Over the 3 first months, the teams will follow an acceleration program in order to push them to create or improve their functional prototype and acquire their first users. They can then present to investors on Investor Day. From day 1, this intense phase targets production. Based on the principles of bootstrapping.
the 3 focal themes of the program are: Business, Design, and Technology. Each mentor is an expert within one of these focuses. They will be present daily to help the teams in overcoming the difficulties that present themselves along the way. In addition, throughout the program, legal support will be available.
From the first week, the 12 start-ups begin to practice the art of pitching... The mentors are the first to be invited. The idea is to have them pair up with teams from week 1. The total immersion. The group must train itself quickly and work together during presentations and speaker sessions (need finding workshops, pitches, hackathon, drinks with the 1st season of Campers...).
Iteration, meeting with users, MVP, launch of V1, V2, V3... This phase pushes the Campers to be knowledgable on every level: product, go-to-market, monetization. The teams get bigger because of access to necessary resources, the ideas become products and the teams structure themselves into companies. At the same pace of product development, tested and improved with users, the CEOs learn to present and sell their projects.
The 12 start-ups present their products in front of hundred of French and international investors. The lead mentors of each team help to build a solid presentation during the preceding weeks. This day is a proper “reality check” to certify that the start-up is ready in the eyes of the market. Fund raising is not an end in itself, but rather a tool for growth. The members of the Camping team will be present to help thestart-ups develop a strategy of relevant investment.
After the 3 months of acceleration and the Demo Day, the first step will have come and gone. But, the hardest part is still ahead. How can the start-ups get ready for the next step? How does community integration and communication occur? How can a strategy be developed in order to acquire more and more users and clients? How can the product be improved? The Le Camping team, the mentors, and the experts are here to help the start-ups develop, enlarge their communities, increase their user base and garner attention from the media. One part of this program is centered around events because we strongly believe in their importance to the tech community.
After the full 6 months of the program (acceleration and growth), a public media event will mark the close of the Camping season. All of the willing teams will present their experience at Le Camping, the advancement of their product, their concrete results and their plans for moving forward at the beginning of Season 3.
