pre-accelerator programme 2019 call document · embracing the lean startup methodology with its...
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Pre-Accelerator Programme
2019
Call Document
MIH2019/VAL001
Version 4.1, 19/02/2019
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Purpose of the call
The YouStartIT Validator is a new pre-accelerator programme designed to recruit early stage tech startup
teams for YouStartIT#5, the fifth and next edition of the YouStartIT Accelerator1, planned to start receiving
applications in March 2019. It is therefore made for prospective startup founders whose startup projects are
still at an idea stage of development, and therefore still need to engage in full blown research and validation
activities. The Validator is therefore a tool that will enable them to do exactly that: validate their business idea.
Up to FIFTEEN (15) prospective startup projects will be accepted to participate in the Validator. Up to FOUR (4) of
the best projects will be selected to join those other startups (with validated ideas or a prototype) who opt to
apply directly for YouStartIT#5. The diagram below illustrates the programme in context.
Embracing the Lean Startup methodology with its “fail fast” concept, the Validator will allow prospective
startup founders accepted to form part of the programme, to engage in activities that will help them verify
that their envisioned solution:
• solves a real and validated problem
• has potential market
• is able to sustain a business
In a nutshell, the programme helps the founders validate the business opportunity behind their project idea.
1 YouStartIT is an accelerator programme run by the MITA Innovation Hub (MIH), an innovation space operated by the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA).
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Thematic area
This first edition of the YouStartIT Validator is offered to prospective startup founders willing to test the
concepts of their startup projects based on emerging technologies comprising Artificial Intelligence, Internet of
Things, Distributed Ledger Technologies, immersive technologies and potentially others (the Thematic Area of
YouStartIT#5). In this manner the selected best startup teams completing the Validator programme will be
better equipped to participate in YouStartIT#5.
Programme description
The programme consists of five weekly thematic sessions, delivered over six weeks. Each session will last two
hours. Refer to the timeline in the next pages.
• Session 1 – Customer Discovery
Introducing Value Proposition Canvas, the techniques behind identifying the proper customer
segment and several Customer Development tactics.
• Session 2 - Market Analysis
Introducing the Market Sizing concept and looking for the best Problem/Solution fit.
• Session 3 - Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Startup Metrics
Introducing the concept of Low Fidelity MVPs and the AARRR startup metrics.
• Session 4 - Business Model Canvas and Communicating the Value
Introducing the Business Model Canvas.
• Session 5 - Fundability and Final Presentations
Discussing the fundability requirements and coaching the founders for the selection pitch.
• Bootcamp - a two-day event organised to:
o Discuss and finalise the Milestone Plan covering the four-month project for each Startup to
be followed over YouStartIT#5 acceleration programme
o Explain more in detail the accelerator programme at all three levels: company or partnership
formation and related legal implications, project delivery and Social Impact Agenda
o Select up to four (4) startup projects to participate in the YouStartIT#5 accelerator
programme based on their performance at the Bootcamp and final pitch.
The founders are expected to deliver results of market research and validation exercises in line with the
assigned deadlines.
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What the participating founders will gain Founders accepted to follow the programme will gain an understanding of the rationale behind the need to
validate a problem they are trying to solve, the customer segment they are targeting and the selected business
model. They will be equipped with the tools that will allow them to independently carry out tests and exercises
involving their target customers, and understand the underlying methodology and rationale of each tool. They
will also gain an understanding of the value of communication, and the methodology of how to clearly and
efficiently present their project to their selected target audience.
Selection process
Applications to be accepted for the Validator programme will be evaluated against the Selection Criteria
defined in Annex 1. After a review of all applications received and interviews with the shortlisted applicants,
up to FIFTEEN (15) of the top ranked teams will be selected and invited to follow the programme. All applicants
will receive the final score obtained as part of the selection process.
After completing the Validator programme, up to FOUR (4) of the best startup teams will be selected to
follow the YouStartIT#5 programme. These teams will be selected against the Judging Criteria defined in
Annex 2. All teams selected to participate in the Validator will receive the final score obtained during the
judging process.
In their application the startup founders must:
1. Propose what they believe is a desirable and viable solution to the problems affecting their target
market.
2. Explain what makes them well positioned – in respect of their level of expertise, competence and
insights possessed – to implement the startup project they describe in their application for the
Validator programme.
3. Convince the evaluating panel that they possess an entrepreneurial vision and that by the start of the
YouStartIT accelerator programme they are able to muster the technical expertise and human
resources needed to deploy the startup project in the Thematic Area of the YouStartIT programme.
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General rules
1. To ensure sufficient capacity and complementarity of skills, startup teams should ideally be composed of a minimum of two startup founders, who must be natural persons and citizens of the European Union (EU), European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and European Union Candidate Countries. Single founder teams, if selected, will be allowed to follow the Validator programme on condition that by the time they deliver their final pitch at the end of the programme, they shall have identified at least a second named founder of the startup team.
2. Startup teams accepted to the Validator programme must:
a) Be open about their business idea with the rest of the cohort following the programme, as well as with any involved mentors.
b) Be ready to carry out research assignments to validate their idea using Lean Startup approaches.
c) Appoint a lead founder for the duration of the programme, in cases where the team consists of more than one founder
d) Sign the Acceptance Form in Annex 3, signifying acceptance of all rules, terms and conditions described in this Call Document, including payment of a deposit of €100 in cash or cheque which is refundable upon completion of the Validator programme according to the rules in this section. At least one founder representing the team must be physically present for 80% of the weekly sessions. Extenuating circumstances for missing the remaining 20% must be backed by a written justification; and in any case will not exempt the participants from presenting all assignments and results of activities scheduled by the Validator facilitators. Attendance below the minimum of 80% will automatically disqualify the startup team from the programme forfeiting their right for a refund. Delays to attended sessions will be factored in with the above mentioned percentages.
3. Participation in the Validator programme pre-acceleration sessions is mandatory, except in cases where the evaluation committee deems the startup team advanced enough in its project, to the extent that it already has engaged in sufficient validation and testing of its business idea or prototype. In such cases, the evaluating committee may exempt the startup team from participating in the pre-acceleration sessions. The startup team must still complete and sign Annex 3 and pay the €100 deposit, which will be reimbursed only after participation in the Bootcamp and final pitch.
4. Participation in the Bootcamp and final pitching session is mandatory for all start teams that seek to be selected for the YouStartIT#5 Accelerator.
5. Startup teams selected at the final pitch to participate in the YouStartIT accelerator programme, must be ready to formalise into a Small Startup Undertaking registered in Malta as mandated by the rules of the YouStartIT programme. The undertaking shall take the form of a Partnership or Limited Liability Company, and shall be composed of a minimum of two co-founders and a maximum of nine.
6. MITA may, at its discretion, request a startup team to cease participation in the Validator programme, if in its reasonable opinion the team has failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment to the programme, acted negligently or failed to carry out the assignments. In such circumstances the startup team will forfeit its right to a refund of the €100 deposit.
7. Startup teams not accepted to the Validator or not selected at the final pitch will still be able to apply for the YouStartIT#5 Accelerator programme.
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Selection process and timeline
Call opens Mon 25/02/2019 Apply on www.mih.mt by latest 23:59 CET on Sun 17/03/2019
Evaluation of applications and interviews
Mon 18/03/2019 to Thu 28/03/2019 Evaluation of the applications against the Selection Criteria (Annex 1)
Up to 20 applicants with the highest score will be asked to attend an interview at the MITA Innovation Hub in SmartCity Malta. Applicants will be asked questions about their competences, technical expertise and knowledge about the Thematic Area as applied to their business idea
Announcement of selected projects
Fri 29/03/2019 Announcement of up to 15 of the highest ranked startup projects
Acceptance Mon 01/03/2019 to Wed 04/04/2019 Signing of Validator Acceptance Form and payment of the €100 deposit by the founders of the selected startup projects
Pre-acceleration Thu 04/04/2019 to Thu 09/05/2019 YouStartIT Validator programme covering five sessions held every Thursday, 5.00-7.00 pm2, bootcamp and pitching session
Bootcamp and final pitching session
Fri 10/05/2019 to Sat 11/05/2019 Briefing sessions and assessment of project plans; pitches are judged against Judging Criteria (Annex 2)
Though every effort has been made to ensure completeness of the programme, the MITA Innovation Hub
reserves the right to carry out changes to the above timeline or rectify any errors after publication.
The programme may be withdrawn without notice if an insufficient number of applications are received.
2 Except Thu 18/04/2019
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Before applying By submitting an application for this programme you are confirming that:
• you are in agreement will all the rules, terms and conditions in this document
• you have read the MIH Rules of Engagement available on the MIH website, as well as the F6S Privacy
Policy, Terms of Use and Cookie Policy before submitting
• you have read the Letter of Award startups selected for the YouStartIT#5 programme have to sign
To find out how to access the application form refer to the next section titled How to Apply. You should first
initiate your application form before requesting any feedback or clarifications about the process from the
MITA Innovation Hub team.
How to apply To apply Startups should first register on the F6S portal and then fill out the application form. To access the
F6S portal, click on the green F6S button on the MIH website. After completing the application you should
submit it electronically by Sunday 17th March 2019 at 23:59 hours CET. Connectivity issues are a common
occurrence. We therefore strongly recommend you avoid submitting applications just minutes before the
deadline, as we will not be able to make any exceptions and the F6S button switches off automatically. When
using any links in the application, please ensure that these are available at all times, until the selection process
is concluded.
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Annex 1 - Selection criteria
All applications will be judged in line with the selection criteria and any Preferred Thematic Areas governing the call. This
will be carried out by MITA. The following five sets of criteria will be applied to each submitted application.
A. Team credibility and competences – the team must convince the evaluating committee that they are committed
to their startup project, and that they possess or are able to muster the required technical expertise, resources
and competences in the Thematic Area needed to execute the business idea.
B. Problem definition – the degree of competence on and around the problem area which the team’s proposed
idea will resolve; the extent to which the team has identified the pains to be solved and the gains to be achieved
by the customer.
C. Choice of technology – the team must provide a convincing justification for the choice of technology to execute
the business idea and an explanation on why they believe it is the right technology to use to solve the identified
problem.
D. Commercial potential of the idea – the anticipated appeal of the proposed solution to the identified customers,
the value to be delivered; what pains will it solve, and what gains will be achieved by the customer; an
anticipation of future financial returns.
E. Innovativeness – a combination of one or more of the following factors that are likely to translate into an unfair
advantage of the proposed solution: the degree of newness of the solution or business model to the market, the
potential superiority over existent solutions, and the emerging or high impact nature of the technology used.
The applications will be ranked according to the score achieved for each judging criterion. The application with the highest
score will be selected for the programme.
For each award criteria a score from 0 to 5 will be assigned:
0 - the application does not meet the relevant criterion or cannot be judged due to missing or incomplete
information.
1 - Very poor: The criterion is inadequately addressed, or includes serious weaknesses
2 - Not satisfactory: Although the application broadly addresses the criterion, there still are significant weaknesses.
3 - Good: The application addresses the criterion well, although improvements would be needed.
4 - Very Good: The application meets the criterion very well, but certain improvements are still possible.
5 - Excellent: The application successfully meets all relevant aspects of the criterion in question. Any shortcomings
are minor.
Based on the scores of the individual award criteria, a total score will be calculated for each application.
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Annex 2 - YouStartIT#5 Judging Criteria All applications will be judged in line with the judging criteria and any Preferred Thematic Areas governing the call. This will
be carried out by MITA with the assistance of one or more external evaluators. The following five sets of criteria will be
applied to each submitted application.
A. Team credibility – the composition of the startup, which should consist of a diverse group of individuals to ensure
inclusivity from all members of society; the potential for good team dynamics; complementary and multi-
disciplinarity of skills and/or resources available to the team; their ability to deliver a fairly polished product that
will constitute the basis of its declared business goals.
B. Product/market fit – the clarity and insightfulness with which the team has researched, defined and validated the
problem that they intend to resolve (cite any references to surveys, interviews, case studies and any other
relevant secondary sources); the appeal of the proposed solution to the identified customers, and the value to be
delivered; what pains will be solved, and what gains will be achieved by the customer.
C. Feasibility – the attainability of the solution that will address the defined problem using the available resources
within the stipulated timeframe; the team should be able to provide a pre-view of the anticipated features,
functionalities and any relevant data usage; innovativeness and human-centred design of the proposed solution
will be a key criterion; a wireframe or design snippets of the proposed main features should be provided;
D. Business viability – the degree of financial alignment between the proposed product and the declared business
goals; market testability of the product and the startup’s vision to scale up and internationalise; the inputs and
effort needed to realise the product weighed against the benefits and future financial returns.
E. Innovativeness – a combination of one or more of the following factors that are likely to translate into an unfair
advantage of the proposed solution: the degree of newness of the solution or business model to the market, the
potential superiority over existent solutions, and the emerging or high impact nature of the technology used.
The applications will be ranked according to the score achieved for each judging criterion. The application with the highest
score will be selected for funding. Applications that fail to attain one or more of the threshold scores (see below) will not
be selected for funding.
For each award criteria a score from 0 to 5 will be assigned:
0 - the application does not meet the relevant criterion or cannot be judged due to missing or incomplete
information.
1 - Very poor: The criterion is inadequately addressed, or includes serious weaknesses
2 - Not satisfactory: Although the application broadly addresses the criterion, there still are significant weaknesses.
3 - Good: The application addresses the criterion well, although improvements would be needed.
4 - Very Good: The application meets the criterion very well, but certain improvements are still possible.
5 - Excellent: The application successfully meets all relevant aspects of the criterion in question. Any shortcomings
are minor.
The respective thresholds for the award criteria are:
Criterion Threshold
A 3 B 3 C 3 D 3 E 3
Based on the scores of the individual award criteria, a total score will be calculated for each application.
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Annex 3 - YouStartIT Validator Acceptance Form
MITA accepts no liability for any consequences, whether direct or indirect, that may come about from any of the
Startup Team’s members participating in the Validator Programme. The participating members shall indemnify
and hold harmless MITA, its employees, agents, officers or sub-contractors with respect to all claims, demands,
actions, costs, expenses, losses, damages and all other liabilities arising from or incurred by reason of the actions
and/or omissions of the Startup Team in relation to participation in the Validator Programme, the non-fulfilment
of obligations of the Startup Team under this Agreement or its obligations to third parties.
NAME OF STARTUP TEAM:
ACCEPTANCE
The undersigned agree to the contents of the YouStartIT Validator Programme Call Document and Annexes,
ref. MIH2019/VAL001.
Name of Lead Founder
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ID/Passport No.
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Signature
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Mobile phone
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Address
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Name of Second Founder
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ID/Passport No.
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Signature
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Mobile phone
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Address
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Name of Third Founder
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ID/Passport No.
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Signature
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Mobile phone
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Address
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Name of Fourth Founder
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ID/Passport No.
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Signature
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Mobile phone
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Address
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Name of Fifth Founder
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ID/Passport No.
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Signature
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