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Learning Outcomes
Don't screw up
Learn what kills most startups, and build a game plan to avoid these mistakes
Find the right customers first
Analyse which customers are responding to your idea and build a product that satisfies them
Make sales easier, marketing cheaper
Identify how to get your marketing and sales working before you build your product
Fundraise faster
Build an investor pitch and tell a compelling story about how you will make the investor rich.
Improve valuations
Select the key components of your startup that you have to get right to achieve rapid growth and high valuations.
Startups aren’t like big companies. They’re different because you are going into the unknown. That means a different mindset, new tools and a unique approach.
Who this course is for:
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
Experienced professionals who have held senior roles in large organisations and are now looking to start their own high-growth startup.
1
First-time founders who want to avoid the f*ck-ups that kill most start-ups.
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
2
Founders who are bootstrapping their business
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
3
Your Instructor
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Denis Oakley
Denis asked, 'Why?' lots of times. This led to philosophy, engineering and business degrees. It meant that corporate work was difficult while new ventures were enthralling.
For 20 years, Denis worked in and with startups - helping them grow and scale. Entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and founders rated him among the best mentors they've worked with. He has also advised the likes of Siemens, Petronas and even the Church of England.
He sold steel, delivered food, looked after the elderly and built blockchain platforms. Even took the time to live in Malaysia for 15 years! An entrepreneur of 20 years, Denis understands what you face. He reads and learns every day so that you don't have to. He sees the world differently and shares insights so clients can capitalise on it.
Now, he helps bold entrepreneurs transform businesses and industries they compete in.
Denis has worked with
Denis' Mentees ❤️ him
"I have been working closely with Denis over the last 8 months as his mentee and he has helped me tremendously to put together 2 POCs for customers with another on the way. Denis is extremely sharp and knowledgeable, he is able to hone in on underlying issues very easily and has great understanding of complex problems. Often when diagnosing pain points he comes up with incredibly insightful views which helps me see the big picture more clearly. Denis is very professional and always makes time to carefully work through issues with me despite his busy schedule. His willingness to help is invaluable. An amazing mentor and I'm so grateful to have had a chance to work with him."
Frederick Ooi
CEO, Garuda Robotics
"Denis has a unique way of thinking which is at the same time strategic, creative and often wholly unexpected (in a good way). He asks brilliant questions - the *right* questions - that will take you on a new trajectory as an organization and/or as an individual. He sparks new ideas. No bullshit, just gems. And Denis is one of the best/widest-read people I know, which means that if you spend time with him (and you should) you'll definitely expand your library and thinking."
Lesley-Anne Long
President and CEO, GBC Health
"Denis Oakley is one of the best investments I have ever made. Denis is an incredible coach and consultant. He helped us get the business back to profit when it was on its knees in 2020. I’m genuinely grateful for his guidance and look forward to continuing our work together. I highly recommend Denis."
Andrew Sillitoe
Founder, Team Head Coach
Syllabus
1. Customer personas and problems
Ideas are the starting point, what matters are the customer’s problems. Customers only change behaviour when their pain is big enough. Discover what their pain points are and create a persona for your ideal customer.
2. Competitive edge
You’re not unique and if the business model is just the same you will struggle and ultimately fail. Create a business model that gives you a competitive edge.
3. MVP and validation
Spending money on tech before you know it increases sales is stupid. Identify how to cheaply test and validate your idea before you build it.
4. Teams and I, mindset and me
Success is more than just you being amazing. It’s about having the right team with the right attitude. Plan your organisational structure so you have the right team in place.
5. Go to market, marketing and sales
You don’t just want customers, you want customers who you can acquire cheaply. Discover how much it costs to acquire a customer and tell impactful stories that turns individuals into customers.
6. Investors and pitching
The investor doesn’t care about you or your startup, they care about getting rich. How does your deck tell that story?
Why learn in a cohort?
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
Peer-learning
Stay accountable, give and get feedback, stay on track with accountability partners
Active learning > Passive learning
Will host live Zoom sessions where you can answer doubts and get personalised feedback real-time.
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
Personalised feedback
The cohort is small. We will give each person individual attention
Fellows can book in time with industry expert mentors throughout the weeks.
FAQs
What date will the fellowship take place and what are the timings?
The course will start on the 30th of May 2022
Live workshops will take place on Monday and Friday, starting at 1 PM BST. They will run for 60 minutes.
Why is it free?
Is this cohort live or pre-recorded?
The cohort will be a blend of live workshops which are recorded so you can rewatch at any time. There will be pre and post-workshop work to complete each week.
Will the cohort be recorded?
Yes! As part of our bonus rewards you will have access to the learning material
Mentoring isn’t an obvious way for a startup to spend their money. As you do this course you’ll see the value and hopefully signup.
How will I benefit from this accelerator?
Don’t know. Most entrepreneurs see behind the curtain and suddenly how entrepreneurship works makes a lot more sense to them?
What is startup mentoring?
Startup mentoring keeps you focused on the most efficient path to success avoiding ego driven shortcuts and disasters.
Does Denis know what he is doing?
He’s taught accelerators for some of the most successful VCs in the world and got rave reviews
What doesn't the accelerator cover?
It’s a customer-centric accelerator. That means we start off by caring about your potential customers, finding out what they hate, working out how to solve the problems that make their lives a misery and then creating products to love bomb them
Do I need an idea to start the accelerator?
Who is this accelerator for?
Most participants have spent 10+ years working for a big business, often in senior roles. Now as an entrepreneur they’ve realised that there is a lot of stuff that they don’t know and they need to learn it fast.
Can I have a 1:1 with Denis?
The point of the course is to encourage you to sign up for paid mentoring sessions. So you can, but it will be paid.
Is this better than YC, Techstars or 500? No. This is a short, sweet introduction. It gets you moving in the right direction. It teaches you a lot of the same methodologies but in less time and depth.