ESCP PROPTECH ACCELERATOR
How do we stand out?
1. Pan-European outreach
Our huge academic network across the 6 ESCP campuses will allow the start-ups to attend a huge variety of events across Europe that will give them an unprecedented visibility in the European PropTech and real estate markets. The accelerator will reflect the diversity of the ESCP community which has more than 100 nationalities.
2. Accessibility
Given the global climate and the technological tools that we now have at our disposal, we can now host an accelerator programme primarily online, allowing start-ups the freedom to partake in their own time, in the comfort of their home or office, avoiding huge financial expenses and loss of time. The programme is accessible to absolutely everyone.
3. Academia
ESCP is the oldest business school in the world and is one of the most reputed in Europe. The number of world class professors and mentors, lectures and events that will be at the disposal of the start-ups will be priceless.
4. Duration
It is an 8-week programme, therefore shorter and more concise than most accelerators. This gives start-ups the flexibility to choose an accelerator programme which won’t take too much time out of their busy schedules but which is still an indispensable catalyst in the growth of their company.
ESCP Community
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Nationalities across 6 campuses
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Alumni in over 150 countries
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Students
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Research-active professors
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Practitioners and experts
Our Network
+ 0K
PropTech companies
+ 0.5K
PropTech investors
+ 0.5K
Real Estate companies
Programme Overview
Programme summary
- Length: 8 weeks
- Target: European PropTech start-ups
- Number of start-ups selected: ~20
- Mentors: ~25
Benefits
- Accelerated business and team growth
- Product testing and enhancement
- Expert guidance and mentorship
- Long-lasting relationships with the industry’s
most influential professionals and academics - Investment opportunities
Investors
- Week 7 will see all the teams pitch their company to potential investors after a week of planning, training and preparation
- We target VC firms and investors who specialise in or have previously invested in the PropTech industry
Programme Structure
Welcome day 1 & 2
WEEK 1
- Teams and mentors meet each other
- Introductory address by programme directors and special guest speakers
- Teams are separated by categories for group discussions and self-evaluation
Mentorship
- Lectures and workshops will be performed by mentors to teach and guide the teams, as well as to address weaknesses
Pitching Preparation
6
- Pitching masterclasses and detailed planning for the upcoming pitches to potential investors
Pitching
7
- Each start-up pitches to potential investors and to the committee who give rigorous feedback
Conclusion week
8
- Teams look back on their progress and analyse the feedback from pitches
- Final mentoring
- Networking day
- Each team spends time with mentors creating a timetable/plan for the company’s next 12-months (e.g. timings, goals, milestones etc.)
Mentorship
Category Mentors vs. General Mentors
The programme will have 2 types of mentors, Category Mentors and General Mentors. Category Mentors will play a key role in developing the PropTech product itself, whereas the General Mentors will be crucial in developing the company’s core infrastructure and operations.
Category Mentors
Will use their experience to guide the teams through the do’s and don’ts and to refine their product. They will have great market knowledge and so will be able to refine the teams’ products based on market demand and market gaps. They will closely follow the progress of each team, evaluating them as they go through the programme.
MENTORSHIP STRUCTURE
General Mentors
The general mentors will give lectures to the entire cohort on topics relevant to every start-up, whichever category they may be in. These lectures will provide fundamental insights into how to run a successful company.
MENTORSHIP STRUCTURE
Application 3-Step Process
2-month application period
Eligibility check
STEP 1
- A survey composed of a series of general questions about the team followed by multiple choice questions about the start-up’s key characteristics which will filter 100 companies into the next step by using an automatic scoring system.
External evaluation
2
- The 100 selected start-ups are assessed by a panel who analyse the team, the company’s business opportunity, and the strategic fit within the programme. 40 of them go on to the final stage of the application process.
Pitching
3
- The start-ups pitch to a committee of industry experts and the programme’s executives about their company and why they want to take part in the programme. The committee determines which start-ups best align with the programme’s aims and criteria and which have the best growth potential.
Pool of Applicants
100 Applicants
40 Applicants
20 Applicants
The 20 most successful start-ups are then offered to participate in the programme.
Application Timeline
APPLICATION START
Extensively advertise
The approaching application opening date
T-1 Month
Application
Opens – extensive advertising
T
Announce
The end of the application period
T+4 Weeks
Step 1
Top 100 applicants are automatically filtered onto Step 2
Step 2
Committee manually select top 40 applicants to progress to Step 3
Send Email
To notify and congratulate the 40 applicants, attaching a document outlining the final step, Step 3
T+5 Weeks
Pitch Day 1
T+7 Weeks
Pitch Day 2
Send Email
To the 40 applicants thanking them for their time and notifying them that the results will arrive in 1 week
Committee
Select the 20 teams to take part in the programme
T+8 Weeks
Send Email
To the 20 successful applicants congratulating them and email the 20 unsuccessful applicants with our condolences
Announce
The programme’s cohort of start-ups on the website
T+2 Months
APPLICATION END
Events
We put special emphasis on networking, social events, industry events, etc. to ensure that the start-ups are exposed to as many key market players as possible to spread their company name.
The accelerator holds its own events led by ESCP professors, associates and advisors across the 6 European campuses, making them accessible to teams from all around Europe. The teams are also able to attend external real estate and PropTech events on behalf of the programme. This exposure to social and industry events will not only be hugely informative, but they will also prove to be indispensable to the growth of their immediate circle of connections, helping them build a name and a reputation.
The programme aims to have at least one event per week
The teams will also have the opportunity to meet each other and form strong working relationships with each other
