Most accelerators supply seed capital and a mentor driven program but few give Startups the ability to work with the one thing that all Startups need; a large motivated customer like Simplot.
- You have the freedom to build your technology on any stack
- We have our own dedicated investment that has the ability to participate in follow on funding
- We have strategic relations with Sparke Helmore who incorporate all new companies and provide shareholder documentations and advice pro-bono
- As investors in your business, we are long term participants in your success and provide on going mentorship, support and advice contacts long after the program has finished
- We don’t charge Startups for any of our services
- Our business model element is provided by Ash Maurya who is recognised as the foremost expert in the lean methodology and Ash personally mentors each Startup
- Our corporate client base is growing and you will have future opportunities to scale your business with some of Australasia’s biggest companies
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The program is intense, 12 weeks is not a long time. You will be part of a cohort of other startups all working hard. You will be immersed in the 12-week program and be exposed to the best mentors to help and guide you. Critical appraisal is a big part of the process; we are not a cheer squad. You will be exposed to our investors, partners, sponsors and media. We have set piece events during the program and a demo day. After the accelerator piece is finished and your company has successfully completed the modules, built a solid team and product and gained some customer traction we will supply you with additional support to continue to build your business. At the end of the program we aim to co-invest in all of our Alumni’s next funding rounds
Customer
We give you access to a large customer who wants you to succeed and is also a potential investor post the program. Customers are hard to acquire so we think this is a piece that will add more value to any other element of our program.
Mentors
Our mentors drive our program. These are people who have been there and made the mistakes you are about to make. They have the one little idea that can help you get to product/market fit and know the right person to talk at that large customer you are after. We have a set of hands-on mentors that will provide the learning components of the program and a network of mentors that are specialists in your niche. We go to market on your behalf and find the right mentor for you.
Investment
Money is important. It generally determines the length of the runway to get your company off the ground and sustainable. Sure, we will invest upfront to get you started but our aim is to do follow on investment in later rounds to really turn your company in to a global one. Our network of investors both here and internationally is ready to invest in great companies.
Sponsors and Partners
Something often overlooked is acquiring great business relationships in your startup early. We have an outstanding group of Premium and supporting partner’s hand chosen to help you build you business, supply knowledge, support and advice.
Branding and Media
While social media is a key part of your strategy, building a strong brand and significant PR is critical. Branding is what we know; we have strong relationships with traditional media and PR firms. Our relationship with the media and our ability to attract partners is a good example of the sort of PR you can expect from being part of the Simplot Ignite Program.
Experience
This is ourfourth intake and with each cycle our expertise grows. We are as engaged as ever and have added to our team bring in the best people we can find to add value to the process.
Our clients realise that starting new products and services within a large corporate framework is difficult. The solution is to work and partner with innovative startups that can add value to the corporates customer base. While startups have skills in starting the corporates can add value to the startup by provide its core strength in scaling such as distribution, marketing and sales.
No. The corporate partners are supporting the program by giving you the opportunity for funding, mentoring, expansion and access to customers. The funding for each startup is provided by the Slingshot Venture Fund. At the end of the program, your company will have the opportunity to engage in a commercial agreement with the corporate partner, receive additional investment or continue on your own path.
The answer is generally no. The statistics and our experience says that it's just too hard to build a business by yourself.
Each Slingshot program has its own website. you can get more information there or contacts us on our contact page
A Scaleup is a business that is less than 5 years old, however has a proven team and product, can prove that is already has customer traction and revenue.
Most great Startups fail, not because they don’t have a great team or a great product it’s because they can’t scale their customer base fast enough to generate the revenue they need to survive or raise the capital they need. The Slingshot Scaleup program is designed to give these businesses the opportunity to scale quickly by giving them direct access to a large customer base. It is in essence bridging the gap between corporates and Startups.
There are a few reasons you might want to apply.
- You are stuck and the momentum of the early days of your startup has stalled and you lack the resources to get over the next hump.
- You have a great product and a great business and see an application for it within the promoted themes without having to do much development work.
- Startups can get stale and you need some renewed energy and enthusiasm and want to feel part of something bigger.
- You had a great experience in you accelerator program and want to revisit some of the elements of that without having to redo the program piece.
- You are a world class business looking to add a large customer to your portfolio
Our clients realise that starting new products and services within a large corporate framework is difficult. The solution is to work and partner with innovative startups that can add value to the corporates customer base. While startups have skills in starting the corporates can add value to the startup by provide its core strength in scaling such as distribution, marketing and sales.
No, we anticipate your business is past that stage and you already have the knowledge, product and some customers and revenue in place. You are past the stage of needing an accelerator. The program is designed to get you an outcome with the corporate partner as quickly as possible
Each Slingshot program has its own website. you can get more information there or contacts us on our contact page