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Launchpad Pre-Accelerator Program
Launchpad is a startup “pre-accelerator” program designed for "napkin-stage" founders. Each founder/company will spend 12 weeks working with the Apollo 21 team to thoroughly test, validate, and (if necessary) pivot their startup idea toward product/market fit — all before ever writing a single line of code.
Program Overview
Schedule:
Week 1: Meet the Cohort; Develop a Hypothesis
Week 2-3: Pain Point Discovery Interviews
Week 4: Storyboard Development
Week 5-6: Storyboard Interviews
Week 7-8: Define the Business
Week 9-10: Develop the Pitch
Week 11: Pitch Prep
Week 12: Pitch Your Startup
Every week of the Launchpad program includes:
- Guided lessons focused on best practices for validation, interview techniques, feedback assessment, and pivot/pursue decision-making.
- 1:1 work sessions with key members of the Apollo 21 Ventures team, including our heads of product and engineering.
- Cohort-wide work sessions designed to foster collaboration, provide opportunities for feedback, and compare progress.
- We are also in the process of securing guest advisors to conduct weekly sessions on various aspects of the company-building process including: branding, design, data and analytics, legal issues, and more.
How It Works
Ideal Outcomes
By the time you complete the Launchpad program, you should ideally have:
- Conducted at least 30 interviews with potential customers.
- Adapted and validated your business hypothesis.
- Created a validated user journey describing your solution.
- Assessed the risks and the competitive landscape.
- Defined the business model, pricing model, and monetization plan.
- Determined the operating plan, execution plan, and roadmap for your business.
- Built your pitch deck, inclusive of your funding ask.
- Developed a trusted network of founders within your cohort.
- Discovered your first 10 customers who are awaiting an MVP.
Meet the Team
You will interface primarily with the Apollo 21 leadership team.
Additional mentors and subject-matter experts will be brought in at key moments throughout the program.
Launchpad Partners
Q+A
How much equity do you demand?
Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. None.
(We may reassess this stance in the future, but today, Launchpad asks for zero equity from participating founders.)
What is the cost?
Participation in the Launchpad program costs $2,900.
The first cohort of 12 Launchpad members will receive a 50% discount on this fee in exchange for working with us through the early stages of the Launchpad program.
This fee is non-refundable (outside of highly extenuating circumstances) and helps to cover our costs, our time, and our efforts to connect founders with useful resources to aid in the validation of your idea.
How are you different from an accelerator like YCombinator or Techstars?
The Launchpad program is designed explicitly for founders who are at the idea stage in their journey and want to execute rigorous validation and customer learning before committing to further work — increasing your chances of long-term success. We view Launchpad as a precursor to other programs like a YC or Techstars (hence “pre-accelerator”) that gives founders the data and learnings necessary to mitigate risk and approach their startup with the utmost conviction and preparation.
Ideally, by the time you complete the program, you will have already discovered your first customers.
What is the application process?
First, you’ll fill out a short questionnaire that tells us about your startup idea, background, etc. Applicants may be asked to schedule an interview with our team to further discuss and assess your startup idea. Future founders will be admitted on a rolling basis.
We assess a $99 application fee which is non-refundable.
How will I know if I’m accepted?
If you’re selected, we’ll reach out to you personally to discuss your position in the program.
Do I need to relocate to participate?
Absolutely not. The Launchpad program is managed in a fully remote fashion. You’re welcome to join from anywhere as long as you have stable internet and you can make yourself available for all meetings.
What is the time commitment?
There is no pre-defined time commitment beyond weekly check-in meetings. That said, Launchpad is very much a you get out of it what you put into it type of program. You should expect the weekly exercises to require roughly 10 hours to complete.
Some members of your cohort may be focused on their idea full-time, but it is more likely that founders in the program are just beginning their entrepreneurial journey alongside a full-time gig.
Do participants receive any “value-adds?”
Most definitely. Today, we can promise that you’ll receive:
- Access to our growing network of expert advisors who can offer guidance on branding, design, development, legal requirements, data analysis, media training, and more.
- A spot in the Launchpad private Slack community where you can keep in touch with expert advisors as well as past and present founders participating in the Launchpad program.
- Access to our custom-built Venture Growth Advisor GPT that’s been trained on our own learnings and texts outlining best practices for early stage entrepreneurs.
- Our recommended reading list of all the best books to help guide your journey.
We’re consistently working on growing this offering to bring as much value as possible to program participants.
Work With Us
Ready to validate your start-up idea or new venture?
Apply to Join Launchpad