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Applications are now closed for
ELEVATE:The Growth Accelerator

Greycroft and HubSpot for startups are excited to launch ELEVATE 2020, a free virtual accelerator designed to help early-stage startups learn how to achieve rapid growth through the principles of inbound marketing, sales, and service.

Build a Company that Grows Better, Faster

Format

ELEVATE will be delivered free online over five weeks and 10+ sessions. Each week will feature a recorded master class and case study as well as a live deep dive and Ask-Me-Anything with the topic's instructors.

Content

Tactical instructions for high-potential startups looking to develop their marketing, sales, and service strategies while learning how to effectively pitch their company and secure funding.

Timing

ELEVATE runs from June 15, 2020 to July 17, 2020. ELEVATE is designed to take fewer than 3 hours per week of your time. Applications close June 12.

Demo Days

At the culmination of the online series, startups will have the chance to submit their company to be considered to pitch to a live global audience. Startups will receive live advice from a panel of startup experts.

Course Outline and Speakers

  1. Week1blobs-1

    Week 1: Attract
    Week of June 15th

    Master Class: As an emerging company, nothing is more important than driving traffic to your website. In Attract, we'll cover:

    • SEO fundamentals for startups
    • How to spot bad (and expensive) SEO advice
    • Scaling SEO as a startup

    Case Study: Learn how Lightricks (developer of apps like Facetune and Photofox) navigated customer discovery and set up their online presence to attract early customers, and become a leading developer of creativity-fueled apps.

  2. Weel2Blob

    Week 2: Engage
    Week of June 22nd

    Master Class: Now that you’ve attracted website visitors, you need to engage them with your content and turn them into repeat visitors and customers. During Engage, we'll discuss:

    • Establishing a value proposition that will sell
    • How to go to market in 2020
    • Creating effective organizational alignment
    Case Study: Learn how Versed built their sales strategy and engaged repeat visitors to become the leading vegan and cruelty-free skincare producer on the market.
  3. Week3Blobs

    Week 3: Delight
    Week of June 29th

    Master Class: The cost of acquiring a new customer is dramatically higher than the cost of retaining an existing customer. In Delight, we'll learn:

    • Why acquisition is getting harder
    • How your customers can save you
    • Strategies to grow customer service better
    Case Study: Learn how Unbabel has continued to delight early customers with their AI-powered translation services through their deliberate focus on customer success.
  4. Week4Blobs-4

    Week 4: Present
    Week of July 6th

    Master Class: Successfully raising a seed round requires a compelling narrative, a thoughtful plan of action, and an understanding of the documents and requirements from potential investors during the process. In Present, we'll cover:

    • How to think about your audience
    • How to master your elevator pitch
    • The fundamental components of a pitch deck

    Case Study: Learn how Crossbeam built and presented a crisp narrative and secured top investors for their Series A round.

  5. Week5blobs-2

    Bonus Interactive Session: The Power of Platform Ecosystems
    Week of July 13th

    In this bonus live session we will discuss how startups can leverage the power of the platform to build a businesses that grows better, faster. In this session, we'll cover: 

    • Identifying customer development opportunities in a platform ecosystem
    • How to use a deep integration in a platform to compete with larger incumbents in your category
    • Optimizing your product and packaging for a specific marketplace

Fundraising Q&As

The final week will feature a series of live Q&As with experts across four fundraising verticals

  • Consumer Goods

    Teddy Citrin
    Greycroft

  • Enterprise Software

    Brandon Greer
    HubSpot Ventures

  • Social
    Impact

    Sydney Kirkland
    Public Inc.

  • Consumer Software

    Hamzah Nassif
    Real Ventures

Timeline

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Who Should Apply?

ELEVATE is designed for early-stage startups looking to accelerate their growth. We consider you a good fit for ELEVATE if you:

  • Are a cofounder or early employee at a startup with a small amount or no funding.
  • Are customer-obsessed and want the success of your customer to be at the center of your growth.
  • Dream of a dramatic growth for your startup and your team.
  • Have an idea for a startup and are looking to start your own company soon. 

You probably aren't the best fit if you:

  • Work at a large, established company and don't have plans to start your own business. 
  • Don't care so much about the customer and it's value to your business. 
  • Are starting a small business and plan on keeping it that way. 
  • Are looking for an idea for a business venture.

Testimonials

  • TylishaBlob
    As a startup founder, the one thing we all wish we had more of is time. Given the totally virtual nature of ELEVATE, I was able to learn invaluable lessons that helped propel SpenDebt to our next phase of growth.
  • Sheablobsquare
    As a solo, first-time founder, I was really struggling with defining our initial customer acquisition strategy. ELEVATE gave me access to industry leaders that helped me jump the learning curve and gave Jam the toolkit needed to successfully identify and capture our target audience.
  • Courtney blob
    When you’re a small team with a limited budget you’re constantly learning and doing things that you’ve never done before. Organic growth seemed like an insurmountable challenge for us, but through ELEVATE we were able to gain the inbound marketing skills we needed to build the foundation of Ovee's growth strategy.

About the hosts

Greycroft

Greycroft is a global firm with investments headquartered in over a dozen countries around the world. In the United States alone, Greycroft's companies are headquartered in over 20 states. 

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HubSpot for Startups

Startups grow better and scale faster with HubSpot for Startups. The program offers education and training, 24/7 support, HubSpot Growth Platform, and access to over 200 software integrations, all at up to 90% off. 

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HubSpot Ventures

A new $30 million investment fund for startups that align with HubSpot’s mission to help millions of organizations grow better.

Learn More