TechPeaks: Accelerator in the Alps
I want to talk about the accelerator TechPeaks , in the first set of which I participated. A grant of € 25k without a share in a startup, 6 months in Italy and now I am a co-owner of an Italian company. Maybe it sounds cool, in fact, not quite. But if you are not yet busy in the best startup of your life and are completely free this spring, please come in under cat.
I was lucky: I got a chance, went through the accelerator, found a great co-founder, we won a grant, built a product and opened an Italian company. Experience is valuable, and I want someone else to do it. In addition, the rules have changed, and I even envy a little those who fall into the second set.
')
It is necessary to go before January 20, i.e. a few days left. Therefore, I was going to write this post.
Speech about Italian, as they call themselves, “human accelerator” TechPeaks. The program is funded with public money in the province of Trentino, the most northern, semi-autonomous, and therefore most prosperous of all Italy. Some will consider the factor of “state” money in the program negative, but I see more advantages in this: TechPeaks do not take a stake in the company, their interests and motives are the success of the established companies, and the condition is the registration and operation of these companies in the province.
The organizers' ambitions are quite good and right: to turn Trento into another significant European center for technology start-ups. The program is designed for at least 4 years, should attract bright minds from around the world, so that they create, live, prosper and pay taxes in this beautiful area.
Trento for me is the best place to live for more than a month. Moscow, Thailand, Paris, Austria and Kuala Lumpur are losing in terms of points. Nature, architecture, cost of living, people, events, entertainment, communications, transportation. I don’t know Italian language, English was quite enough to communicate with the locals and the first people I met.
You come as an individual technical or business genius with your idea, or without it; or the whole team, as the established startup. Then you boil in a cauldron of others like you, and also communicate with mentors and investors for several weeks. Individuals join together in teams with the idea, or join others. Ideas are validated for viability, change as needed, and are defended before the jury. Only a few win - get a grant and help in registering an Italian company. TechPeaks cover attorney fees and design fees. The special account of this company receives the amount of the grant, and any expense must be approved by the organizers. There are conditions. For example, you can not spend a grant "on yourself" - pay yourself a salary and buy cars. On the other hand, if you need a new MacBook for work, it is no problem. But he will be on the balance sheet of the company, and it would not seem to work out for 1 €.
Then the product demo and its presentation are brought to perfection for a few more weeks, and the main day of the whole program comes: Demo day ( video of some pitches ). Investors, representatives of foundations, incubators, a lot of press come. Very cool, if during the year after the Demo of the day you can get private investment - such amount TechPeaks double their part in the range of € 250k - the so-called. matching fund.
What is great is total immersion in your startup. TechPeaks remove all domestic issues: provide housing, scholarships, help get the necessary documents and visas. Those. got into the program - saw the project with all your might.
The only thing that "distracts" - all this buzz around! The terrain and the most beautiful people with whom not only technical issues are pleasant to solve, but getting to know them deeper, climbing mountains, exploring castles around, tasting wines, licking in the shade “yellow” (as the Italians call ice cream) or drinking in the trash in the basement of a half-closed club Chinaski, where anyone can go on stage, take a guitar, sit at the drums or keys and jam with others.
Inspired by the research center in Povo, this is a paradise for adult children: research is funded, all the necessary equipment is bought, and there are no serious requirements. People build something with Adruino, “play” with augmented reality. And what is their acoustic laboratory!
This is Italy - with bureaucracy, red tape, high taxes and paid dentistry. The organizers are not quite entrepreneurs, but hired workers, who have the first experience in organizing such a business. Their personal priorities are to look good in the report on the work done and the money spent. They need a great demo day. They cannot change the rules as the game progresses — as published in the recruitment announcement — will be rigorously executed, even if the work reveals the obvious irrationality of some points.
A grant is not a suitcase of cash that will be given to you with a wish of success, but a bank account from which you can only write off expenses with two signatures: yours and them. What the "co-owners" of the new company should live on at the end of the program is only your headache, but you cannot spend a grant on yourself. The money appeared on the account of our company after the end of the program. Income tax and bank commission: out of 25 thousand, only 23,990 came to the account. And according to the conditions, the company is obliged to maintain a functioning office in Trento. And that means office rent, and rental housing. Accommodation can not be paid from the grant. Closing a company costs about a thousand euros. Accountants in Italy are significantly more expensive than in Russia.
In fairness, I must say that by the second set the conditions were revised and changed. In particular, the winners are given a full year scholarship, housing and office in Trento. We would have it very helpful now!
I was driving to Trento, with no expectations at all: I had no idea how it all would turn out to be, what it was, and what it would turn out to be at the exit. He perceived everything with wide eyes and curiosity. Difficulties - just as additional tasks that need to be solved along the way. Good luck and pleasant surprises - with gratitude.
During these 6 months, we wrote down several sub-projects, I began to use new technologies and practices for myself, Amazon and SoftLayer presented excellent start-up packs. Some of the mentors have a great influence on the priorities and approach to the project and life in general.
On Habré there are two of my friends who also went through the first set of the program.
Maxim digsee - the most active person of all, an entrepreneur to the bone marrow. With bad English, he managed to talk everyone and everyone, including city fountains. Explored absolutely all the moves and possibilities. His idea - cubes and software for games and teaching children, for 6 months from the idea became a product, moreover, already produced and sold, that for a “real” product an amazingly short period from idea to realization. Max Huntal many in his project, and successfully cooperated with Dima from Belarus. Won € 25k.
Vladimir nc00x - Petersburg ayte esthete, knows and uses peak technologies, is restrained and modest. Dancing Lindy Hop with Italians. Joined Mapnaut as a CTO. I also wrote down a big data project for local researchers, for free, for the soul. Mapnaut won a grant, aim at San Francisco.
In general, if you are not bound by obligations for March – June 2014, in my opinion, you should definitely try to get into TechPeaks this spring. This is a real chance to radically change your (professional) life for the better.
Those who still get there just want to wish three things:
1. communicate as much as possible: with other teppickers, mentors, organizers, their friends, a waitress at the club, the strange Russian in the pub - these are unique people, absolutely everything;
2. If it is worth choosing to stay at home or go somewhere / go somewhere - go out!
3. Do not wait for something specific, even after re-reading all the conditions of the program three times. Everything will be different. Uncertainty is normal.
In order not to stretch the post, I missed some topics. I would be happy to tell you more if you have any questions.
I was lucky: I got a chance, went through the accelerator, found a great co-founder, we won a grant, built a product and opened an Italian company. Experience is valuable, and I want someone else to do it. In addition, the rules have changed, and I even envy a little those who fall into the second set.
')
It is necessary to go before January 20, i.e. a few days left. Therefore, I was going to write this post.
Speech about Italian, as they call themselves, “human accelerator” TechPeaks. The program is funded with public money in the province of Trentino, the most northern, semi-autonomous, and therefore most prosperous of all Italy. Some will consider the factor of “state” money in the program negative, but I see more advantages in this: TechPeaks do not take a stake in the company, their interests and motives are the success of the established companies, and the condition is the registration and operation of these companies in the province.
The organizers' ambitions are quite good and right: to turn Trento into another significant European center for technology start-ups. The program is designed for at least 4 years, should attract bright minds from around the world, so that they create, live, prosper and pay taxes in this beautiful area.
Trento for me is the best place to live for more than a month. Moscow, Thailand, Paris, Austria and Kuala Lumpur are losing in terms of points. Nature, architecture, cost of living, people, events, entertainment, communications, transportation. I don’t know Italian language, English was quite enough to communicate with the locals and the first people I met.
The essence of the program
You come as an individual technical or business genius with your idea, or without it; or the whole team, as the established startup. Then you boil in a cauldron of others like you, and also communicate with mentors and investors for several weeks. Individuals join together in teams with the idea, or join others. Ideas are validated for viability, change as needed, and are defended before the jury. Only a few win - get a grant and help in registering an Italian company. TechPeaks cover attorney fees and design fees. The special account of this company receives the amount of the grant, and any expense must be approved by the organizers. There are conditions. For example, you can not spend a grant "on yourself" - pay yourself a salary and buy cars. On the other hand, if you need a new MacBook for work, it is no problem. But he will be on the balance sheet of the company, and it would not seem to work out for 1 €.
Then the product demo and its presentation are brought to perfection for a few more weeks, and the main day of the whole program comes: Demo day ( video of some pitches ). Investors, representatives of foundations, incubators, a lot of press come. Very cool, if during the year after the Demo of the day you can get private investment - such amount TechPeaks double their part in the range of € 250k - the so-called. matching fund.
pros
What is great is total immersion in your startup. TechPeaks remove all domestic issues: provide housing, scholarships, help get the necessary documents and visas. Those. got into the program - saw the project with all your might.
The only thing that "distracts" - all this buzz around! The terrain and the most beautiful people with whom not only technical issues are pleasant to solve, but getting to know them deeper, climbing mountains, exploring castles around, tasting wines, licking in the shade “yellow” (as the Italians call ice cream) or drinking in the trash in the basement of a half-closed club Chinaski, where anyone can go on stage, take a guitar, sit at the drums or keys and jam with others.
Inspired by the research center in Povo, this is a paradise for adult children: research is funded, all the necessary equipment is bought, and there are no serious requirements. People build something with Adruino, “play” with augmented reality. And what is their acoustic laboratory!
Minuses
This is Italy - with bureaucracy, red tape, high taxes and paid dentistry. The organizers are not quite entrepreneurs, but hired workers, who have the first experience in organizing such a business. Their personal priorities are to look good in the report on the work done and the money spent. They need a great demo day. They cannot change the rules as the game progresses — as published in the recruitment announcement — will be rigorously executed, even if the work reveals the obvious irrationality of some points.
A grant is not a suitcase of cash that will be given to you with a wish of success, but a bank account from which you can only write off expenses with two signatures: yours and them. What the "co-owners" of the new company should live on at the end of the program is only your headache, but you cannot spend a grant on yourself. The money appeared on the account of our company after the end of the program. Income tax and bank commission: out of 25 thousand, only 23,990 came to the account. And according to the conditions, the company is obliged to maintain a functioning office in Trento. And that means office rent, and rental housing. Accommodation can not be paid from the grant. Closing a company costs about a thousand euros. Accountants in Italy are significantly more expensive than in Russia.
In fairness, I must say that by the second set the conditions were revised and changed. In particular, the winners are given a full year scholarship, housing and office in Trento. We would have it very helpful now!
What to expect
I was driving to Trento, with no expectations at all: I had no idea how it all would turn out to be, what it was, and what it would turn out to be at the exit. He perceived everything with wide eyes and curiosity. Difficulties - just as additional tasks that need to be solved along the way. Good luck and pleasant surprises - with gratitude.
During these 6 months, we wrote down several sub-projects, I began to use new technologies and practices for myself, Amazon and SoftLayer presented excellent start-up packs. Some of the mentors have a great influence on the priorities and approach to the project and life in general.
Who else
On Habré there are two of my friends who also went through the first set of the program.
Maxim digsee - the most active person of all, an entrepreneur to the bone marrow. With bad English, he managed to talk everyone and everyone, including city fountains. Explored absolutely all the moves and possibilities. His idea - cubes and software for games and teaching children, for 6 months from the idea became a product, moreover, already produced and sold, that for a “real” product an amazingly short period from idea to realization. Max Huntal many in his project, and successfully cooperated with Dima from Belarus. Won € 25k.
Vladimir nc00x - Petersburg ayte esthete, knows and uses peak technologies, is restrained and modest. Dancing Lindy Hop with Italians. Joined Mapnaut as a CTO. I also wrote down a big data project for local researchers, for free, for the soul. Mapnaut won a grant, aim at San Francisco.
In general, if you are not bound by obligations for March – June 2014, in my opinion, you should definitely try to get into TechPeaks this spring. This is a real chance to radically change your (professional) life for the better.
Wishes
Those who still get there just want to wish three things:
1. communicate as much as possible: with other teppickers, mentors, organizers, their friends, a waitress at the club, the strange Russian in the pub - these are unique people, absolutely everything;
2. If it is worth choosing to stay at home or go somewhere / go somewhere - go out!
3. Do not wait for something specific, even after re-reading all the conditions of the program three times. Everything will be different. Uncertainty is normal.
In order not to stretch the post, I missed some topics. I would be happy to tell you more if you have any questions.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/208950/
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