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Want to win over investors but aren't sure you have the metrics they want to see? Want to build investor trust, but don't have the network for a warm intro? Want a bit of accountability when it comes to focusing on your fundraise? Seed Sprint, brought to you alongside our partners SeedLegals is here to tackle all that. We know that Angels and investors invest in people they trust, and we think that continuously demonstrating growth is a better way to attract investors and build trust than sending a traditional, static pitch deck.
Seed Sprint is a 2 month sprint open to all startups who are about to start their fundraising journey or are actively raising pre-seed/seed investment. Pair your fundraising efforts with generating and demonstrating the growth investors want to see. You'll also be a part of a cohort of like-minded startups, at a similar stage. We'll keep you accountable with set Focus Weeks and peer support so you can keep on top of your fundraising.
*PLEASE NOTE, THIS PROGRAMME IS COMPLETED. SIGN UP TO GET NOTIFIED OF UPCOMING PROGRAMMES AND SEED SPRINTS BELOW.
1.
understand
what metrics
are important
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Spend two months focusing on growth
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FOUR FOCUS WEEKS TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK
The sprint is designed to be low-commitment, high impact, to give you the time to focus on building your business.
We speak to founders every day and always hear the same story. When fundraising, investors want to see metrics, but early-stage founders often don't realise they have any. By the end of the sprint, you will understand:
1) What metrics you're overlooking, but already have
2) What pre-seed and seed metrics investors want to see most (Hint: it is not just revenue!)
3) How to share metrics when it's not all positive
4) Hacks to master cold outreach to investors
During this process, we will be asking all founders to report back on the traction they're generating. The most successful startups will then be invited to pitch to our panel of investors at the end of the sprint.
WHO IS SEED SPRINT FOR?
All pre-seed and seed stage founders are welcome to sign up, but those who will benefit the most from the content will have one or more of the following:
Fundraising
You're currently raising, or you will be raising within the next 3 months
Product
You have recently launched a product, or will be launching in 2021
Users
You have a paid / unpaid user group
Growth
You're either revenue generating or know your revenue model
Timeline
5 - 9 July: Focus Week 1 - Get and demonstrate traction
Use this week to focus on demonstrating your user / customer traction. This can be about building your user base, increasing your active daily / weekly users, getting feedback from potential users, or planning and talking to organisations you want to pilot with. By the end of this week, we’ll be checking in with you on how many users / prospective users you’ve talked to, and what you learnt from them.
Watch the replay of our first session here, and read the key takeaways here.
12 - 16 July - Focus Week 2 - Validating customer acquisition
Use this week to focus on demonstrating that people are interested in your product without speaking to them directly. Think about the metrics on website views, SEO, social media engagement and growth, or email list generation - these metrics express the appetite users have to engage with your business. By the end of this week, we’ll ask you to update us on how you’ve increased metrics around product engagement.
The replay of our second session is available exclusively to Seed Sprint members, but you can read the key takeaways here.
19 - 23 July: Focus Week 3 - Demonstrating scale potential
Use this week to focus on demonstrating that you can monetise. You can test and prove this through MRR, preorder sales, paid trials, contracts, etc. By the end of this week, we’ll ask for revenue traction (or proof that your customers will pay for your product, depending on what stage you’re at) compared to where you were when you applied and your plan to grow these numbers.
Watch the replay of our third session here, and read the key takeaways here.
26 - 30 July: Focus Week 4 - Time to find investors
You've got the metrics, now it's the week to start your own outreach to investors. We’ll provide you with outreach tips and tricks, and you’ve got three weeks worth of metrics to show, so start talking to investors and get valuable feedback. By the end of this week, we’ll ask you for an update on the number of investors you spoke to, and what you learned from those discussions.
August: Investor Outreach
This is your time to put everything you've learned into practice. Spend this month using your new and improved portfolio of metrics and the investor sourcing hacks that you've learned. There won't be any workshops, but there will be bi-weekly check-ins with the cohort. At the end of the month, we'll ask for a final update on the progress you've made and the startups who have made the most progress will have the opportunity to participate in our final Pitch Event and our Investor: Founder Speed Dating event.
September: The big events
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Pitch Night: 8 startups will have the opportunity to show off their product and traction to a room full of investors and founders (Date TBC).
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Investor: Founder Speed Dating: 12 startups,12 Angels, 12 1:1 meetings. This is your opportunity to connect with a dozen angels, with 12 1:1 meetings.
*Participant selection for Pitch Night and Investor: Founder Speed Dating will be based on progress made during the sprint, as reflected the metric updates we'll be asking you to submit.
**Sessions are held at 10am on Mondays and Fridays. Read more about the time requirements in the FAQ sections.
WHY JOIN SEED SPRINT?
1.
start your week with a Top tips sessions with 'been there, done that' founders to set you on the right track
2.
end your week with community sessions with fellow sprinters to keep you accountable and focused
3.
Our 2 hours of quality weekly support is designed to keep you focused on your fundraising goals
4.
A whatsapp group with fellow sprinters wilL provide additional support and focus
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
Not sure if the sprint is right for you? Want to understand what you can expect?
Catch the replay of our warm-up event here. In addition to learning more about Seed Sprint, you'll also hear what investors really mean when they say they want to see progress, growth and metrics (even if you're pre-rev!).
DELIVERY TEAM AND SPEAKERS
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Anthony Rose
Perdie Alder
M.A. Coyle
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Once I have registered, does that mean I am part of the sprint?"Yes, once you have submitted your registration typeform, you are part of the Sprint and will get an email from our team with next steps
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Does it cost anything to join Post Seed Sprint?No, Post Seed Sprint is free of charge to all startups
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What is the weekly time requirement to be a part of Post Seed Sprint?The purpose of Post Seed Sprint is to give you key, actionable information in the most time efficient manner possible, to give you plenty of time to take action. Each week there is two hours of content, a one hour session each Monday in October between 10am and 11am, and a one hour weekly peer meetup each Friday in October from 10am to 11am.
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What happens if I need to miss one of the weekly sessions?Don't worry. The weekly sessions are there to keep you on track, but if you need to miss a session you can catch up. If you missed one of the Monday talks, they will be recorded and you can watch the replay on YouTube (links will be sent around to all participants post-event). The Friday Action Learning sessions won't be recorded, but you'll be joining a Slack group with your Action Learning peer group and can catch up there.
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I have a co-founder, can we both join Post Seed Sprint? And do we register separately?"Yes, you can absolutely bring more than one founder along to benefit from the workshops and community spirit of Post Seed Sprint. Everyone that registers will receive email correspondence about the Sprint, so if you have registered, you can pass this onto your co-founders.
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I am pre-seed, am I at the right stage to benefit from Post Seed Sprint?"Seed Sprint's weekly content is specifically designed for startups who have just raised their pre-seed or seed round. Founders will get the most out of the sessions if you have capital to deploy, and are looking at scaling their product and team. If you’re earlier or slightly later than this, you are still welcome to attend the sessions for education and the community.
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Will I meet the other startups during Post Seed Sprint?Absolutely. You'll connect with your fellow founders each Friday to share your tips and best practice. We're also inviting all founders to our Slack and Whatsapp group, where you’ll be able to ask questions, share tips and resources, and have a group of likeminded people for additional support.