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associated with running a start-up by providing workspace,
seed funding, mentoring, and training. Accelerators are
programs that intend to accelerate the development of early
stage companies or ideas. Generally speaking, an accelerator
is a fixed term program that usually lasts from three to twelve
months. It provides a combination of education, mentoring, and
networking, often with investment. It is distinct from other forms
of investment and incubation, such as angel investing, grants,
or incubators. Thus, these institutes can help my PE fund by
getting the start-ups to the ideal stage of business lifecycle in
which I would like to invest in. Most of the ventures found in
these institutes are in the first stage of commercialisation. One
of their jobs is to help start-ups get funded so they need PE
investors as much as PE investors need them.
5. The first stage is screening – first contact if you will. This
is when the first call or meeting between the venture
capital firm’s management and the start-up firm’s
management occurs. A bit like political dignitaries meeting
for the first time. The beginning of the process where
pleasantries are made, business cards are exchanged
and top dogs gets to know one another. The VC firm will
be assessing risk, market size and industry to determine it
if the opportunity falls within their business objectives. A
good collaboration platform will offer secure file
sharing and analytics tools to assist with such
assessments. Only around 15 per cent of deals ever
progress past this first screening stage, so the odds are
against both the VC and the start-up. Enterprise
collaboration may tip the odds in a slightly more
favourable direction.
Size of the market
One of the most crucial tasks an entrepreneur has is to
calculate the size of their market, and the potential value that
market has for their start-up business. Without this data you
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