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REFINE YOUR VISION
Through lectures by expert guest speakers, workshops, and exercises that challenge you.
PERFECT THE PITCH
1-2-1 Mentorship and extensive pitch training throughout the accelerator.
MEET INVESTORS
Blue Lake will introduce you to investors that are perfect for your startup.
About You
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Software Startup
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Early stage with advanced MVP
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Global ambitions
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Scalable Solution
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Committed founding team
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Looking to raise their pre-seed round within the next 6 months
About The Programme
<100 Words
Our accelerator programme is laser-focused on getting you investment ready and actively supports graduates with fundraising. The programme is designed for early-stage, technology-driven startups, including pre-revenue and pre-registration companies with an advanced MVP. The 12-week accelerator combines 1-2-1 mentorship, workshops, homework, and group work, including:
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Investor Work
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Product Development / Validation
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Go-to-market
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Traction
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Short- and mid-term growth
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Pitching
Cohorts of 2-3 startups allow for a more individual approach. The Blue Lake network will offer a community of startups, mentors, investors, and innovators that can support participants for life. The fast-paced environment will see founders emerge more experienced, knowledgeable, committed, and ready to raise their early round.
This is a free programme and there are no fees nor equity required from applicants. The benefits don't stop after the pitching sessions in week 12 either. Blue Lake will continue supporting successful graduates through introductions and light mentoring. You will be part of the Blue Lake Club for life!
Interested in Joining?
Apply Now
Rolling Application
Cohort 2 will begin on the 9th of January 2023.
The programme ends after 12 weeks on November 18th.
Admittance is first come first serve so don't wait!
Once Cohort 2 is closed applicants will be rolled over to Cohort 3 starting February.
Meet The Team
DAVID GILGUR
Blue Lake Founding Partner
Mentor
LYUBOV GUK
Blue Lake Founding Partner
Mentor
MORITZ GOERGES
Programme Manager
Administrator
You will also learn from experts across industry, investing and entrepreneurship and become a part of the extensive Blue Lake network.
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What if I fall behind on the required work or become unavailable?Fundraising is always hard work! This accelerator is a fast-paced and focused programme to accelerate, simplify and perfect that process. We expect all participants to be fully committed and give 100% to all the work we require and recommend. The exercise and Deck building are ongoing and do not have a structured due date. However, if we find you are falling significantly behind and are not determined to make the most of the programme we reserve the right to expel you or ask you to rejoin a future cohort. This program is built for you to have the greatest chance of receiving funding. Make the most of it!
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How much time commitment is required?We expect the founder or founder team to be working full-time on the startup. As for the accelerator itself, it will require around 8 hours per week. The direct time commitment is 2-4h a week for mentorship, speaker sessions and workshops. We also expect you to commit another 1-5h a week to complete the required tasks and improve your pitch and investor relations. We understand this is a big ask from busy founders. We are confident, however, that this commitment will be instrumental in springboarding investor readiness and raising your next round.
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What is the structure of the accelerator?The Blue Lake Accelerator is a comprehensive and individualised 12-week programme designed around investor readiness. The founder or founding team will be taking part in weekly lectures by accomplished experts in their field, 1-2-1 mentorship by the Blue Lake GPs, and comprehensive coursework to direct your efforts towards raising a round. There will also be interactive workshops forging an unbreakable group dynamic and productive environment. While all the work is ongoing and multifaceted, each week will be focused on a pivotal aspect of fundraising designed around our investor memo. The final week will be an exciting send-off with daily pitches to investors who have shown interest in investing!
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Do I have to be registered in South Yorkshire?By cohort start, your company's registration address or trading address will have to be in South Yorkshire. (Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham) In case your company is not yet registered in the UK, or the address falls outside South Yorkshire, we are happy to offer guidance on how to register your company.
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How does the admittance process work?After a review of your submitted application, you will be invited for a short interview over zoom. This is for the first impression and to get a feel for the founding team and startup idea. If successful, you will be asked to attend a second, more in-depth interview. After this, we will come back with a decision for you after reviewing all the applications and before 10.01.2022. We will be providing feedback and advice throughout this process.
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How much equity will Blue Lake Accelerator take?Blue Lake will take a small equity stake in exchange for the acceleration programme.
The Blue Lake Accelerator Programme is part of the TEAM SY Project. TEAM SY is part funded by ERDF and delivered in partnership with Capital Enterprise and Barnsley Council
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