we are not allowed to that, because you will need to apply for an Australian or Singapore visa yourself. However, we do provide all the advice you will need to apply for the right kind of visa. Because Seed Accelerator has officially been approved as an Australian business sponsor by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship Department, in some case we might be able to act as a sponsor for a short-term Australian business visa.

Do you only fund startups that focus on new web applications, mobile applications and software?

We'll consider startups in other fields, but odds are better for startups developing new apps and/or writing new software, because that's what we understand and are good at. Please see our selection criteria.

How large of a team can apply?

For our Startup Seed Program the minimum size team is two persons while the largest allowed team is three persons.
For our Business Seed Program the minimum size team is two persons while the largest allowed team is ten persons.
For our Idea Seed Program the minimum size team is two persons while the largest allowed team is four persons.

We do not qualify for any of the Seed Accelerator™ programs but need your advice. How can you help us?

We mainly focus on helping the companies that are part of our Seed Accelerator programs. To inspire more entrepreneurs and help many people succeed, we host an eco-system, organise various events and provide lots of useful and relevant information on our website. Please have a look at our Video Library, our Startup Bookstore and all the content in our Startup Library.

Can a single person apply for funding?

Yes, if you meet most of the pre-selection criteria you can apply but your change of being accepted are much lower, because a startup is too much work for one person. We prefer teams and we are focused on building and enhancing teams. Please see our selection criteria.

We've already been working on our startup for a while. Is Seed Accelerator™ appropriate for us?

For sure! Most applications we have received so far and some of the startups we are already working together with are like that. Our Startup Seed Program will suit pre-revenue startups and our Business Seed Program is perfect for early- and later-stage tech ventures. We can probably help any startup that hasn't already raised a series A round from VCs.

6. APPLICATION

How does the Seed Accelerator™ selection and application process work?

Applying for funding and taking part in our Seed Accelerator™ program is a bit different:

Instead of submitting a business plan or making a slide presentation, candidates just fill out an online application form on our website in which they will have to answer many questions, provide a link to their introduction video and provide us with references. They’ll have to answer over 30 questions which will give us the information to perform our first due diligence and selection;
Our Selection Board will select up to 30 teams to participate in the next round of our selection process to select the best-of-the-best;
The selected teams will be invited to have a face-to-face or video conference interview in which we will ask them to pitch their idea within 5 minutes and we will fire many selection questions at them. With each team we will spend at least 60 minutes;
Our Selection Board assisted by various vertical industry experts will then select the best 10 to 15 teams, based on the results of the interviews and based on our initial due diligence, which typically will involve: technology/idea assessment, market and competitive analysis (discussions with our industry experts and proprietary investigations), management reference checks, intellectual property review, financial due diligence;
We will then ask the selected teams to take individual assessments and test to assess their IQ, EQ, Leadership Skills, Cultural and Motivational skills and potential;
Our Selection Board will make a final down select based on the results of the assessments;
Our Leadership Team will negotiate a contract and Term Sheet with the selected teams, supported by our legal counsel.

Is it safe and confidential to submit my idea to Seed Accelerator™?

We respect that many entrepreneurs require confidentiality and will offer to protect IP mutually. Because of the large number of opportunities that we receive, we have a preference not to sign external NDAs. On our website we offer two types of NDA that we are most happy to sign; the AVCAL Standard NDA, and our own proprietary mutual NDA. We invite each prospective applicant to peruse both and select which one suits their needs.

Our team has more than one great idea. Can we submit two or more applications?

Of course. We love great ideas!! Just submit them by creating various accounts by different founders and make sure you add a note to explain your one and the same team submitting several applications.

Will information from the application process be made public?

All information provided during the application and selection process will remain fully confidential until the program participant/start-up team chooses to reveal it.

Do we need to write a business plan?

Not necessarily. If you can submit a short and concise business plan or information memorandum it might give us some useful insight in your idea and potential. However, our selection process is based on reviewing your application form, personal interviews and various assessments. We prefer demos and see you present your unique idea. More tips can be found here.

My team outsources software development. Are we still qualified to apply?

Yes. As long as you've not outsourced 100% of the development work and are still in charge of the software development process. A healthy mix of onshore, near-shore and offshore can most certainly help you to accelerate product development. It's one of the things we're good at and we like to help you with.

We’re happy to consider any application for our programs. Just remember that we’re primarily focused on the team behind the business: WE INVEST IN PEOPLE!

How can I apply for the Startup Seed Program?

Applying for funding and taking part in our Seed Accelerator™ Startup Seed Program can be done online. The online application process for our first 2010 Startup Seed Accelerator Program in Sydney will open in Q2 2010.

How can I apply for the Business Seed Program?

If you, your team and your idea meet the criteria described on our website, you are based in Australia and you have global growth ambitions: please send us an email in which you briefly describe:

Your idea;
Your team;
Your startup challenges & needs;
Why we should love your idea;
Why we should select you and your team.

How can I apply for the Startup Idea Accelerator Program?

Looking for a great and unique new startup idea? If you have an exceptional team who really understand technology, can startup and grow a global business, can lead a fast growing team of people, are full of passion and ambition and meet the criteria on our website: please send us an email in which you briefly describe:

Your skills, strength and experience;
What's unique about your team members;
What makes you an exceptional team;
How you are going to conquer the world;
Your startup preferences: e.g. business model, industry, product, service, etc.
Why we should select you and your team.

I’m concerned that if I apply, you won’t protect my intellectual property. Should I be worried about this?

No! We’re certainly not in the business of stealing ideas, and we won’t show your application or business idea to anyone outside of Seed Accelerator, because that would - most likely - ruin our reputation. We do offer to sign a mutual NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), but will only do so if we invite you for a meeting and/or select you for the next selection round.

Our online application does not require you to reveal your “secret ingredients”, and there is no reason you have to disclose this to us if you’re not comfortable doing so.

Can I apply for a job at Seed Accelerator™?

Yes you can join us! For our own organisation and for our portfolio companies we are always on the hunt for exceptional leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists and specialists to help these teams to succeed faster and better. You can read more about it here.

7. LOCATION

Why did we start Seed Accelerator™ in the Asia Pacific region?

The Asia Pacific region has a lot of investment money, education, and some of the best entrepreneurs in the world, but despite having some of the lowest initial investment costs in all of high tech, is the one of most underdeveloped entrepreneurial regions in the world.

Based on all the available industry research, the main deficiencies in the creation of new technology-based ventures in the Australasian region are:

Lack of experienced entrepreneurial management. This is particularly true for new technologies evolving from public sector and corporate research;
Lack of early-stage/seed funding from venture capital firms;
Lack of easy access to seed funding from angel investors;
Lack of sufficient government grants;
Lack of an established support network for startup entrepreneurs;
Lack of a solid ecosystem/community for startup entrepreneurs;
Lack of an education system which is focused on stimulation entrepreneurship and educating in (small) business management;
Lack of startup entrepreneurs which a broad focus and ambition to conquer the world to build a sustainable business beyond the borders of Australia and Singapore.

The Seed Accelerator core focus is to solve, mitigate and/or ease these issues and challenges, resulting in a stronger startup community and higher success rates of technology start-ups and successful global tech ventures.

What are the benefits of starting a technology startup in Sydney?

Besides various great universities, all large international technology companies have a presence in Sydney. If you combine the two, you have a massive pool of technology savvy people who can take part in an eco-system. From an entrepreneurs point of view; resources like developers are easy to find and attract, the cost of starting a new business are low and the Sydney lifestyle and quality of life is great! For more info about Sydney please see http://www.sydney.com.

What are the benefits of starting a technology startup in Singapore?

Singapore is the main port in South-East Asia and one of the best hubs in Asia. Most large international organisations have their regional headquarters located in Singapore, various leading business & technology universities have a presence in Singapore, there’s a huge talent pool, a friendly tax regime and a very positive entrepreneurial environment with huge support from Singapore’s Government. For more info, please see: http://www.visitsingapore.com.

8. FACILITIES

You do not only provide shared office space but a complete Seed Accelerator™ Campus?

Yes indeed! Based on all the global research we've done to design the best possible startup & growth facilities, we have designed and developed the best facilities to host a vibrant ecosystem and facilitate a high-performance culture. The Seed Accelerator Campus offers complete facilities ranging from full-fetch office space, meeting rooms, multi-media rooms, games room, lounge room, dream room, innovation room, team kitchen, coffee corners, fitness & health centre and music recording studio to a complete library with hundreds of compelling books.

Our campus mixes all ingredients of startups, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership at all stages: pre-seed, seed, early-stage, later-stage and majeur companies: all focused on helping each other to succeed in many ways! Our campus helps to begin to build shared experiences. Like grad school, where everyone shares the triumphs and challenges because of the close proximity. It’s not dependent to have a shared office space, but common meetings, shared mailing lists, jam sessions, joined mentoring sessions, badges of honour, and shared timelines can help entrepreneurs feel part of something that is bigger, much BIGGER! As the program evolves it becomes a shared pedigree, much like an alumni program. It's all part of your life changing Seed Accelerator experience!

Is your library a real library or just another lounge room with some empty book cases?

We only do the real thing! Our GrowthVersity™ Library Lounge has been created and utilised to inspire, inform and educate our startup entrepreneurs. It offers hundreds of compelling books ranging from well-known classics, hidden gems and subject matter expertise books to some of the most inspirational books, which are all related to successfully starting, growing and running a global technology business. Besides books, you'll find reading tables, comfortable sofas and chairs to allow you to relax and enjoy the content of a great book or magazine.

What may we expect from your music room?

Since our founder and CEO has a big passion for music (he plays drums and listens to music all day), we have a complete music facility: Seed Studio. It's a music studio full of instruments, sound systems and recording facilities! It's a great place to relax, chill, get inspired, enjoy jam sessions, compose some new stuff or just enjoy listening to the performance of others. You can bring your own instrument or use what we've got; ranging from a selection of guitars, bass guitars, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, trumpet, violin and many others.... We'll keep the soul alive and we'll help you rock the world!

What is your games room like?

Well..... it's not filled with game machines like you'll find in a professional entertainment centre. Ours is funky, cool, exciting and....relaxed! Relaxed? Well.... it has relaxed bean bags, a relaxed sofa, an Xbox, Playstation, Wii, many games, even classic board games like Monopoly or chess, a dynamic sound system, an interactive multi-media box and many other things and features to help you relax, clear your mind, play against your team mates and have game competitions against other teams! Game time!

Why do we have health & fitness facilities?

“Make your health your top priority. You can't buy your health or life back after years of neglecting it while you earn your living!” is a health related quote by Seed Accelerator founder Patrick Driessen, which he based on his own tough lessons learned. If you want to build a great business, you'll have to be prepared to work 24/7 to win. If you are not willing to do this.... keep your day job as an employee! You have to be willing to go through the ups and downs if you are going to accomplish something big. At Seed Accelerator we help you to learn how to prevent and/or mitigate the risks which could have an impact on your personal and your business success. Health impacts both!

If you are not focused on your health and well-being, it can become a major risk to your happiness and overall success. A good health forms the basis of your performance, hence why we offer health & fitness facilities to all of our participating entrepreneurs. Our team of health & fitness specialists and mentors will develop an individual health & nutrition program for and together with every program participant. The Seed Accelerator fitness room is ideal if you want to work out to clear your mind or work on your condition: whenever you want. It's open 24/7!

9. OTHER QUESTIONS

What can I do if I have additional questions about Seed Accelerator™?

We are very sorry if in the Q&A list above we have not been able to answer all of your questions. Please send us an email at: info (at) seedaccelerator (dot) com or use the contact us form on our website. We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Seed Accelerator™ accelerates your personal development and your global business growth smarter, faster & better!

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