Activate Capital - A startup studio with a difference

Nine in ten startups that go through an accelerator fail. Our aim is to only work with the one that succeeds.

Accelerators, incubators, start up programs, launch pads, call it what you wish, they are two a penny these days and mostly follow the same methodology: gather a load of eager entrepreneurs, put them together in a trendy postcode, have some generic workshops, eventually introduce them to a few mentors and end with an all singing all dancing pitch day in front of some investors who have lost interest before the day has truly begun.

It’s the widely used programme format. A gambling game where low energy is bet on a lot of startups with the hope that one might break through and be successful. The fact that nine out of ten startups don’t make it in the long run proves that this approach is broken and needs to be fixed.

So, what makes Activate Capital different you may ask? Well, Activate Media is an established digital agency and started Activate Capital a year ago for the specific reason of giving founders hands-on acceleration of their business from idea to prototype. We’re looking for ambitious domain-experts who want to test their business and product ideas and then raise seed investment that we can work with for the long haul. To this end we have designed a process which we think is crucial in providing entrepreneurs the tools and resources they need to succeed in developing their businesses.

We run four to eight customised programmes a year and only choose to have one company at a time go through our studio rather than a large cohort. It’s a high energy approach of between twelve and fourteen days over a six week period. The advantage of this is that the startup gets a tailor made programme based specifically on their individual requirements and that they get the full attention of our mentors on every programme day.

Our mentors primarily comprise of investors in the company, consequently deeply involved throughout, rather than ‘drop ins’. From looking at the strategy definition, impact mapping, customer journey mapping, prototype development, user testing, pitch training, marketing and public relations, we cover it all.

The end goal of our programme is to have the startup primed and ready to meet investors and to secure that seed investment. Not only could we be potential investors ourselves in the startup but we will also be its tech co-founder by providing a CTO, using our digital expertise to help explain the technology side of the business to potential investors.

As you can see, our aim is to be more than an accelerator. We are the startups business partner that is actively involved in every step of the way to ensure its success. With positive signs thus far from the Activate Capital alumni, our aim to work with the one in ten startups that succeed, may come to fruition. Time will tell if we are right in our thinking but the signs are looking good.

Applications for the 2017 Autumn programme are now open.