5 reasons why Launch Club will change the game for early stage & aspiring founders

By
, 
By
Maisy Bennett
, 
December 17, 2023
Startmate goal setting session in action
Startmate goal setting session in action

There are numerous early-stage programs on the scene these days. Why do we need Launch Club?

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1. 🪐You’ll get pulled into the centre of gravity in the ANZ startup ecosystem

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Startmate is connected with the top VCs, startups and scaleups in ANZ. We’re mates with everyone because everyone’s success is our success. We will always be the Switzerland of the startup ecosystem because that’s the way we can be of greatest benefit to our founders. This means a few things for you:

  • 💸Access to funding >> introductions to all the VCs, our very own incredible angel network in First Believers that invests at the earliest stages, and of course a foot in the door to the Startmate Small Bets Fund and Accelerator, 
  • 🤝 Access to talent >> thousands of incredible people come through our programs each year. You’ll meet prospective co-founders, your early hires, and peers and mentors you can ask questions to at every stage
  • 🤸 Access to peers/mentors >> stand on the shoulders of the founders who have done it before. 

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2. ⚒️Highly-practical, actionable programming designed to supercharge the early stages of your founding journey

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We're not just about inspirational fireside chats and storytelling. We've designed this program to reduce the ambiguity that can be crippling for an aspiring or early stage founder. 

Think highly practical sessions and templated guides that will enable you to ruthlessly focus on what is most important and guide you through how to get it done. This is sequenced to build each week, structure and accountability - all curated to the specific stage you're at. 

It will be intense, but you'll emerge unrecognisable on the other side with tangible progress on your startup idea.

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3. ✅ Highly selective + program fees = skin in the game + high engagement + high quality

First things first: it is critical to us that all our programs have curated cohorts. One of the cornerstones of forming an effective community is bringing in people who are values-aligned, have intent to engage, and deepen the quality and diversity of the group. Only selecting people who we truly believe will be incredible contributors to the community as well as excellent operators in their own right, means that there’s an energy and momentum in our cohorts you won’t get elsewhere.

Next up, a nominal fee gives both parties skin in the game: we’re incentivised to provide value to you and design a program that has enough value that you want to pay a small amount for it, and once you’ve paid a fee you’re incentivised to extract that value out of the program. Importantly, we don’t take any of your startup equity as part of this program.

Note that we will always have full and partial scholarships available for those for whom the price is a barrier. 

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4. 💕 Relationships at our core

We can give you all the support, guidance and resources you need, but at the end of the day the most powerful thing that will happen to you in this program is that you’ll build lasting relationships with people on the same journey as you. They will become your confidants, your cheerleaders, your constructive critics - even your co-founder!

All our programs are intentionally designed to increase the chance that you will meet and create meaningful connections with more of these rare people. Some examples:

  • Small groups within the cohort for accountability and feedback 
  • Weekly in-person coworking (+ virtual coworking for remote founders)
  • Structured introductions to connect individuals based on personal interests and needs
  • Cohort social events 
  • Angel investor roulette

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5. ✨ Inimitable Startmate magic

This one is a little harder to articulate but it is easily the #1 piece of feedback we get about the value of our programs. When you join a Startmate program you’re not just joining a faceless program platform, getting a cookie cutter approach or falling into place as a cog in a wheel.

We’re a startup too. We’re scrappy, transparent and we’ll go on the journey with you. The whole team is obsessed with this program, ready to get around the cohort and be a firehose of belief in you and your potential. Cam, your program leader, has been living and breathing this for months. 

The outcome of bathing in the Startmate magic is a massive boost of confidence, a deep sense of belonging, and association with the Startmate brand that will help you get a foot in the door. Anyone who has been through our programs knows what this feels like and the inimitable impact it can have on your own self-belief.

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👉 Check out more about Launch Club here

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