How to Startup

Hands-on approach brought to you by accomplished mentors

Safe space

In less than 2 months you'll take a deep dive into the life cycle of a startup, beginning with just an idea and finishing up with a polished pitch. This free digital course will take you through the journey of building your own company and a step closer to becoming an entrepreneur. There are no silly questions and no mistakes - it’s a safe space to thrive.

How to Startup is a meticulously crafted course of 6 sessions led by professionals with vast experience.

Timeline

29.08

Understanding Startups

Startup definition

Startup lifecycle

Types of Revenue Models

Types of funding

Finding a co-funder

05.09

Babysteps

Problem/ solution

Design thinking

Product/ market fit

From prototype to MVP

Validation

12.09

Building up

Pitchdeck

Elevator pitch

Marketing

Building a website

14.09

Checkpoint

19.09

Finding funding

State-provided funding

Incubators/ accelerators

Business angels

VCs

Other

26.09

Almost there

Registering a company

Business partners

Bookkeeping

Legal

03.10

Hello world

Sales

Customer experience/ care

Pivot

Team up

Company culture

10.10

Pitch Competition

Reserve My Spot

What People Say

If someone asked me where did you start feeling as an entrepreneur, I would say, "How to startup"! Before that, it was all a mystery. I recommend this to people who are afraid of the challenges that await them because this course breaks everything down into small, consumable pieces and helps startups!

Program alumni feedback survey, 2021

Mentors of 2022

Viesturs Sosārs

Viesturs Sosars is a serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded companies, invested as a business angel as well as managed an early-stage investment fund. Viesturs mentors at various startup bootcamps, hackathons and accelerator programs in Europe, advises corporate customers on innovation and teaches entrepreneurship practice at several universities in Latvia.

Kaspars Kalnišs

Kaspars is founder of Xelo Fenders and Tech Mentor at Buildit Accelerator. Mechanics and mechatronics engineer, with experience and knowledge in prototyping and manufacturing techniques and requirements. Focus time and energy on building great products from as little as a vague idea to prototype, to manufacturing with business case viability in mind.

Egita Poļanska

Since 2013 Egita has worked with more than 15 international startup accelerator batches and she knows the process from A to Z, but always strives to improve. Currently, she works on partnership projects for Startup Wise Guys in Southeast Europe leading Tech Boost program, as well as Managing director of Cyber batches. Her love & hate relationship with startups started way back in Seattle when working for Techstars.

Ernests Štāls

Ernests is failing forward by building startups and share his learnings with other entrepreneurs and founders. Have been involved with Latvian and Baltic startup ecosystem from the beginning. Now involved with TechChill conference and TechHub Riga co-working space.

As a venture partner at Superhero Capital he's able to help founders also with capital

Anna Andersone

Anna is one of the startup ecosystem leaders in Latvia and Chief Empowerment Officer of the Riga TechGirls movement. Her background and experience lies within building design and tech companies like FROONT, berta.me and HungryLab and supporting the start-up ecosystem in Latvia by founding designer and developer co-working space THE MILL, being on the board of TechHub Riga and actively being outspoken about gender equality in tech. She has grown the Riga TechGirls community supporting women in IT at a start-up acceleration rate, training more than 4000 women in 2020 and more than 6000 in 2021. Currently she is developing her brand and special clothing that promotes hugs and touches for warmer relationships: bewithclothing.com.

Arta Abāšina

Arta has led much of her work life in the UK, Spain and New Zealand. After returning to Latvia, she entered the startup world and joined a venture capital fund Overkill Ventures. During her time there, Arta planned 4 acceleration programs, interviewed over 500 startups and led 23 pre-seed investments. Since Overkill, Arta has taken on the role of Head of Operations at a Latvian fintech startup Nordigen. In the last 6 months, the company has doubled in size. Now Arta is helping the team to reach the goal of becoming the leaders of open banking in Europe.

Jānis Spoģis

Janis has passion for life as well as passion for building something meaningful on a global scale. Janis believes that the journey of learning never ends and has years of education as well as experience in marketing in Latvia and globally. After a 10 years journey from Marketing director to Chief Commercial Officer of Tele2 Latvia, he co-founded AirDog, a Latvian hardware start-up that has received Best of CES Award (the best drone of the year globally) and was sold to Alarm.com. Janis has also acted as angel investor and mentor in the start-up community. Currently, Janis is on a mission to bring the next level of improvement to audio experience globally together with Sonarworks team.