The Angels Up Academy: Bilbao
Join the I edition of The Angels Up Academy sponsored by Seed Capital & Crowdfunding Bizkaia
Designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to invest in startups: from theory to an actual investment.
Startup Wise Guy’s origins began in 2012 and, since then, we’ve seen firsthand the incredible potential of investing in international startups. We also have a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that arise. Now, we’re excited to share our expertise with you through The Angels Up Academy.
You’ll have access to expert-led workshops, real-life case studies, and networking opportunities with other investors and industry leaders. And, by the end of it, you will have the tools to make an informed personal startup investment decision.
Essentially, you will learn how to invest in international startups: from theory to an actual investment. And you will join a community of like minded professionals with exclusive access to content, investment opportunities & events available for our Alumni only.
Incentives
Become a "diamond miner"
We've got the inside scoop on what works and what doesn't and we will share with you all the do's and don'ts that we have learned so far.
Learn-by-investing
We will provide you with hands-on practice, taking you from the initial stages of evaluating a startup to making an actual investment.
Join an exclusive network
You will join the Angels Up Academy Alumni and will connect with a community of top-tier investors, mentors, and industry leaders
About the Program
Application Process
Application Deadline: Friday 31st March
This course is sponsored by Seed Capital & Crowdfunding Bizkaia, free of charge for participants, & seats are limited.
This program is 11 weeks long, will be delivered in English and consists of 24 sessions (±80 hours).
90% of the program will be online; offline experience is planned for key events and networking time on the following dates:
- Monday 17th April: Welcome to the Academy & Workshop #1
- Friday 19th May: Closure of Market Engineering Sprint
- Friday 30th June: Closure of the Academy with Startups pitching & lunch afterwards
Module 1
Theoretical workshops
Monday 17th April - ONSITE
- 09:00 to 09:30 - Welcome & Program Overview
- 09:30 to 10:00 - Intros and Networking
- 10:00 to 11:00 - Fireside Chat from an active investor
- 11:00 to 12:00 - Workshop #1: Angel Investing Foundations
Friday 21st April - REMOTE
- 09:00 to 11:00 - Workshop #2: Startup Selection and Due Diligence
Monday 24th April - REMOTE
- 09:00 to 11:00 - Workshop #3: Crafting Your Investment Thesis
Friday 28th April - REMOTE
- 09:00 to 11:00 - Workshop #4: Post Investment Process
Module 2
Pre-Accelerator Content
This module is fully remote & is divided into 8 weeks and each week covers a different topic. New topics will be released each week on Thursday, so you will have time to view the content on a weekly basis and at your own pace. Additionally, you will join as mentors in Mentor Day (1 to 1 sessions with startups from the batch).
- Thursday 4th May - #1 Purpose
- Thursday 11th May - #2 Pitching & Product
- Thursday 25th May - #3 Product & Planning
- Friday 2nd June - Mentor Day (1 to 1 sessions with startups from the batch)
- Thursday 8th June - #4 Sales & Brand
- Thursday 15th June - #5 Company & Investors
- Thursday 22nd June - #6 Legal & Basics
- Friday 23rd June - Mentor Day (1 to 1 sessions with startups from the batch)
Module 3
Startup Wise Guys’ Scouting Pitch session
3h online sessions engaging participants in groups of five people per session, getting you to provide live feedback and staying at the end of the pitch session to ask further questions to the Startup Wise Guys’ Scouting team.
Final dates TBC - Tentative dates are:
- Monday 1st May - 09:00 to 12:00
- Thursday 4th May - 09:00 to 12:00
- Monday 8th May - 09:00 to 12:00
Module 4
Market Engineering Sprint (MES)
During 6 days (5 days remotely & 1 day on site connecting remotely with the experts), Investors will be part of some immersive sessions including:
- Content & assignments shared by, Cristóbal Alonso, Startup Wise Guys' CEO
- Provide feedback to startups on their assignments
- Startups Pitch Presentations
- Feedback about the program so far & what's coming up next
Online Live Sessions
Friday 12th May and Monday 15th May to Thursday 18th May
- 09:00 to 11:00 - Content shared by Cristóbal Alonso (Startup Wise Guys’ CEO)
- From 18:00 - Provide feedback to startups on their 1st workshop exercise
Hybrid Session
Friday 19th May
- 10:00 to 12:00: Startups Pitch Presentations (streaming onsite from BAT Tower)
- 12:00 to 13:00: Feedback about the program so far & what's coming up next
- 13:00 onwards: Lunch (optional)
Module 5
Fireside chats with investors
1 hour online live sessions with top investors from around the world sharing their stories of the hustle and bustle of the Angel Investing world, insights into what makes successful startups, and perspectives of the challenges that they have faced.
- Friday 26th May - 09:00 to 10:00
- Friday 9th June - 09:00 to 10:00
- Friday 16th June - 09:00 to 10:00
Module 6
Pitch Day Session
Investors will join the graduation day, a 3h session with final pitches from startups of the Pre-Accelerator program batch. Investors will have the opportunity to watch it all together at one single location, streaming or live, and sharing feedback based on what they have learnt.
Friday 30th June
- 10:00 to 12:00: Streaming Graduation Day session
- 12:00 to 13:00: Final seminar hosted by Seed Capital & Crowdfunding Bizkaia
- 13:00 to 13:30: Wrap-up of learnings
- From 13:30: Lunch
What happens next? Alumni Community
Once you enroll in this program & make your first investment, you'll have access to a community of like-minded investors who are as passionate as you (and us!) about investing in startups. You will have the opportunity to attend unique events around the world & unlock exclusive content.
The Angels Up Academy is for you if
- You are located in Bizkaia.
- You have a genuine interest in investing in startups and innovative projects.
- You can commit to do a personal investment of a minimum of 5,000€ into at least one company of their choice within the natural year (from 1/1/2023 to 31/12/2023).
- You can attend at least 70% of the sessions (17 out 24 sessions).
This course is free of charge and seats are limited, thus one sent the pre-inscription a selection of profiles will be made.
Let’s crunch some numbers
Startup Wise Guys is a leading early-stage startup accelerator with multiple venture capital funds with a strong track record of investing in successful startups from around the world.
By December 2022, Startup Wise Guys was recognised among top 3 global accelerators by European VCs, listed among the top mentioned global ones along with Entrepreneur First, Y Combinator, and followed by Techstars and Plug and Play.
We have a strong team of outstanding mentors, amazing serial entrepreneurs, and an exclusive international network of top-tier investors. We have the experience and knowledge to help you start your journey in startup investing — sustainably, wisely, and globally.
350+
80%
13
22x
Multiplier across all exits