For Accelerators
Build successful companies that last by focussing on what really matters: The Founders
Our mission
Bringing a group of ambitious founders together for “startup school” and teaching them the basics of venture building is not enough to develop leaders capable of building organizations that scale. And last.
Becoming a true entrepreneur requires going on a deep inner journey that is often neglected in accelerator programs. Before you can lead others, you need to learn how to lead yourself. That’s why we co-create accelerator programs that integrate the required personal development work of the founder. We help founders discover how to transform old habits and patterns into more beneficial thoughts and behaviors, how to stay mentally, emotionally and physically healthy even when shit hits the fan which it most definitely will, and how to walk the talk as a leader to build the company of their dreams. We support accelerators to make this transition.
Our Accelerator Services
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Accelerator 2.0 Program Design
We’ve worked with dozens of accelerator programs and interviewed hundreds of founders to deeply understand how to create a great accelerator experience. We usually start with an internal team kick-off, gather feedback from your founders and alumni, review your existing program schedule and share our best practices to take your accelerator program to the next level. Like in a good cocktail, it’s not just about having the best ingredients, but about the love you put into the composition of them all.
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Masterclasses
We co-create training modules for your accelerator cohort to raise awareness for the range of mental health challenges founders face along the journey and work together to destigmatize the conversation around the topic. We assess the founders in the key mental health areas, develop science-based plans to build more beneficial thoughts and behaviors, and create a space for honest exchange around the topic. Whether you’re looking for a small kick-off, or a series of training modules, we’ll find a way to collaborate.
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Mentoring & Coaching
Most founders describe their time in an accelerator program as one of the most exciting, intense and challenging periods of their lives. As we’ve seen founders burn out as early as a few weeks into the accelerator programs, we’ve designed our coaching method to help founders build the skills to notice when it’s time to push, and when it’s time to take a step back. Having an intimate safe space to talk openly about the day to day struggles of an entrepreneur, the uncertainty, the pressure and the excitement connected to starting a business has been ranked the most helpful element an accelerator can provide.
UC Berkeley
“72% of founders suffer from mental health problems.”
Fortune Magazine
“30% of startups fail completely due to the emotional state of their founders.”
Michael Seibel
– CEO of Y Combinator
“Most people don’t realize how the founders who they are impressed with actually take advantage of therapy.”
Brad Feld
– Co-Founder of Techstars
“We were very successful as a business, financially very successful. Anybody on the outside looking in would say “what’s wrong with you?”. I didn’t feel sadness or sorrow. But it was almost like there was something missing. It was almost the absence of joy.”
Famous Voices on Founder Skills, Personal Development and Mental Health
Founders mental health differences
Why do two-thirds of portfolio companies fail? Entrepreneur neurodiversity has something to do with it. It is associated with both superpowers and vulnerabilities. Founders are 6x more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis, and 11x more likely to have bipolar disorder. The same character traits that drive founders to have brilliant ideas and start a company can be a challenge in the long haul. Founders and accelerator programs need to learn how to work with these neurobehavioral differences.
Lifelong prevalence of mental health conditions
Meet the Team
We are a team of founders and professional psychologists who have experienced the chronic stress, anxiety and life-impacts of entrepreneurship first hand. Our mission is to make your journey easier.
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Natascha started promoting health in multiple settings and levels from the very first moment in her career. Being trained in business and health psychology (M.Sc.), she supported healthy school environments, coached future executives, and worked as an advisor to improve working conditions for corporate businesses. As an active member of the Berlin based startup ecosystem with specific focus on digital health innovation, Natascha closely works together with visionary founders and ambitious change makers to drive next generation healthcare. Having struggled with challenging health conditions herself, to date Natascha continuously combines and applies the latest scientific knowledge, practical tools and interdisciplinary treatment methods. She personally experiences the huge positive impact of health promoting thoughts and behaviors on a daily level.
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After a masters degree in corporate management and economics, Gerjet worked for NGOs, a development bank and for 5 years as a product manager and UX Designer in various health and sports tech startups in Berlin. In 2018 Gerjet founded his own startup Skill Yoga with the mission to make yoga more accessible to a masculine identifying audience. After growing it to 15 employees, more than 1mn€ revenue and raising 1.8mn€ in a seed round, he experienced firsthand the loneliness, isolation, stress, financial hardship, and burnout associated with building a startup. His empathy for the founder journey and his training in yoga, meditation, mindfulness coaching and breath work led him to create support systems around the thesis that healthy founders equal successful founders and healthy returns.
accelerate health, enjoy life
book a call with our managing directors, Natascha and Gerjet, to find out how we can transform your work so it’s good for yourself, good for others, and good for the environment.