We want 25,000 hangarounds in startupbootcamp!
/Carst
Imagine if we can attract 25,000 people to follow and engage in www.startupbootcamp.dk and the ten selected startups, which will go into the startupbootcamp program in June this year!
It would have significant value for the ten startups if they can use this communication platform to spread the word about their new ideas and products. People could provide valuable feedback througout the development phase; help with contacts and network; and even be the first real customers.
Our goal is therefore to attract 25,000 hangarounds in startupbootcamp. We have to work fast … and if you can help us it is highly appreciated.
Be our next hangaround – follow us on: twitter, facebook and LinkedIn
/Carsten
Q&A: The background of Rainmaking and the beginning of Startupbootcamp
Carsten Kølbek is Partner in Rainmaking which is organizing Startupbootcamp - an entrepreneurial initiative where each entrepreneur can get DKK 25.000 as seed capital to start a company in three months.
What is the point with Startupbootcamp?
--The purpose of Startupbootcamp is to support and strengthen entrepreneurial teams with good ideas. The target group consists of entrepreneurial people in Northern Europe, and we hope to receive approximately 250 applications from teams. From these, 10 will be selected to enter a three-month program in Copenhagen over the course of the summer 2010. The goal is that the teams will move from idea to prototype or product, which at the end of the program will be presented to a large group of investors.
Who is Rainmaking?
--Rainmaking was founded in 2006 by Martin Bjergegaard, Morten Abildgaard Kristensen, Morten Bjerregaard Nielsen and I. Since then, we have had two exits with the GodtSyn and CityLasik, both related to eye surgery treatments, and both sold to the eye treatment company Memira with Investor Growth Capital as major proprietor. In the beginning of 2010, we opened an office in London, and we are planning to open an office in New York within the next two years.
Why did you initiate Startupbootcamp?
--More and more self-employed business people approached us wanting to do business, and with Startupbootcamp we have found a good way to comply with these approaches. Also, we want to be attractive towards new and edgy entrepreneurs and hopefully contribute to the making of the next Skype. Last but not least, we feel that we have learned a lot about entrepreneurship over the last couple of years, and we would like to give something back as well as pass on this knowledge.
Who’s helping?
-- Approximately 50 top mentors from our network will take part in Startupbootcamp passing along their good advices as well as open some doors to their own networks.
Who have been your “rolemodels” to start Startupbootcamp?
--We have been inspired by Tech Stars, Seedcamp and Y Combinator. We have not found any similar initiatives here in Scandinavia. Although there are plenty of councils, incubators and investors, we have not seen others, who help entrepreneurs with the first and crucial steps in such a hands-on approach.
By Anders Frick, Rapidus
Team day at Rainmaking
On January 27th the Rainmaking group gathered for a team day held at Martin Bjergegaard's appartment in Frederiksberg. We looked back at what had been achieved in 2009 and shared objectives for the coming year.
It was the first time I ever joined a Rainmaking meeting and it's safe to say this isn't your usual bunch of entrepreneurs and investors. We spent as much time discussing values, charity and protecting the unique Rainmaking culture as we did talking about deals, investments and startups.
2009 was a seminal year for Rainmaking with the exit of Godtsyn. This not only lays a solid financial foundation for the partnership but has raised the visibility which has in turn improved deal flow. At any one point Rainmaking is taking a close look at five to ten investments, internal startup projects or cooperation offers with other entrepreneurs. The current batch includes an online supermarket, a specialised chain of surgery clinics, a unique 3D mannequin solution, an innovative domestic transport provider, an online tutoring portal and several others. The list of existing projects includes Startupbootcamp which I didn't need to introduce; the whole team is aware of the potential it represents for Rainmaking in terms of financial upside, deal flow, and plain exposure.
Probably the other most significant milestone was the opening of the London office; the first of many which will expand Rainmaking's footprint and ability to launch startups rapidly on all major continents. The vision is to be able to plug ideas and proposals into the network for each office to determine the potential fit with the local market - without reinventing the wheel each time.
Equally important to the Rainmaking team is what was achieved in the charity and CSR area. When Martin, Morten B., Morten K. and Carsten formed their partnership in 2007 they signed a manifesto, which reflects their focus on the bigger picture. The part which resonates the best with me is "We want to be a part of the solution in this world, not a part of the problem." Of course at at the end of the day what counts is action not words. And in this area Rainmaking delivered by raising 600.000 DKK (which were multiplied by 4 by the EU) for a project in Bangladesh (picture). In 2010 one of Martin's priorities is to get BetterNow.org off the ground. BetterNow is a web-based video channel enabling donors to contribute to specific projects with full visibility and transparency. Watch this space, this could seriously impact the world.
Plenty on the plate, from continued execution for the existing startups to successfully launching some major initiatives. But come what may, Rainmaking intends to be a part of the solution, not of the problem and I'm thrilled to be in on the adventure.
/Alex Farcet
Article about Nordic startup initiatives
This article http://tinyurl.com/ybugw4c covers two important initiatives on the Nordic startup scene: Seedcamp and Startupbootcamp.
Startupbootcamp is the initiative, which I am running (via Rainmaking) together with Alex Farcet.
Season greetings to everyone. Looking forward to lot of entrepreneurial activities in 2010.
Teaming up with startupweekend
Met with Clint Nelsen of www.startupweekend.org yesterday. Impressive what they have created in 2½ years. More than 10,000 participants have been through their program and around 30% of the startups created during those weekends are still running.
We found out that there are great synergies between startupweekend and www.startupbootcamp.dk, since many participants from the startupweekends are looking for something more after finishing the intense weekend program. And the next logical step could be to join startupbootcamp, which offers a 3 months program allowing the startup teams to really get in depth with their ideas, attract the first customers and by the end of the program picth their startup to dozens of investors.
For startupbootcamp it is interesting to team up with startupweekend since this can prove to be a very promising source of potential candidates for the program.
We have therefore decided to run 4 startupweekends in parallel in the weekend commencing the 9th of April 2010 in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo. Startupbootcamp will be co-hosts and the winning teams will have a preferred route into the startupbootcamp program.
What an exciting weekend waiting in the Nordics!
/Carsten
Launching Startupbootcamp
Today is the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009 (http://www.unleashingideas.org/?_c=1), during which "for one week, millions of young people around the world will join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things."
This is a fitting time for the Rainmaking partnership to launch its latest initiative: Startupbootcamp (link to www.startupbootcamp.dk).
Startupbootcamp is for entrepreneurs with great ideas and great teams who are looking to convert their idea into a live company in 3 months. Following a rigorous selection, up to 10 teams will come to Copenhagen in summer 2010 to be part of the first generation of Startupbootcamp companies. We will host the teams in an incubator environment in the heart of Copenhagen, we will inject some cool cash and lots of top notch mentorship, and we will close with Investor Day - a unique opportunity for the 10 to pitch to the most active Danish, Nordic and international investors. See how to apply here. (http://startupbootcamp.dk/apply)
Feeding the underforrest
Small plants have trouble getting sunlight and growing in the shadow of big trees. The recent financial crisis has reduced business angels' and venture capitalists' appetite for risk and a natural reaction has been to invest in more mature startups with proven business models and existing customer bases.
Startupbootcamp feeds the budding underforrest of young entrepreneurs by giving a highly selected group the ideal conditions to reach up to the big trees. Rainmaking calls itself a "startup factory" because this is exactly what it's good at: converting an idea on a napkin into a live company by injecting the needed energy, creativity, and business acumen. The key for entrepreneurs joining Startupbootcamp is that they not only get the support they need but experienced co-founders who have 'skin in the game'.
Born global in Copenhagen
Startupbootcamp's roots are Danish but our ambitions are global. We aim to attract the very best teams and ideas from the Nordic region (in our broad definition that not only includes the Baltic countries but also Poland and northern Germany). but we're not concerned with the candidates' age or nationality. Our ambition is to have several Startupbootcamp companies expand on several continents. We already have an international team and we are not limited by our location.
Come meet us
We are celebrating the launch of Startupbootcamp by inviting David Cohen, founder of Techstars, to Copenhagen this Wednesday Nov. 18th. David has a long track record with his own tech startups and he runs Techstars which is recognised as a leading program for tech entrepreneurs.
We will be using the occasion to officially launch Startupbootcamp and we'd love to meet you. Sign up here. (http://startupbootcamp.dk/apply-cohen).
We look forward to reading your comments below and will answer your questions via email (info@startupbootcamp.dk) or phone (+45 24 29 4000).
Kind regards,
Alex Farcet