Program
StepFWD is a 6-weeks pre-accelerator program, aimed at fueling growth for tech companies with gender-balanced teams.
Applications are now open for 2019 Cohort
Apply nowPurpose
Our purpose is to educate first-time and early-stage entrepreneurs who want to grow a prototype or idea into a profitable business. The program is powered by Codette and TechHub Bucharest, in partnership with Google for Startups and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Romania.
Focus
We focus on building confidence for first-time female founders that can benefit the most from building a relationship with experienced mentors from diverse industries.
Timeline
June 10
Applications open
Sept 29
Applications close
Oct 14
Program kickoff
Nov 25
Demo Day
Program Schedule
The StepFWD program is structured over a 6 weeks time span. During each week we will have workshops and mentoring sessions
with different topics. All workshops will be delivered by the founders of established startups and
seasoned industry professionals.
The dates below are subject to small changes.
Week 1: Intro & Legal Mechanics
Monday, 14 Oct
Program Kickoff (Orientation, elevator pitch practice)
Thursday, 15 Oct
Workshop: Startup legal mechanics
Roundtable: Meeting with mentors
Week 2: Business Models & Product Development
Thursday, 24 Oct
Workshop: Business models
Friday, 25 Oct
Workshop: Product development, product metrics
Roundtable: Meeting with mentors
Week 3: Customer Development & Product Marketing
Thursday, 31 Oct
Workshop: Customer development
Friday, 1 Nov
Workshop: Product marketing
Roundtable: Meeting with mentors
Week 4: Pitching & Speed Mentoring
Wednesday, 6 Nov
Workshop: How to pitch
Thursday, 7 Nov
Pitch practice with the StepFWD team
Speed mentoring session, all mentors are invited
Week 5: Sales & Investments
Thursday, 14 Nov
Workshop: Sales
Friday, 15 Nov
Roundtable: Term sheets & cap tables
Pitch practice with invited guests (2 mentors)
Roundtable: Meeting with mentors
Week 6: Demo Day
Friday, 22 Nov
Pitch practice: Rehearsal for Demo Day
Monday, 25 Nov
Demo day
Ready to Apply?
Applications for the 2019 Cohort are open!
We'll email you with the response in 10 days after submitting your application (or sooner!)
Other Benefits
Complementary to the workshops and roundtables, we will have other weekly activities.
1-on-1
1-on-1 business & product consultancy through meetings with the StepFWD team and (on request) with mentors
NETWORKING
Social activities for building connections within the local startups ecosystem
PITCHING
Weekly pitch practice, helping you achieve the perfect presentation at Demo Day
Demo Day
The program will wrap-up on November 25th with Demo Day, an event where the participating teams will showcase their products and businesses in a 5 minute pitch on stage in front of the audience.