Make it stand out.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story can make all the difference.
Make it stand out.
The MOONSHOT Program
MOONSHOT hosts an ongoing program of information, workshops and more for entrepreneurs. There is no time limit and no “passing” requirements. Working in partnership with our Capital Raising partners at MAXIMUS we maximise what your business is presenting to investors. We Achieve a full dataset and the best outcome for your business and fundraising path. And we accelerate your growth by using our Capital raising expertise to get you the investors you need to get to the next level.
The Goal
The overall goal of MOONSHOT is to help startups really take off. They arrive at MOONSHOT at all different stages. Some haven’t even started working yet, and others have been launched for years and are ready for IPO. But whatever stage a startup is at when they arrive, our goal is to help them to be in dramatically better shape to ensure endurance and success.
For most startups, better shape translates into two things: to have a better product with more users, and to have more options for raising money.
We believe that You can’t make people something they’re not, but the right conditions can bring out the best in them. And since most people have way more potential than they realize, they’re often surprised by what they’re capable of.
Funding
MOONSHOT invests through our own Venture Capital funds in companies who fit the mandate requirements of those funds as well as raising funds for companies to either find a lead investor, close their round or take their company to IPO through our sister company and funds.
Office Hours
Much of what takes place at MOONSHOT happens during office hours. Group partners host group office hours every two weeks and one-on-one office hours as often as founders want. What startups talk about at office hours depends on the stage of the company and where they are in the MOONSHOT program. These partners are external and offer their time and services free of charge to MOONSHOT cohorts.
MOONSHOT Live! Retreat
We host a 5-day, in-person retreats around the world on a quarterly basis. The retreat gives founders the opportunity to get to know each other, their group partners, and the MOONSHOT team.
Public Launches
Once a startup has something built that’s ready to launch, we help founders figure out how to present it to users and the press. We prepare founders for launches on community sites like Product Hunt and Hacker News, and for their first press pitches and interviews.
Weekly Fire Side Chats and Presentation
Events Throughout the batch, we host weekly meetups online and in person around the world. These events often feature special guests like the founders of MOONSHOT and successful MOONSHOT founders, investors and partners.
People often ask us what happens at MOONSHOT. Here is an overview of what happens during the MOONSHOT program and the benefits you get as a MOONSHOT founder.
First Customers
B2B and consumer companies often get their first 40-50 paying customers from the MOONSHOT community. With that, you not only get first customers, you get the smartest early product feedback possible.
Demo Day
On Demo Day, the latest batch of MOONSHOT founders present their companies to an audience of specially selected investors and press. We doubt there’s another occasion when such a large percentage of the top startup investors have their attention focused on the same thing.
In the weeks following Demo Day we keep in close touch with the startups as they negotiate the fundraising maze, and help them decipher the real messages in investors’ sometimes deliberately ambiguous responses. Often we talk to the investors ourselves, to find out what they’re really thinking about a particular startup. Because MOONSHOT startups are a known quantity to investors and get introduced to enough of them to create serious price competition, companies tend to get higher valuations than they might otherwise.
ADVICE
Ongoing office hours - Office hours don’t stop after the MOONSHOT program. We have office hours year round, and startups from all previous can book time whenever they want.
COMMUNITY
Alumni community
Today the MOONSHOT alumni community is probably the most powerful community in the startup world. It’s powerful not just because of its size, but also because its members have such a strong commitment to helping one another. A culture of helpfulness has been an important part of MOONSHOT since the beginning, and founders know that if they ever come across a challenge they need help with, they not only have the partners at their disposal, they have more than 1,000+ domain experts they can call on.
Alumni Reunion
Each year, MOONSHOT hosts a formal gathering of alumni. Exciting things happen when you bring founders together — ideas are exchanged, deals get made, problem solving happens amongst peers.
Deals
Each MOONSHOT company receives access to discounts and free accounts for services & products. Some of these are highly significant, including hundreds of thousands of dollars of free hosting for each company provided by major cloud hosting companies.
BRAND
Credibility - When one company in MOONSHOT does well, the whole community benefits. Because MOONSHOT has such a strong track record, early adopters, investors and press are often more willing to take a look at MOONSHOT founders, even if they’re first time founders.