How to nail Your Accelerator Application
Every six months, more than 700 founders apply to join the Startmate Accelerator.
The application process has three stages.
In Stage One, you’ll submit a short pitch video and written answers about your company, your founder story, and the problem you’re solving.
Here’s some of what you’ll be asked:
- 📹 Pitch video (90 seconds max)
Introduce yourself/your team and tell us:- What your company does
- The problem you’re solving
- Why your team is the right one to solve it
- How you’re addressing the problem
- What you’ve achieved so far (traction)
- 🤝 Describe the problem your company is solving.
💡 Tip: Focus on the pain point for customers. Use a stat, anecdote, or example: “70% of X struggle with Y every week.” Make the problem feel urgent and real.
- 🌟 Explain how your company is addressing that problem.
💡 Tip: Keep it crystal clear. If you can’t explain your solution in one or two sentences, simplify it. Imagine your ideal customer overhears your pitch in an elevator, would they get it?
- 🛠️ Why are you the right team to solve it?
💡 Tip: Share your founder–problem fit. What makes this personal to you? What unique skills, experiences, or insights do you bring that others don’t?
- 🌎 All going well, what does your company look like in 10 years?
💡 Tip: Think big. Show us your ambition, but stay credible. “We’ll have millions of users because…” is stronger if you tie it to trends, market size, or traction you’ve already seen.
- 👥 Do you have customers? How much revenue are you generating?
- If not, how have you validated the problem you’re solving?
- 🏃🏻♀️ Who is your current competition or alternative?
💡 Tip: Don’t say “we have no competitors.” Everyone does. Talk honestly about current alternatives and why your approach is different or better.
- 🔍 Who is your ideal customer and how will you find them?
💡 Tip: Go beyond “everyone.” Be specific: “Early-career lawyers in Tier 1 firms, reached through LinkedIn.” The more focused you are, the stronger your case.
- 💸 What is your business model? How will you make money?
💡 Tip: Keep it simple. “We take a % fee per transaction” is better than jargon. Show why customers will pay, and how this model scales.
- 🌱 What traction have you achieved to date?
💡 Tip: Show momentum, even if small. “We grew from 0 → 150 beta users in 4 weeks.” If you’re pre-traction, talk about execution speed: “In 2 months we built MVP, tested with 20 users, iterated twice.”
Once you’ve submitted, over 100 Startmate mentors will review and score every application. After detailed discussions and voting, the top 50 companies are invited to progress to the second round.
Tips From Our Mentors
We know Stage One can feel daunting. To help, here are five proven ways to strengthen your application:
🌟 Focus on why YOU are the best person or team to solve this problem.
Share your story. Why do you care? Why is this problem worth solving?
#️⃣ Always include NUMBERS when talking about traction.
Small numbers are better than none. Even anecdotes or early signals count, just show evidence.
⏰ Add TIMEFRAMES.
If you have 1,000 users, tell us how long it took. If you don’t have users yet, show your speed of execution.
📌 Be SPECIFIC.
Avoid vague answers. Use examples and context to illustrate customer pain points and how you’re addressing them.
🎓 Show what you’ve LEARNED.
Highlight customer conversations, feedback you’ve adapted to, and how you’ve reprioritised along the way.
Final Word
Ultimately, we want to see you succeed. Be authentic. Show your passion, your progress, and your commitment. And most importantly, back yourself.
Other Useful Resources
- 🚀 How Steppen got into the Accelerator (after being rejected)
- ⚖️ Startmate Accelerator investment terms
- 🦔 Startmate Investment Framework
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