Last week a company that I advise, Qimple, got accepted into 500 Startups. It’s great to see. Lots of people are congratulating them on Facebook and Twitter. They’re incredibly excited. In Canada we buzz about our entrepreneurs “making it” south of the border. All warm and fuzzy. But let’s be clear: Qimple hasn’t won squat. […]
The Future of Startup Accelerators
I’m not much of a prognosticator, but recently Sarah Needleman from the Wall Street Journal called me to ask my thoughts about startup accelerators. She had found a blog post I had written (How to Maximize the Value of Mentors in Startup Accelerators), and wanted my input on a story she was writing. Funnily enough, […]
How to Maximize the Value of Mentors in Accelerators
The questioning (negative) press about startup accelerators and incubators isn’t going to stop. It’s going to continue and likely increase. Some of it will be meaningless drivel mixed in with a healthy dose of ranting and raving (not dissimilar to the endless and cyclical discussions on whether we’re in a bubble or not.) But a […]
Designing a Game Incubator
After writing several posts on startup accelerators and incubators, I received an email from Jason Della Rocca. He’s been working on designing a game incubator in Montreal. It’s a good idea, and one that I believe makes sense for the city. As I’ve said before, you have to play to your strengths, and in Montreal […]
An Alternative Model for Startup Incubation
Recently I wrote a blog post on things to think about when starting a startup accelerator. I pointed out that most accelerator programs take between 5-12% or thereabouts for a fairly standard amount of money and time. Year One Labs is a bit different (more money and more time = more equity taken); our belief […]
So You Want to Run a Startup Accelerator…
Everywhere you turn there’s a new startup accelerator launching. Time will tell if that’s a good thing or not, but as I said in my last post, if you’re not doing it [an accelerator] to make money, you’re doing it wrong. The feedback was mixed, which doesn’t surprise me, since there are many accelerators operating […]
The Sole Purpose of a Startup Accelerator Should Be Making Money
If you’re running a startup accelerator or thinking about it, and your primary goal isn’t to make money, be very careful. Money drives everything. It makes the world go ’round. Entrepreneurs might not start companies with the sole purpose of making money, but ultimately that’s the yardstick of success. Other things are nice, and important […]
Lessons Learned Launching a Lean Startup Accelerator
Year One Labs is a Lean Startup accelerator. I believe it’s one of the first of its kind, with a very heavy focus on customer development and a rigorous Lean Startup process. I co-founded Year One Labs with three partners (Raymond Luk, Alistair Croll and Ian Rae) in April 2010 and launched officially in September […]
Founding Partner at 