Entrepreneurial programs in Timisoara (and not only) — which one should I choose and how?
We know this is an important topic for our ecosystem and we’re happy to help you define your status and find out which of the already existent entrepreneurial programs in Timisoara (and not only), suits you best.
Firstly,
we will define some terms we’ll be using throughout this journey, just to be sure we’re all using the same interpretation.
By the term team, we mean at least two dedicated people working on a project/idea, and up to as many as you need and want to be having.
By the term idea, we mean a project, something that you want to implement or is already implemented by you (and, perhaps, your team).
By the term know-how, we mean the knowledge you already have on the subject of your idea, as well as of the business sector as a separate subject.
By the term scaling, we mean setting the stage to enable and support growth in your company. It means having the ability to grow without restraints. It requires planning, some funding, and the right systems, staff, processes, technology, and partners.
Secondly,
we will define the categories you can find yourself in, as follows:
Beginner — you know you fall into this category if you have no idea, no team, and no (or close to none) know-how.
Intermediate — if you have an idea, maybe even a team, but your know-how is not very strong, then you can find yourself in this category.
Advanced — to fall into this category, you should already have an idea, a dedicated team, and pretty strong know-how.
Growth — here we’re talking about an idea, a team, and their know-how that are already making a profit and are looking for investments.
By now it should be clear in which category you’re in.
Now, let’s talk entrepreneurial programs!
And we’ll group them by the categories we’ve mentioned above.
1. For Beginners, we have two programs that we recommend to you — Startup Survivor and Innovation Labs.
Startup Survivor is a two weeks entrepreneurial bootcamp in which you go through the whole process of finding a startup idea, validating it, and building an MVP (minimum viable product) for that startup idea. You don’t have to have previous experience, team, or ideas. You just have to show up and follow through.
The program is not called ‘Startup Survivor’ for no reason.
Innovation Labs is a program in which you can participate if you don’t have an idea, a team, or business know-how and maybe (we say maybe because we can’t guarantee this) you will find an already formed team with which you can work together at developing a functional MVP for an already existing idea. The idea must have a digital/technical component to it, in order to make scalability (a system’s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to changes in application and system processing demands) possible.
2. For the Intermediate category, we have Techstars Startup Weekend (Timisoara), Innovation Labs (Timisoara), Launch, and StepFWD.
Techstars Startup Weekend is an international program that takes place in more than 150 countries, with the help of more than 19K community leaders, bringing together more than 428K participants. In order to join this program, you’ll need a team and an idea so that you can validate it, build a business model, and — why not? — an actual business afterward. All in 54hs time.
Innovation Labs is a national pre-acceleration program that started in Bucharest, in 2013 and is in close contact with the University Centers from the cities it’s developing in. The program starts with a hackathon, and it continues (for the teams that have been selected after the hackathon) with weekly workshops and tech talks, occasional pitching evenings, and one-on-one mentoring sessions (on request) with experts from all over the country.
Again, the idea must have a digital/technical component to it, in order to make scalability and participation in the program, possible.
Also, in this category (the Intermediate one), we’re talking about someone that already has a team, an idea, and some know-how on their hands, to work with at developing a functional MVP during the 4 months of the program.
Launch is the community to be in when launching a startup. With Launch, you have free access to all the resources you need to move from a product to a successful startup: expertise, experience, capital, and pilot projects, as well as a program that guides your efforts in the right direction.
StepFWD is a Bucharest-based program that supports tech startups through the first stages of their growth. Here you can join if you already have an MVP and you want to grow your business.
3. For the Advanced category, we recommend considering Prow, Orange Fab, and BCR-InnovX.
Prow is a technology conference, with a focus on products. It brings together international professionals in order to create a matrix with insights for building better. Workshops, talks, and valuable networking are involved!
Orange Fab is a 1-year startup accelerator that supports entrepreneurs in developing innovative products and distributing them both locally and globally. The startups that enter this program receive access to technologies and APIs to further develop their projects, support in testing the products in real-life scenarios, and access to the Orange distribution network for further expanding their business.
BCR-Innovx is an intensive mentoring and scaling program that helps you expand your business globally, from some of the best business, finance, and tech professionals at Harvard, MIT, edX.org, and Berkeley.
4. In the Growth category, we have investment opportunities: Growceanu, Transylvania Angels Network, and Techangels.
If you find yourself in this category, you should know how to make your research and choose the network that suits you best, shouldn’t you?
Lastly,
if you need advice or counseling on this topic, don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@coworktimisoara.com. We’d be more than happy to help.
