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Silkway AcceleratorBoost your startup with the best experts and mentors from Google for Startups in our flagship acceleration program. We bring together guidance, insights, and support you need to hit your next milestone.
This program will be held offline in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, for companies from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia only.Application window for the first cohort is closed.
About
For a startup to successfully scale to the broader markets, it takes expertise, network and repeatable best practices and that’s what we offer in our new program Silkway Accelerator developed in partnership with Google for Startups.
The program is carefully tailored for startups that are at the Product Market Fit stage, during which the participants of the program will be assisted in setting up efficient business processes, scaling, meeting like-minded people and preparing for investments.
Benefits for the participants:
Accomodation
Apartments for 2 members of the team are provided for free in Nur-Sultan near Astana Hub for 3 months
Coworking spaces
Free coworking space at Astana Hub together with many other IT start-ups/companies
Seed Money
Chance to get financing from the Seed Money program of up to $55k
PR Support
Interesting and successful startup cases will become the heroes of interviews, live broadcasts, Google for Startups and Astana Hub website and social media
Invest Day
Access to Invest Day forums that connect startups with the investors
Networking
Connect and learn with a global community of the world’s best entrepreneurial organizations from Google for Startup and Astana Hub
Take your startup to the next stage!
The program consists of:
TRACKING
Each project is assigned an individual tracker - a specialist who helps teams: implement management techniques, monitor the dynamics of business indicators, facilitate meetings with partner companies and others.
ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
Mentoring and individual consultations by Google for Startups and Astana Hub experts/industry specialists are available everyday in different fields, like: marketing, finance, business model development, pitching, etc.
GROUP MEETINGS
Board meetings, sales meetings, masterminds will be held to share results, exchange experiences, cross-selling, collaboration, forming horizontal connections between the participants, etc.
WORKSHOPS
Online and offline workshops both from Google for Startups, Astana Hub and guest lectures with investors, experienced founders of IT-companies, etc.
Порядок проведения отбора
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01Online registration
Filling out an electronic application and attach the necessary documents -
02Online registration
Filling out an electronic application and attach the necessary documents -
03Online registration
Filling out an electronic application and attach the necessary documents -
04Online registration
Filling out an electronic application and attach the necessary documents
It is time to accelerate!
Selection Process
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12 June - 23:59(+6 GMT, Nur-Sultan time)
Application deadline
After the submission of the applications, the screening and diagnostics (interview) of the received applications will be conducted by the experts of Google for Startups and Astana Hub.
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28 June
Participant list announcement
of applications
After the sumbition of the application, the screening of the received applications will be conducted
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28 June - 8 July
Preparations for the program
Accepted applicants will be required to sign Agreements to participate in the Program; Non-Kazakhstani participants will be assisted with getting necessary procedures.
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29 June
Move-in starts
Participants in need of accommodation will be able to move-in to the housing provided by Astana Hub.
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8 July
Program start
The program will officially start on the 4th of july, kicking off the welcome week workshops.
Don't miss the opportunity to take part in the program!
Program Overview:
12 weeks
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Week 0
08.07.22 - Friday Grand opening ceremony. Welcome meeting. Group dynamics. How we work in an accelerator. Getting to know each other. About the accelerator (what/why/how we will work), introduction to the teams, organisational issues (registration in groups, chat rooms, GD), distribution among the trackers, SPACE model. Getting to know the platform.
09.07.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting
10.07.22 - Sunday Day off
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Week 1: Planning
11.07.22 - Monday Strategic session 15.07.22 - Friday GfS workshop: What Makes an Effective Founder
16.07.22 - Saturday Weekly Obligatory Tracktion Meeting
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Week 2: Planning
19.07.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Achieving your vision with OKRs 20.07.22 - Wednesday Alisher's Office Hours
10:00 - 16:00
23.07.22 - Saturday Weekly Obligatory Tracktion Meeting
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Week 3: Planning
26.07.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Firebase Analytics & Engage 30.07.22 - Saturday Weekly Obligatory Tracktion Meeting
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Week 4: Product development
01.08.22 - Monday Selling arguments or how to sell your product 02.08.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Getting Started with Google Ads workshop 03.08.22 - Wednesday Building sales processes. How to build an ideal system 04.08.22 - Thursday Board Meeting 05.08.22 - Friday Weekend
06.08.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting
07.08.22 - Sunday Day off
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Week 5: Sales
08.08.22 - Monday Sales funnel. Unit economics in simple words. 09.08.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: People + AI (Module I) 10.08.22 - Wednesday Sell here and now (sales meeting)es 11.08.22 - Thursday Marketing strategy. Make a perfect advertisement 12.08.22 - Friday Day off 13.08.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 14.08.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 6: Marketing
15.08.22 - Monday Social media marketing. 16.08.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Introduction to Digital Marketing 17.08.22 - Wednesday Startup promotion. Basic rules 18.08.22 - Thursday Board Meeting 19.08.22 - Friday Day off 20.08.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 21.08.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 7: Scale
22.08.22 - Monday Market analysis and evaluation. A picture for an investor or a necessary tool? How to evaluate the market correctly and why it is necessary. 23.08.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Hold Consistent Expectations of Co-Founders 24.08.22 - Wednesday How to build marketing. When do we start scaling? 25.08.22 - Thursday Mentor Carousel 26.08.22 - Friday Day off 27.08.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 28.08.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 8: Strong team organization
29.08.22 - Monday How to create a dream team? Teams in successful companies 30.08.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Sustain Yourself and Others 31.08.22 - Wednesday Core competencies in the team. How to understand what we need 01.09.22 - Thursday Board Meeting 02.09.22 - Friday Day off 03.09.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 04.09.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 9: Legal Basics
05.09.22 - Monday Day off
06.09.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Invite Disagreement 07.09.22 - Wednesday Intellectual property protection. How to make it hard to copy you 08.09.22 - Thursday Contract with the investor. What to pay attention to when concluding a contract. 09.09.22 - Friday Weekend 10.09.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 11.09.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 10: Introduction to Investments
12.09.22 - Monday What are venture funds looking at 13.09.22 - Tuesday GfS workshop: Community management for Startups 14.09.22 - Wednesday Financial modeling and evaluation for a startup 15.09.22 - Thursday Board Meeting 16.09.22 - Friday Weekend 17.09.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 18.09.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 11: Powerful pitching
19.09.22 - Monday Day off 20.09.22 - Tuesday 21.09.22 - Wednesday Presentation for the investor. Getting ready to perform
22.09.22 - Thursday Rehearsal of presentations 23.09.22 - Friday Rehearsal of presentations 24.09.22 - Saturday Random Virtual Coffee meeting 25.09.22 - Sunday Day off -
Week 12: Demo
26.09.22 - Monday Rehearsal of presentations 27.09.22 - Tuesday Rehearsal of presentations 28.09.22 - Wednesday Rehearsal of presentations
29.09.22 - Thursday Board Meeting 30.09.22 - Friday Demo Day 01.10.22 - Saturday Day off 02.10.22 - Sunday Day off
Eligibility Criteria:
01For startups at the
Product/market fit stage
02IT-Component
Startup is required to have an IT component in its structure
03Electronic digital signature(EDS)
All members must have an electronic digital signature(EDS) to registration in the program
*information for non-Kazakhstani participants regarding visas and electronic digital signatures is provided below
04Offline format
In-person attendance of the events in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan for the duration of the program is required (3 months)
*information for non-Kazakhstani participants regarding visas and electronic digital signatures is provided below
05Languages
Fluency both in English and Russian languages
06For Central Asian and neighboring countries only
The program is dedicated for startups whose founder's citizenship is of either: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azebaijan or Mongolia
Time left to register:
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Information for non-Kazakhstani participants:
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Azerbaijan
Mongolia
More information
Uzbekistan
— No Visa needed - up to 30 days
— Companies from Uzbekistan can apply for a temporary residence permit to stay for up to 1 or 2 years after receiving the IIN(Individual Identification Number) and EDS(electronic digital signature)
— The basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit is a signed Agreement for participation in Silkway Accelerator.
FAQ
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Will the event be held online or offline?
Silkway Accelerator will be held offline in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
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What is the cost of participating in the program?
The program is fully free of charge for the participants.
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Do I have to be physically in Nur-Sultan to participate in the program?
Yes, a physical presence at the workshops in Nur-Sultan is obligatory to participate in all three months of the program.
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Our group has two ideas. Can we submit two applications?
We don‘t recommend it. You should pick your favorite idea and apply with that one.
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As a CEO of my company, can I send someone else in my stead to participate in the program?
No, the participation of the CEO on the program is obligatory.
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What is the language of the program?
The program will be held in a bilingual format both in English and Russian languages.
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I am a founder of a startup/company and my citizenship is from outside of the Central Asian region. Can I apply?
We only accept CEOs whose citizenship is from either Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan or Mongolia.
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Will there be accomodation offered in the city of Nur-Sultan?
Yes, for those participants that are in need of accomodation we will be able to provide solutions in Nur-Sultan.
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How do I determine if my startup/company is at PMF, Scale or higher stage?
There are no clear guidelines on what is considered as the PMF or Scale stage of the startup. Our definition is that PMF - working channel of sales, clear of understanding of growth, good unit economy.
Scale - putting funds into the channel of sales.
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Will I be able to get investments or funding when participating in the program?
Yes, the participants will automatically enter the Seed Money program by Astana Hub, more about the program here.
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How long will the program last?
The program will last for 3 months, including the Demo Day.
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Can I bring my team members/employees to Nur-Sultan to participate in the program?
Yes, however we will assist in accommodating the company of up to 2 people.
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