The Founders Club

Join the Startup Wise Guys Founders Club. Find your team, develop an idea and launch a B2B startup. Build something massive!

Founders Club is a 12-week, interactive program led by a team of experts who will guide teams and individuals through matchmaking, ideation, customer discovery, business plan and MVP development, and finally pitch preparation in front of an investment committee. 

If you have entrepreneurial spirit, are looking for a shake up from your corporate job or maybe you are just really passionate about innovative B2B business solutions this program could help you get on your way to founder success.

Incentives

Meet people and cofounders

Find a like minded co-founder or reinforce your existing team. Access a diverse network of entrepreneurs with complementary skill sets.

Secure your first investor

When your startup succeeds, The Startup Wise Guys commits to investing up to €100K, with follow on possibility.

Expand your knowledge and skills

Refine your business idea and benefit from our mentors' expertise. Upskill your sales, marketing and pitching abilities.

About the program

Application Process

Applications are now open as we use a rolling process. Please note that the applications deadline for the next batch is October 19, 2023.

Our team will carefully review all application. Once we identify potential candidates that fit our requirements, we will reach out to schedule an interview 

Apply now

Note: applications are checked on first come first serve basis.

The program costs €500+VAT for individuals and €750+VAT for teams, however CTO’s /Developers may apply for a full scholarship and attend per free. We expect participants not to miss more than one session to complete the required assignment for each session.

We will ask for a €1000 commitment deposit at the moment of the inscription. You will be reimbursed this amount after the program is over unless you fail to:
  •  Present the required assignments each session;
  •  Attend a all sessions (missing only one session is acceptable)
Note that the assignments/homework will require a minimun of 4 hours weekly, not counting the online sessions.

Module 1

Team Building and Customer Discovery

Week 1: Program kickoff & introduction to team and participants 

Week 2: Matchmaking, team building, and vision planning 

Week 3: Create value Propositions and engage in customer discovery

Module 2

Customer Validation and Defining Your Business Model and Revenue Stream

Week 4: Validate Key Assumptions by engaging in customer validation 

Week 5: ​​Synthesize information from customer interviews to strengthen customer profile and value proposition 

Week 6: Define your business model and revenue stream

Module 3

Building Your MVP and Investment Pitch Deck

Week 7: Covering the basics of Financial planning

Week 8: Best practices for developing your MVP 

Week 9 - 10: Product Sprint sessions

Week 11: Building your pitch deck and investor presentation 

Week 12: Investment Committee Pitch Day

Program Aftercare

And when you think it’s all over… it has only just started. Once you have completed the program we don’t stop working together, and you could have the possibility of a followup investment as your startup continues to grow.

You will still benefit from the support and program aftercare of the Startup Wise Guys community channels, expert mentors and continue to achieve support to help you build your next big thing !

Program Agenda

It would be a great match if you are

Ambitious, motivated and looking for an adventure… 

This program is designed for individuals who meet one or more of the requirements listed below. 

  • Over 7 years experience working, ideally, in a fast-growing or scale-up company
  • Relevant leadership experience in:Strategy, leading sales (CEO/CMO candidates), Product development, strategy and/or operations team (CTO/ COO candidates) or Finance (CFO candidates).
  • Resolution to launch a scalable B2B startup (preferably SaaS, XR, Sustainability, Fintech, Cyber, PropTech or Web3 focused).
  • A MSc or MBA in Business Administration or any other relevant field.

Let’s crunch some numbers

Startup Wise Guys (SWG) is one of the leading investors in the broader CEE and CIS regions, as well as Nordics. With 370+ successful startups in our portfolio and a strong team of top-notch mentors and serial entrepreneurs, we have the experience and knowledge to help you grow your startup—sustainably, wisely, and globally.

13

Exits

370+

portfolio companies

850+

founders network

80%

Survival rate

Team

Based in
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Brianna Quintero

Program Content Manager

Based in
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Davide Coppola

Program Coordinator

Based in
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Marta Madara Dundure

Online Program Manager

Based in
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Santiago Fortino

Program Operations Manager

Based in
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Sergio Borasino

Head of Founders Club

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • What is the Founders Club, and who is it for?

    Founders club program is an online 3 months program for people determined to found a B2B startup. As many participants are working, the sessions of the program occur once or twice per week between 16:30-18:30 CET.

  • What does the program content look like?

    The program is focused on three main areas: networking and team formation, ideation and idea validation, and business modeling.

    Detailed agenda will be confirmed closer to the start of the program, but here's a quick overview:

    • October 25: Kick off the Program

    • October 30 - Nov 3: Matchmaking, team reinforcement, Networking

    • November 8: Team Vision Definition

    • November 16: Customer Discovery I

    • November 20-24: Customer Discovery 1-1s

    • November 27 - Dec 1 : Business Modelling 1-1s

    • December 4: Financial Model and Valuation

    • December 13: MVP

    • December 19 - 21 : Product Sprint (Scoping & Ideation)

    • January 8-12: Product Sprint (Prototyping & Testing)

    • January 16: Building Your Pitch Deck

    • January 18: Business Presentation Event

  • Do I need to pay to participate?

    The program cost is €500+VAT per individuals or €750+VAT per teams (to be paid with an inscription). CTOs/Developers may apply for a full scholarship and attend per free.

    We will ask for a €1000 commitment deposit at the moment of the inscription. You will be reimbursed this amount after the program is over unless you fail to:

    •   Present the required assignments each session;
    •   Attend to all sessions (missing only one session is acceptable).

    Note that the assignments/homework will require an average of 4 hours weekly, not counting the online sessions. 

    By the end of the program, you can pitch to Startup Wise Guys and may receive up to €100k for your startup. Only if funded, you will be expected to pay €20k to cover program costs and for the follow-up sessions: Ideally, we will continue to help you and participate also in your next investment round.

  • Do I need a business idea to participate in the program?
  • Are there any geographical restrictions for who can apply?

    No

  • Are there any industry specific or business vertical requirements?
    No, but we will prioritize participants willing to build a  B2B scalable startup (preferably SaaS, XR, Sustainability, Fintech or Cyber).

     

  • What is expected from me as a participant in the Founders Program?
    Determination, ambition and hard work. We expect you to attend all the sessions and to work seriously on the homeworks. To successfully finish the program, you'll have to attend to all sessions (missing only one session is acceptable) and do a presentation of the business idea/plan you have developed throughout the program.

    We will ask for a €1000 commitment deposit at the moment of the inscription. You will be reimbursed this amount after the program is over unless you fail to:

    •   Present the required assignments each session;
    •   Attend a all sessions (missing only one session is acceptable)

    Note that the assignments/homework will require a minimun of 4 hours weekly, not counting the online sessions.

     

  • Will the program happen online or on-site?

    Online

  • Will the sessions be recorded?
    Yes, for learning purposes. 
     

If you didn’t find what you were looking for get in touch with us at hello@startupwiseguys.com.