I’ve been hearing a lot of positive comment around the mobile community about Springboard Mobile. Some readers will no doubt have come across it already. I’ve been meaning to write about it for some time — and I have been kicking myself when I remember.
Springboard Mobile is an accelerator programme — a first for Europe. Unlike other similar offerings, Springboard is time-boxed rather dramatically. There is, as the phrase goes, a hard stop. You see once you’ve received the funding, the programme begins — and then, for 13-weeks you receive unparalleled support from some of the best and brightest angel investors in Europe.
This ultra compressed concept is brilliant. It gives everyone participating an incentive to get things done. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. It means that you don’t have to worry about these megastar investors leaving you in the middle of your first month’s operation whilst they sunbathe on their yacht. It means they and their collective teams are constantly and consistently working with you toward your joint objectives.
The standard operating concept for each participating startup is that you get £5,000 per founder (3 founders maximum) along with £150,000 of services (hosting, legal, free office space and so on). Springboard takes 6%. (There’s another option where they’ll take 3% without any additional investment).
The angels that you’ll be working with have done this sort of thing before:
Springboard Mobile is entirely funded by ten angel investors, most of whom have built landmark mobile companies. Springboard Mobile angels include entrepreneurs such as Russell Buckley (Admob – sold for $750M), Harry Dewhirst (Amobee – sold for $321M) and Ben Barakas (co-founder Admeld – sold for $400M), with support from more than 100 leading mobile, technical, financial and business mentors around the world.
The programme commences in September — and the deadline for applications (it’s a short application form) is the 22nd of July. Not long!
I strongly recommend getting involved. Please do pass this post on to any colleagues who might well be interested.
