Last week the startup teams had the chance to meet the creative director of ABC Accelerator, Petra Fon. We talked to her about her experience in the program and views about the startups.
What were your impressions about the teams and the accelerator?As any startup team begins the journey of an accelerator program, they are presented with a unique problem – how to present themselves to all the new connections, potential customers and venture capitalists that roam around their workspace and the events they attend.
Being the creative director of ABC Accelerator and before that the designer in one of their first batch startups, I came across an impressive amount of pitches, pitch decks and investors decks. I learned the importance of a well thought of and polished presentation, as well as a professionally designed and clear slides deck and I, wanted to give the Dhaka startups the same knowledge I’m giving to the European startups that come through our program.
What were your teachings for the startup teams?I dedicated the three days’ workshop to teaching the startups about the importance of a good pitch and how to compose it. Not everybody knows, but due to the large amount of startups that emerge every day, some standard guidelines have been proposed to create the most comprehensible pitch, thus making life easier for the teams and for the investors listening to them.
After the first lecture, we went through every pitch and pitch deck, looking for ways to improve it. The teams were surprisingly eager to learn and collaborate. We decided to keep in touch for future feedback since the building of a pitch deck is an ongoing process throughout the journey of every startup.
How are our startups different from the European ones?Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I was asked to come to the GP Accelerator. I never had connections with South Asia startups, since we mostly deal with the European ecosystem. I was informed the startup scene in Bangladesh is quite new and small, so imagine my surprise when I entered the modern and colorful infrastructure every Western accelerator would be proud to have. I know ABC Accelerator would be!
The teams were a surprise as well! I felt at home since the first day. Since they just started the program and were mostly in the beginning stage, they faced most of the same problems all startups at this point do. The thing that sets them apart the most is probably the market. Accelerator Business City is Silicon Valley based, but ABC Accelerator is based in Slovenia, a South-Eastern European country with 2 million people. Our startups can use it merely as a ‘test market’, while Dhaka alone has a population of 30 Slovenia, a completely different demographic and a fast emerging economy.
What would you advise the startups / founders who like to start a tech business?Overall the western startup ecosystem is very saturated. In Bangladesh however, the scene is still forming. That’s why the time is now more than ever for every passionate entrepreneur to make his or her idea into a business. There are problems to be solved, marketplaces to be explored and opportunities to be grabbed! And I expect that with the help of the GP Accelerator program the teams now still learning about pitching and branding will soon emerge as successful businesses.
[Photo credit: SD Asia]
