The most rigorous of our innovation programs, the Accelerator is for teams committed to building something great. Designed for use at multiple stages in the startup growth process, the Accelerator program helps teams assess, focus and plan so that they can move faster between key milestones.
The Accelerator is for post-Idea stage companies and projects or for existing startups and business units.
“Innovative organizations tend to have cultures that embrace paradox. This is because innovation depends upon the coexistence of pairs of seeming opposites: play and discipline; high standards and a tolerance for failure; the use of deep experts and boundary-spanning generalists who deeply empathize with customers.”
This 3 day program brings all the team members responsible for the success of the venture together. They work through a question framework covering the 11 dimensions of business required for success. The questions require cross functional collaboration, customer engagement and metrics for monitoring progress over time. The result of the work is consolidated into a presentation which is shared on the last day with panelists who probe the plan from multiple perspectives.
Experimentation is crucial to innovation but when it happens without discipline, it is a fast path to wasting capital. Startup ventures that race at anything, change direction without strategy, or build things without any customer voice are doomed to failure. Our approach harnesses the best aspects of startup practice and applies rigor to help teams succeed.
Startup ventures are a series of milestones often demarcated by funding rounds. The ability for teams to move quickly between milestones rests maintaining focus on what is needed in a particular stage. Through the program structure, teams work to identify this focus area and develop the accountability metrics to track progress or if a change is needed.
Startups must create value. They need to be able to connect that value to others - most especially customers. They have to capture the value created into some kind of observable and understandable metrics. Finally, they need to be able to communicate the value they create to multiple audiences. The Value creation flywheel is the heart of the Accelerator program.
Identifying and being accountable for the contribution that the team is making to the larger organization or to their investors is an essential part of developing responsible startups. The program helps team members and sponsors/investors understand their respective roles and work together more effectively to bring about the shared goals.
Ready to do the hard work so that you can move faster and more confidently through your business milestones?
