Startups

We designed StepFWD with first-time founders in mind – as a journey that takes you through different areas of expertise which are absolutely required in a start-up.

31 startups

31 teams entered and 27 graduated from the StepFWD program so far.

60 Founders

StepFWD Cohorts count to 60 amazing founders.

27 Female Founders

Contributing to the diversity of the tech startup ecosystem, we’ve supported 27 female founders so far and hope to add many more to the ranks.

13 Industries

StepFWD Alumni come from a diverse range of industries.

7 Countries

Diversity is more than gender. It's different backgrounds, cultures, languages, beliefs, and viewpoints.

300+ Applications

Each cohort has only 10 spots to make sure each startup gets the attention, support, and love it deserves.

The Mental Fitness Gym™ for wellbeing in the workplace and beyond.
Cohort 2020

A safe virtual space to challenge and overcome your public speaking fear.
Cohort 2020

Creating digital tools for inner peace
Cohort 2021

The Clever Way of Fighting Food Waste
Cohort 2021

Real-time client happiness for B2B
Cohort 2021

The first mobile app for the heart diet that prevents cardiovascular and associated diseases by assigning personalized daily menus according to the cardio-metabolic profile.
Cohort 2020

Drill.io enables businesses to easily document, manage, and apply their internal procedures and processes.
Cohort 2020

A curated booking platform that helps thematic and unconventional space owners boost their visibility & increase their profits.
Cohort 2019

We improve eCommerce Stores with No-Code AI
Cohort 2021

We connect tourists with shops and couriers worldwide.
Cohort 2021

The platform that helps busy parents to find verified and trusted babysitters. ex. Sitter
Cohort 2020

A marketplace for online classes and micro-services in the well-being industry.
Cohort 2019

Peer-to-Peer recruitment platform that rewards successful referrals.
Cohort 2019

Redefine the way you hire
Cohort 2021

Ecosystem that brings companies and employees closer through flexible work.
Cohort 2019

Software asset management apps ecosystem.
Cohort 2020

SAAS based API which provides visual search capabilities and enhances product discoverability.
Cohort 2020

A curated app where you can find and book many awesome activities.
Cohort 2019

Maponia helps transport & logistics companies increase their ROI offering truck drivers time and autonomy by efficient route planning.
Cohort 2019

Natural search & recommendation in real estate marketplaces.
Cohort 2020

Automatic detection of wrongly sorted waste
Cohort 2021

Payment Processing Optimization as a Service.
Cohort 2020

An all-in-one casting platform, working as a meeting point for actors and directors or producers, bringing together professionals from all corners of the industry.
Cohort 2019

Leading the indie music revolution
Cohort 2021

Wealth management marketplace driven by social interaction.
Cohort 2019

The platform created in the form a guide that contains essential tools and all the planning steps for a wedding.
Cohort 2020

A web platform for exploring localized data. It saves time and helps the user make informed decisions.
Cohort 2019

What’s StepFWD like?

25% of the startups that have been through the StepFWD pre-accelerator have gone on to raise investment

"The program connected us with people who are well seasoned in the startup environment and could guide us with advice, on the level that we were at that particular moment. The StepFWD program exceeded my expectations. It was like a snowball rolling down the hill, just getting bigger and bigger."

Cristina Oprea

COO, LopiAI

"I learned a lot and by the end of it I had a pretty good idea on what to do next. Later on, I found how useful it was to prepare for all the assignments, the go-to-market sheet, the one-liners, the pitch decks. They all have been useful since."

Ciprian Grigore

CTO, Licenseware

"During the pre-accelerator, I learned practical things on how to grow my business. The most important ones are: test, test, test and test again followed by always listening and talking to your customers. Having mentoring sessions with experts, business owners and being able to network with other like-minded entrepreneurs, helped us skip some mistakes and accelerate our growth."

Ovidiu Stegari

CEO, Helperz (former Sitter)

"The reality of the program exceeded my expectations because there were many mentors with a lot of knowledge and expertise on each of their fields who wanted to share that knowledge, who listened and helped us individually with the issues each of us was facing in our startup. Additionally, listening to the other participants was actually really helpful as well, as it helped in assessing our startup in different ways."