We seriously can’t believe that we’re already half way through the 2018 Remarkable Accelerator Program!! It always feels like 16 weeks is a lot of time when we’re preparing for the program but once we get started, the time just flies by…and then here we are at the midway point!
Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable, Ben Reid, Entrepreneur in Residence and Margaret Cheng, Operations Manager got together to chat about their highlights so far and what they’re looking forward to in the coming weeks.
What are your highlights of the Remarkable Accelerator Program so far?
Ben:
The product sprint has been a big highlight for me. Over the two days where we focussed on product development, the startup teams developed a strong bond and there was this amazing collective energy. It was pretty special to see and be part of.
I’m also really impressed with the level of collaboration that’s been happening between the startup teams – it’s gone to the next level this year. We have had Umps, Loop+ and Encap Neuroscience working together on medical device approvals, AbleFinder and Encap advising on tech and code, Autism Swim and Xceptional giving moral support to other before big meetings and Spacee designing logos and others collaborating on grant applications. The more collaboration the better!
Margaret:
I love the diversity of this year’s cohort. There’s diversity in terms of the team members (age, cultural backgrounds, gender), and there’s amazing diversity in terms of the services and products they are creating. This cohort are working on products and services for people across all age groups and stages of life and a range of disabilities – including physical, intellectual, invisible and everything in between.
Pete:
I’m really happy with how we’ve set up the mentoring program this year and the level of engagement we’re seeing between the mentors and their startups. Having a dedicated mentor to each startup is working really well because they get to know the startup inside out.
Introducing the focus on wellbeing is also a highlight for me. I’m proud that we’re leading the way with having a Head of Founder Wellbeing role for an accelerator program in Australia. Being a founder and working on a startup is extremely intense and the pressure is huge. We want to ensure the founders are looked after to set them up for success during the program and well beyond.
What are you most looking forward to in the second half of the program?
Ben:
I’m looking forward to working with each of the startups to create a personalised funding strategy that’s completely unique to them. We’ll be exploring all the funding options including traditional venture, grants, philanthropic, corporate/strategic, debt, equity/standard crowd funding and of course growing off the back of customer revenues.
Margaret:
I’m looking forward to Demo Day – it’s when all the hard work pays off. We get to see how far the startups have come and celebrate their success with our mentors, supporters, partners and investors.
Pete:
I’m looking forward to seeing the impact the startups have made on the lives of people with disability. That’s really what Remarkable is all about.
We’ll keep you up to date on the rest of our journey.
#beRemarkable
