These are the 5 finalists of Present Your Startup The Netherlands 2019

Present Your Startup is proud to announce the finalists of Present Your Startup the Netherlands 2019. The finals will take place in the multifunctional concert hall in the heart of Haarlem, Philharmonie the 4th of December. The 5 finalists will compete and present their business plans to innovate and evolve our society. After the winner’s announcement, the night will end with congratulatory drinks.

The program of PYS
Present Your Startup is a program and competition event happening each year, enabling the entrepreneurs of tomorrow to start a change today. Customized training, specific investor matchmaking and an innovative community are examples of the features the program offers.

For this year’s edition, 80 startups applied. Out of Present Your Startup’s 2019 class, the top five companies will pitch during the Finals. Below you can find a short description of each finalist:

Tickete
A sustainable, cost-saving receipt solution is the product of Desiree Bos, founder of Tickete. The new digital point of sale revolution makes your wallet lighter and your expense calculation faster. 
By the simple connection between the small device and the app, consumers save time while retailers preserve the environment. The company is looking for an investment of € 125.000 to grow and expand their operations. More info

Best3minutes 
Best3minutes empowers your voice. Pitch training to win, to convince and to innovate.
With a history of over 900 startups and 15.000 trained professionals, the team composed by David Beckett, creator of The Pitch Canvas©, Sheila Schenkel, acclaimed pitch coach and Sudha Kheterpal, 2x TEDx speaker will polish your presentation skills. Changing the market and the world, one word at a time. The business seeks a total of € 250.000 investment to reach the 2020 goal of 10.000 paying users and 5 licenses. More info

Glampop
Glampop offers a premium beauty offered at the location of the client, solving their need to be beautiful whilst being convenient and time efficient. All through an easy website and app. More info

Bubbles Bodycare
Approximately 93% of the millennials, who are todays parents tend to consume products, that are sustainable and environmentally conscious. They want to give their kids the best care, some fun and a liveable planet. However there are no bodycare products for kids, that are eco-friendly and fun. Bubbles Bodycare decided to create sustainable bodycare products for children. Bubbles Bodycare offers a complete productline for children (0-10 years) that are natural and eco-friendly, without additives and skin friendly. More info

Triple Threat
Triple Threat is a youth community foundation and social freelance marketplace that connects talented young people from Schalkwijk in Haarlem to companies that have an external need. They also share their knowledge with companies that focus on young talented people. More info

Program of the finals

17:00 VIP program

19:00 Walk in normal program

19:30 Welcome & introduction host

19:45 Pitches by startups

21:30 Announcement winner Present Your Startup 2019 & Celebration Drinks

23:00 End

Do you want to be a spectator of the finals of Present Your Startup The Netherlands 2019? Get your tickets through the button.

We have the list of selected startups for our Bootcamp!

We had a successful Introduction Day with more than 30 startups! Now, we are ready for our Bootcamp “Prepare Your Startup”, which is a one-week intensive regarding courses on different areas like business model, finance, pitching, legal aspects of a startup and marketing. At the end of this week, the shortlisted startups will put in practice what they have learn. After an evaluation, we will select who will be in the semifinals of November 1st!

Here are the shortlisted startups for our Bootcamp! Congratulations:

• Desiree from Tickete is digitalizing the way we receive receipts. From the cash register to your phone. Easy, fast and paperless.

• Ricard from Stampscard, offers a free-to-use loyalty App. Retailers create saving cards, customers can earn discounts and gifts

• Jenny from Look for detail creates clothes from recycled bottles. Stylish and sustainable.

• Meet Megaidi from Borrow a Brand. Upload your branded clothes for rental. Share your style through this company.

• David from Best3Minutes, presentation Coaching. The startup provides training on pitch and presentation skills.

• Kimberley from OneTwoModel. The company uses technology to discover the next potential fashion model. Recruit your next face in 2 clicks.

• Maike van den Brand from Bubbles Bodycare. This company produces natural care products for children with care for the environment.

• Jake from GlamPop. This company created an on demand beauty services app. GlamPop could be the uber beauty.

• Caroline from Lexicon. The company offers tailored courses in a cultural context to deepen business relationships.

• Okrah Donkor from Triple Threat is a foundation for youth empowerment located in Schalkwijk in Haarlem. Motivating and inspiring young people in both sports and in the social field.

• Joost from Fibonacci. The Fibonacci platform ensures lifetime employability and continuous learning.

Right now the applications of Present Your Startup are closed. However, we are always open to meet up with innovative minds like you. Are you looking to grow your business? Apply through the form below and we will invite you at our HQ in Haarlem.

How to prevent copycat startups?

In today’s world, nothing goes unnoticed as well as your business ideas. Many entrepreneurs and companies take, copy and sometimes improve existing products while leaving to the creators nothing but anger and frustration. From Facebook with “Stories” to Germany's Samwer brothers with Rocket Internet. So how do you make sure your idea is not being copied?

Secrecy and Startups

The process, each and every entrepreneur goes through, requires a large degree of transparency and at times publicity:

• During the commitment stage, the idea is first exposed to the team. In this context, trust is further backed up by confidentiality agreements.

• Word of mouth starts the preparation for the launch and the first steps towards marketing are executed.

• During the traction stage, you are testing your product’s feasibility and conducting market validation interviews. The pilot users are the second collective of people to have access to the features and specifications of your offer.

• The solution is again illustrated and elucidated during public events. Its characteristics are now widely known.

After this explanation you may start wondering if it is de facto possible to impede the coming of look-alike businesses.

Disclaimer

You can’t.

The true title of this article should be “How to defend your company from copycat startups”. We won’t sweeten the pill and claim that imitation is the highest form of flattery, nor we will try to explain that every idea is an offshoot of a bigger concept and thus more than one person might arrive at your same conclusion.

What we will attempt to do is give you the best practices in order to differentiate yourself in a market filled with clones.

Customer care

Fostering loyalty in the early stages will prevent clients from switching sides down the line. The following are customer service habits which will leave a positive mark in their minds.

Sign it!

Depending on the resources you have, chances are that as an entrepreneur in the beginning, you will take the responsibility to interact with your clientele. Our advice is to include in any communication your signature.

“Most people understand that leaders have their hands full, so they’re more likely to be appreciative when those leaders make the time to help them out personally”(Pienaar, n.d)

Customization

With the advent of bots and automatic replies in both emails and social media, prospects now tend to appreciate human and personalized sentences every now and then.

Create a support culture

Advocate and encourage your team to become great communicators and be flexible to changes. In many cases, the structure and roles will be reformed and reshaped at unknown intervals.

Ask for feedback

Stimulate great conversations, explore their interest in the product and try to receive as many comments as possible about the features. Listening is vital to deepen relationships.

Innovation

Formation is followed by transformation.

Ninety-three percent of executives surveyed by global professional services company Accenture stated that innovation is critical to their company's long-term success.  (Tredgold, 2018)
While duplicates with your same offer may appear, they cannot copy your thinking process.
Slight modifications, increased number of features and complementary services will ensure your position in the market and separate your business from the homogeneous aggregate of enterprises.

Observe and evaluate customers’ observations to implement new components and thus add new value.

Branding

Build an identity people will recognize and remember, it helps to differentiate you from all the other startups struggling to earn attention in a marketplace. Furthermore, people will become your soldiers when they will notice ditto armies ready to attack you.

Consider building a personal brand

Having a face on your company helps clients relate and connect more. The hardships and challenges you face will become theirs.

“As a co-founder, building up my personal brand was not only an excellent way to get in front of a wide audience, but also one of the best ways to build up our brand’s credibility, and therefore, keep one step ahead of the smaller copycats out there.”  (Garcia, 2019)

Secure a wide network and investment opportunities

Participating in multiple events will spread brand awareness. By the same token, strategic partnerships and funding are other benefits that might arise. The protection of a bigger company or new capital flows will prove useful in retaliating to mimic startups.

The Finals of Present Your Startup are the perfect venue to meet brilliant, creative and resourceful minds and entities.

Do you want to attend? Go to:

Written by Steven Pango

steven@innovate.today

How to give a 30-sec pitch

You are in a bar after a long day of work, the place is half empty. You are enjoying the ambience and go to the counter to order another drink. You look around and notice a person who could be defined as a “white collar” worker, upon closer inspection you realize is one of top angel investors in the country. Or maybe you are at one hotel on a business trip and while returning to your room, you encounter a potential lead in the elevator.

What’s your next move?

In this era, where each conversation holds the potential of being a stepping stone for your career, can you allow yourself to be unprepared? “The problem is that too few people are ready to deal with such a situation. They haven’t considered what they would do, much less prepared something to say or rehearsed it.” (O'Leary, 2008)

From startup owners, small and medium enterprises, established business to multicorporate, brief but comprehensive communication is welcome and preferred. Conversely, for the elevator pitch itself, you need extensive time and preparation to deliver a sublime presentation in the least number of seconds.

What are common pitch mistakes?

The most common misconception about this type of pitch is the goal: entrepreneurs approach potential leads and investors with one thought in mind: “conclude the deal”. But while this is the ultimate desired outcome, the elevator pitch is nothing more than a powerful introduction.

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea, product, service, project, person or other solution to a problem and is designed to just get a conversation started” (O'Leary, 2008)

Let’s go back to the elevator’s scene. You press floor n.6 and they politely ask you to press floor n.5.

LEVEL ONE

How do I begin the conversation?

You: the background and expertise.

It all starts with enthusiasm, a brief description of who you are and what you do, refrain from reciting your LinkedIn profile. The advice is to brainstorm a powerful sentence which makes your heartbeat a little bit faster. After all, if you are not excited how can the audience be?

LEVEL TWO

They know who you are, but they have yet to connect. Use a story!

What is the origin of your startup’s idea?

Depict a challenge you faced in the past or an experience engraved in your brain.

What is the problem your company is trying to solve?

Emphasize the issue at hand with the current market/players.

LEVEL THREE

While your experience may not be an isolated case, your solution must be individual.

Explain your unique selling point.

Outline your product, service or idea what sets your business apart.

In which other aspects do you have an advantage?

Portray your working style, attitude and other personal techniques you use.

FINAL LEVEL

You have concluded on what YOU wanted to say, let them take over the talking.

Attract and engage your audience.

Remember that this is a conservation and therefore mutual curiosity is imperative. Ask your prospect about their profession or current way of handling the discussed situation.

CHECKLIST FOR WRITING AN EXCELLENT STARTUP ELEVATOR PITCH

Now that you are aware of the concept, formulate your lines. James Harrington and Frank Voel can be of help with “The Innovation Tools Handbook”:

• First, write down all that comes up in your mind.

• Then cut the jargon and details. Make strong short and powerful sentences. Eliminate unnecessary words.

• Connect the phrases to each other. Your elevator pitch has to flow naturally and smoothly.

• Memorize key points and practice.

• Have you really answered the key question of your listener: What's In It For Me?

• Create different versions for different business situations of your elevator pitch

INVEST TIME AND EFFORT, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!

Still unsure on what to say?

An example is worth more than a thousand theories. Read our elevator pitch (aimed at early-stage entrepreneurs) compiled thanks to our speech history and prompts from Mindtools:

“Hello, my name is Horiold Steven Pango.

I am a creator, writer and communicator at Present Your Startup.

Upon graduation, I have seen countless friends with brilliant ideas fail to acquire funding, forcing them to give up their ambitions.

My company develops high-value programs and organizes competition pitch events to ensure successful market access to revolutionary companies.

Unlike other accelerators, we deliver customized and concrete instructions. With our help, participants have collected over 5 million euro so far.

So, how do you prepare to engage investors and venture capital funds?

Was this article worth the reading? Don’t miss out on valuable information and tips for startups. Subscribe to our news updates!

Written by Steven Pango

steven@innovate.today

Only two spots left for our Introduction Day!

Would you like to have professional support building or extending your business? We aim for young and growing industries such as tech, internet of things, new media, sustainability, gaming, social entrepreneurship or 3D-printing.

If you have a scalable and innovative startup and you want to get to the next level, we can help you with our program! This 26th September we only have two spots left for our Introduction Day. If you are interested, keep reading this article.

About the program

This 26th September, we will have our Introduction Day, where you will get a masterclass in finance, meet investors, pitch your idea, get to know more about our program and of course, have a great time!

After the Introduction Day, we will decide which startups will be invited to participate in “Prepare Your Startup Hotel”, which is a one-week intensive training. During this training week, you will receive courses on different areas like business model, finance, pitching, legal aspects of a startup and marketing. During the week, you will also have time to put in practice what you have learned and work on your startup

After the training week, we will select only five startups based on their drivers, business plan and how well they developed in the week program.

The five selected startups will be invited to an exclusive dinner to introduce them with investors of our network and they will receive extra training just before the finals. On December 4th, we will have the final event, where he shortlisted startups will get the opportunity to pitch. At the end of the finale, our jury panel will announce the winner of Present Your Startup Netherlands 2019.

We only have two spots left. If you wish to apply, follow the next steps:

1.      At our website, you have to fill out the application form.

2.      You will receive an opt-in confirmation email.

3.      After the Introduction Meeting on September 26th, we will select a limited amount of startups by September 30th to participate in the exclusive Prepare Your Startup Bootcamp. For the program “Prepare Your Startup Hotel”, we ask a fee of €795,-. per person. This includes 4 nights in a shared hotel room, 4 lunches and 2 dinners and two “borrels”