Everything you need to know about Founders Talent Accelerator and how it will change the trajectory of your life....
There are so many brilliant people out there, not starting companies.
In a lot of developed countries outside of a few notable hubs like Silicon Valley, building a startup as a career is not a mainstream path and in most instances, an economic privilege of progressive small minorities.
Traditionally, becoming a management consultancy graduate was respectable and well trodden path post university; graduating in 2009 post-crash Ireland, meant that I even had the privilege of emigrating to London to take up this mantle. While being part of a cohort of intelligent worker bees gives notable benefits for professional development of psychological safety, network, socialisation and competition; the conditions only rewarded achieving goals set within existing perimeters and in the process stifled critical thinking, creative problem solving and most importantly; challenging the status quo. This is a common pitfall of corporate graduate programmes, even those historically coveted engineering programmes at Big Tech.
Luckily, the human capital requirement for this type of mass white-collar intellect is diminishing (thank you Sam Altman), and in this new era of work being carved by generative AI and rapid technological change, those with the most potential can make the greatest impact by building startups (nice one). A Talent Accelerator harnesses the power of the traditional cohort, and combines it with optimum conditions for out-of -box thinking, radical ideation, creativity and maximum impact for this new world order.
Today, if we want to solve the world’s biggest problems, we need to systematically find the world’s best and brightest and help them to build companies… Fast.
How does it work?
Founders Talent Accelerator eliminates the biggest hurdles to starting a company.
In a world where change is the only constant, exceptional people are the agents of transformation. A Talent Accelerator empowers exceptional individuals to have a disproportionately positive effect by founding a globally impactful company, really fast. In 12 weeks, Founders blends curated networks, expert mentorship, and financial backing to remedy the biggest challenges to starting a company:
Finding a suitable cofounder. 14% of startups fail because of a weak cofounding team. This is one of the most significant determinants of startup success and yet it is really bloody hard to get right! It’s also limited to your network and we all know that they can be very homogenous places; I spent my twenties with a bunch of accountants (see above). A Talent Accelerator provides a curated network of the brightest and most ambitious founders who are ready to build the future, right now.
Developing an idea to solve a big market need in a scalable way. A Talent Accelerator provides full-time robust programmatic support in the form of mentors and experts who are founders and technologists themselves. We help you identify your competitive advantage, and help you spot it in others. We work through radical ideation, customer discovery, and move people from individuals to funded, globally ambitious cofounders, in just three months.
Getting Funded. It’s incredibly hard to leave the comfort of full time employment or a PhD and metaphorically burn the boats, without knowing that you’ll be able to keep the lights on at home. We pay our founders a non-refundable monthly grant from Day 0 to give you the opportunity to clear the decks and focus on building. We closely follow that with an investment committee where companies pitch for pre-seed investment and then provide support to get you ready for follow-on investment from top tier VCs.
Who is it for?
Exceptional individuals with outsized ambition.
Founders are impatient, ambitious and exceptional. But what is the definition of exceptionalism? At a minimum, it’s how you stand out from your peers. However, in the context of building a high growth digital startup in a Talent Accelerator, it broadly means falling into one of the following categories:
Expert Technologists: You never stop building; solving technical problems feeds your soul
Passionate Pioneers: You take any idea or task and make it bigger, better, faster, and stronger
Innovative Entrepreneurs: You see things differently than other people and create connections that others overlook
Great founders come in all shapes and sizes (skills and background) but in most instances have an outsized ambition, are determined, smart and can problem solve at pace, and perhaps most important are are not afraid to challenge the status quo to achieve their goals.
A great team has a multiplier effect: 1+1 = 50
Don’t start a company alone. The chances of failure are high so why not mitigate where you can; share the ambition and the stress, magnify the productivity. However finding the perfect cofounder “in the wild” is (really bloody) difficult; we are homogenous bunches and sifting through personal networks (or worse, cold), is a drain on a fledgling founder's more precious resource: time.
A Talent Accelerator allows an individual to assess their personal “Market Value” and then to transcend the limitations of solo endeavours by combining with another exceptional founder with a different “edge” to create a multiplier effect. The real beauty of a talent accelerator is the engineered serendipity; it brings together a cohort of brilliant individuals who may never have met so that ideas can spark.
The power of a collective
Talent Accelerators aren't just about empowering exceptional individuals; they're also about harnessing the power of collective genius. As Packy McCormick beautifully articulated in "Conjuring Scenius,” individual creativity thrives when exposed to diverse ideas. He presents compelling evidence that when exceptional individuals come together in an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and healthy competition, the sum of their impact far exceeds their individual contributions.
This phenomenon can be seen in Oxford's Eagle and Child pub, where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their fellow “Inklings” met weekly for over a decade and sparked a wave of creativity that gave birth to some of the most iconic works of literature of all time(Lord of the Rings anyone?). Talent Accelerators emulate this scenius effect by cultivating an environment where brilliant minds converge, challenge, and inspire one another, and become the breeding ground for transformative ideas, pushing boundaries and exceptional founders.
At the very least, this will change the trajectory of your life.
Founders is not the easy path. Throwing close to 50 ambitious, hyper bright folks into a competitive and creative and time-bound environment is intense, to say the very least. It requires dedication, hard work, and a willingness to push the boundaries of what's possible. But the rewards are unparalleled.
Importantly, there is no down-side:
In the space of 3 months you can transition from being a talented individual to being a cofounder of a startup with €100k pre-seed investment (and a world-class network); or
You walk away having just spent 3 months in a room ideating with Ireland's best and brightest (and a world-class network).
As Founder of YC Paul Graham famously said, there's no reason not to build a startup. I’d go one step further to say there's no reason not to do it with Founders. Don’t go it alone; ensure you’re in the right place at the right time to build a globally important company.
A Pathway to the Future
In the words of Steve Jobs, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” However, as humans, we adjust our ambition and risk tolerance to meet the average of those we spend time with. There are exceptions, but the pull for social acceptance is extremely strong. If all of your friends are chartered accountants, there’s a good chance you’ll lower your risk tolerance to fit in. If all your friends are founders, there’s every chance you’ll raise it.
Founders Talent Accelerator serves as a bridge, connecting extraordinary people with the resources and environment they need to reshape industries. It’s not just about launching companies, but also about fostering the next generation of visionary leaders.
So, if you're a talented individual with a vision and the drive to change the world, join us. This isn't just a transformative journey; it's a chance to change the trajectory of your life.
Applications for Founders 2024 open March 2024, visit www.joinfounders.co
Post written by Jane Dillon | Founders Programme Director
