AceON Accelerator has launched applications for its 4th batch, inviting ambitious European founders to apply for the Autumn Accelerator 2024. The AceON team, consisting mainly of VC experts and seasoned entrepreneurs, will select around 30 startups to collaborate with, improve the potential success of their products and invest in two startups. The selection process is highly competitive, emphasizing the skills of the team, the scalability of the solutions, addressing significant problems of their potential customers, and targeting large markets.
"Within the 2-month AceON Accelerator, the focus is on various aspects of helping founders and company building. One of the most important aspects, since AceON often deals with idea-stage projects, is validation. Validation is a crucial step for every startup. It allows the verification of whether the product truly solves customers' problems and determines if there's demand for the solution. Without thorough validation, startups risk developing a product that no one wants, leading to a waste of time and resources.
The AceON program helps startups approach validation in a structured manner and gain valuable insights for future product development, provided that a defined problem is found and is important to the customers," says Andrej Petrus, Head of Investment Committee of ZAKA VC about validation.
Autumn Accelerator 2024 is set to emphasize validation as a cornerstone of entrepreneurial success. In this intensive program, startups will be pushed to test their ideas, products, and market assumptions to ensure they meet real-world demands. Validation is crucial for startups as it minimizes risks, confirms market needs, and enhances investor confidence.
What do the alumni say about AceON?
AceON has already accelerated over 50 startups through its programs, creating an international founders' community. In the last batch, teams from 10 countries worked on various projects and solutions.
One of them was Swayme, a promising Polish startup developing a game-changing mobile app that revolutionizes the world of influencer marketing. Phi Long Bui, co-CEO of Swayme, said about their participation in AceON's latest program: "I can confidently say that our experience was exceptional! AceON provided an incredible ecosystem of knowledge and support. The networking opportunities were abundant, allowing us to connect with other startups and industry experts. From day one until Demo Day, AceON fostered an environment of growth, learning, and collaboration!”
Konstantin Doronin, CEO of Jusi, a DevTech company based in Portugal, evaluated the Spring Accelerator 2024 as a game-changer for their startup: "The program's intensive webinars and personalized mentorship helped us refine our business model and accelerate our growth. The support from experienced mentors and access to a vast network of industry professionals were invaluable. By the end of the program, we had a solid MVP and were ready to enter the market with confidence. We were ready for the investment stage!"
AceON plans to invest in two startups
This program offers support, including education, mentorship, and funding. By providing an investment of €40,000, AceON Accelerator aims to elevate innovative startups, helping them scale their operations, refine their products, and accelerate their growth. The investment will be provided to two startups after the program ends and the grand finale Demo Day, where the best participants will pitch their solutions in front of an audience.
The proactivity of the founder is the key to success
The proactivity of participants in the Autumn Accelerator 2024 will be a critical component of success in this acceleration program. When founders take initiative, seek feedback, and engage with mentors and resources, they maximize the program's benefits.
By being proactive, founders demonstrate commitment, resilience, and a willingness to adapt — qualities sought by investors like AceON.
A strong background equals strong partners for your startup
AceON was founded by two strong partners: the international advisory company Accace, currently employing 800 employees, and ZAKA VC, one of the most active VC fund in Europe. Therefore, AceON Accelerator has also many in-house experts with vast experience. Among them are Ján Kasper and Peter Pašek, the creators of AceON Accelerator, with a mission to support development of innovative startups from across Europe and offer the best of them an investment as a first funding for the startup.
Ján Kasper is a multi-entrepreneur operating in nearly 50 companies and co-founder of ZAKA VC with 56 startups in their portfolio. Peter Pašek, Managing Director & Partner at Accace Slovakia, is an expert advisor and mentor for startups and assist them with company sales, exits, transaction and taxes, and discussions with the investors.
The program welcomes startups from all industries
Applications are open to startups from all industries developing applications, platforms, software, marketplaces, or online tools, but not hardware solutions.
However, AceON has a particular interest in startups focused on Enterprise Tech solutions. Accace, a co-founder of the AceON Accelerator, will offer special support through group sessions, discussions with enterprise employees, and, for some, opportunities to test their solutions.
Apply by September 15, 2024
Interested startup teams can apply by filling out the application on AceON's website by September 15th. The Autumn Accelerator 2024 program will begin in mid-October with an intensive structure of online lectures and group sessions.
Find out more: https://www.aceon.io/programs/autumn-accelerator.
