Launch and grow your AI company
in 3 months from zero

 

Starting a company is hard, make it easier with us. We designed a
flawless three-month online program that helps you gain traction. You will
gain access to a step-by-step structure, mentor and peer support, live Q&A sessions
with experts and task sets ranging from market analysis to fundraising.
  • Insights

    Connect for Live Q&As

    We will have weekly Live Q&As with
    experts where you can ask what interests you.

    E-meet for one-to-one mentorship

    Book mentor hours with over 30 experts
    through the duration of the program.

    Receive feedback on your assignments

    You’ll receive personalized valuable feedback from mentors and experts
    on your module assignments.

    Work and connect with other startups

    You will have the chance to connect with other teams
    and help each other with feedback or encouragement.

    Build a Pitch Deck and learn how to pitch to investors

    While executing tasks, you’ll be gradually
    building your very own startup pitch and pitch deck.

  • .

 Build your startup with the best experts

Upcelerator Mentors 2024

  • Letitia Stefan

    Letitia Stefan

    Co-founder, Nifty Learning

    Since October 2016 I've been part of the Nifty Learning family and it's been the most rewarding professional and personal growth experience so far. I'm happy to offer my support to founders and teams that want to know more about the journey of founding a startup, how to pitch their business idea, how to validate it and what to look for when speaking to potential customers or investors.

  • Nick Himowicz

    Nick Himowicz

    Innovation & Business Coach

    Nick isn't just an innovation coach; he's a strategist, a mentor, and a visionary. His resume boasts collaborations with giants like Google, American Express, and Lego. Nick's arsenal of strategies, including the renowned Strategyzer methodology, is unmatched. Mentored by Alex Osterwalder himself, Nick's insights into creating enduring business models are nothing short of revolutionary.

  • Sergiu Matei

    Sergiu Matei

    Founder, Index | Forbes Technology Council

    Sergiu Matei is co-founder of Travod, the startup with one of the most impressive growth in the translation industry. Travod adapts content for brands such as Amazon, Forbes Group, British Council, and many more. He is now working on new startup – Index, which helps top companies to hire remotely world-class software developers.

  • SEE ALL MENTORS

    SEE ALL MENTORS

Upcelerator in numbers

We have put together something that is simply unbeatable, by any measure: top-notch experts and mentors, a comprehensive curriculum, an equity-free program and the opportunity to raise your first round of investment when you graduate. All of this, coupled with our UpFactory e-learning platform.
  • Mentors

    Mentors

    More than 30 international and local mentors and experts will help you to build your startup.
  • Program Fee

    Program Fee

    In this edition, participation is free, opening doors for talented tech entrepreneurs to innovate without financial barriers.
  • Potential Investment

    Potential Investment

    Qualified startups will have the chance to raise up to €25,000 from our network of investors.
  • Months

    Months

    The accelerator duration is 3 months, and you'll have a minimum viable product with AI integration at the end.
  • Modules

    Modules

    With 12 modules we will cover every important topic on how to build and launch a scalable startup.
  • Mentor Hours

    Mentor Hours

    More than 100 hours with mentors and experts are available through the duration of the program.
  • Equity-Free

    Equity-Free

    You keep all your shares of the company and you give equity only in the case of direct investment.
  • Assignments

    Assignments

    More than 200 assignments with up to 15 per module to immediately execute and build your startup

What you’ll be working on

This program is meant to cover every process in a scalable AI startup. You’ll be learning
from the mentors that are experts in their domain of expertise. Every module comes
with guidance and 10 to 15 specific assignments that you have to follow.
  • Customer Development

    Customer Development

    Module 1

    Interview potential customers and create profiles. Determine the early adopters of your product. Have a better understanding of the features you have to build first.

  • Market and Competition

    Market and Competition

    Module 2

    Identify competitors and market trends. Analyse the risks, determine the market needs and find a viable solution.

  • Product Development

    Product Development

    Module 3

    Fine-tune the development process. Make sure that the product is convenient and usable. Run vigorous tests. Launch fast, learn the lean methodology.

  • Branding and Positioning

    Branding and Positioning

    Module 4

    Establish your company's visual identity. Give a name to the experience your customers will receive. Work on finding your differentiator and positioning on the market.

  • Revenue Models

    Revenue Models

    Module 5

    Choose the right way to monetize your product. Learn about different ways you can charge for your services or product.

  • Go-to-Market Strategies

    Go-to-Market Strategies

    Module 6

    Craft a message that speaks to your customer. Build a robust marketing roadmap that will keep your product viable and visible.

  • Founding Team and First Employees

    Founding Team and First Employees

    Module 7

    To achieve great things you need a great team. Define the most convenient recruiting strategy and organizational design.

  • Finance Operations

    Finance Operations

    Module 8

    Learn about accounting, how to organise your cash flow and expenses. Identify the key indicators you need to follow in your startup.

  • Sales

    Sales

    Module 9

    Learn how and why your startup needs to be a sales organization. Learn how to build funnels, implement CRMs and create a repeatable process that you can scale.

  • Legal, Incorporation and Regulations

    Legal, Incorporation and Regulations

    Module 10

    Understand why, sometimes, tech startups require a different legal structure than traditional businesses. Learn how to divide the shares among your cofounders. Incorporate your startup.

  • Funding, Bootstrapping and Investors

    Funding, Bootstrapping and Investors

    Module 11

    Develop an efficient fundraising strategy. Learn what are the essential metrics that investors look at and understand when is your company ready to raise money.

  • Graduation, Demo Day

    Graduation, Demo Day

    Module 12

    Congratulations you are a founder now! Pitch to potential investors and mentors. Learn how to use the accelerator community and resources after graduation.

Build something meaningful

  • The application deadline

    September 13th, 2024

    Accelerator program dates

    September 14 – November 26, 2024 

    The program will be running 3 months with weekly Live Q&A sessions and assignments. High commitment is expected or the founders are risking to be expelled.

    Accelerator program fee

    The participation fee is normally €499 per team, but the Upcelerator 2024 edition is free of charge as part of the collaboration with the Orange Digital Center learning hub.

    Main selection criteria

    Early-stage AI driven startups or just an AI idea with a scalable potential for serving a regional or global market and the ability of the founders to execute on their idea.

    Investment

    At the end of the program, one or more startups will be eligible for equity investments of up to €25,000 if they meet the criteria for an investable startup. The idea, founders, traction, and market are something we’ll be looking at.

    After the program

    You’ll be joining the closed founders and alumni community and you’ll receive support from our network and when you’re ready a potential investment from our investors.

    Build something amazing (Insights)

Register now to build your
#AI startup

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Upcelerator Founders

In Upcelerator we helped more than 200 founders to test, launch their startups
and also to raise angel investment to make their ideas real and build a global company.

Our alumni

At Dreamups, we’ve been running the startup accelerator since 2016. We have accelerated 3 cohorts of the Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator. We organised successfully 5 batches of the fully remote idea stage accelerator for startups Upcelerator. With over 100 startups and 200+ founders enrolled in the program, and 68 amazing startups graduated.
Below you can see some startups that successfully graduated.

Frequently asked questions

  • Who is this program for?

    The Upcelerator is designed for early-stage tech startups or founders with an idea that has a scalable potential for serving a regional or a global market.

  • Is Upcelerator only for individuals? Can multiple co-founders sign up?

    The platform is designed to suit both solo founders, as well as startup teams.

  • Do I need to know English to be able to participate?

    Yes. The program language is English, and it is necessary to have the B2 level (Upper-Intermediate).

  • How much time does the Upcelerator require?

    A minimum of 15 hours per week.

  • Does the Upcelerator program only accept tech startups?

    We will give the priority to ideas or startups that have a tech or digital component. But you should anyway apply if you are not sure about that, almost any idea can be a tech or tech-enabled startup.

  • How much does the program cost?

    The 6th edition of Upcelerator offers the opportunity to participate free of charge, thanks to a partnership with the learning hub for the future - Orange Digital Center, and the National Youth Agency of Moldova .

  • Does Upcelerator collect equity?

    No. We only take equity after a direct investment in your company, if you are in need of any investment.

  • What happens at the end of the accelerator?

    You’ll be joining the closed founders and alumni community, you’ll receive support from our network, and when you’re ready a potential investment from our investors may appear.

  • Can I apply if I have an established startup?

    Definitely. Moreover, we actually encourage you to do so. Upcelerator will help you collect valuable insight and receive suggestions from experts in the field in a wide range of areas like marketing, sales, customer development, product development.

  • Can a startup or founders from a different country apply?

    Yes, the program is designed to be entirely remote and most of the content is valid for any country you are in.

  • How many startups will be accepted in the program?

    We target to work with a limited number of 50 startups in order to deliver better quality of the mentorship we provide.

  • When I will know if I'm admitted?

    You'll receive a message from us a few days before the launch of the program or earlier (it depends on when you submitted your application).

  • Should I apply again if I am told “no”?

    Yes, definitely! There is no downside to applying more than once. Some founders were not accepted on their first try but chose to keep making progress on their business, reapply to the program, and were ultimately accepted.

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