The pre-incubation program is undertaken by startups that apply to UPGRADE’s charge-free incubation program. It features trainings and workshops that allow startups to develop a low-fidelity Minimum Viable Product (LoFi-MVP) pitched in a demo with senior partners and mentors.
UPGRADE Management evaluates founders’ performance during pre-incubation workshops to assess their fitness for incubation. Some parts of the pre-incubation program take place on boot camps and hackathons organized by UPGRADE.
The program commonly runs for ten days, with workshops and lectures scheduled every Saturday and Sunday. However, startup founders that are not available during weekends are encouraged to enroll in UPGRADE’s Online Pre-Incubation Alternative (OPIA).
The OPIA is offered in modules and recorded lectures with time-bounded exercises that startups shall answer and submit to UPGRADE management online.
In particular, startups shall undergo the following pre-incubation lectures and workshops:
No. | Topic |
1 | Startup 101 |
2 | Technology Readiness Level Assessment |
3 | Customer Segment Discovery |
4 | Problem-Solutions Matching |
5 | Team Formation |
6 | Technology Design and Preparation |
7 | Low-Fidelity Minimum Viable Product |
8 | Implementation planning |
9 | Intellectual property |
10 | Founders Equity Agreement |
12 | Demo Day |