It’s the season of good tidings and more investment opportunities for startups are opened up. In preparation for the New Year or continuation of the strategies you have mapped out for your startup, Venture Platform alongside ARM (Asset and Resource Management) just launched the second cohort of Labs. Labs is a fintech focused accelerator program targeted at early – growth stage fintech companies that have the potential for massive impact and reach. Ventures Platform is working with ARM to partner with talented entrepreneurs to drive change in the financial services industry.
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Established in 1994, ARM is an asset management firm that offers wealth creation opportunities through a unique blend of traditional asset management and alternative investment services.
Ventures Platform is an integral part of the African innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that is building, funding & supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. One of the ways they express their vision is by enabling institutions to innovate through their innovation consulting and entrepreneurship program practice.
Labs by ARM 2.0 is designed to engage post-MVP FinTech startups in a series of activities aimed at exponentially advancing the growth of their companies within a short time frame, and ensuring their investment-readiness. Selected startups will be provided with financial investment, distribution, access to investors and other benefits.
The partnership focuses on accelerating each part of the selected startup’s business over a 3-month timeframe. Startups gain an immense amount of experience through hands-on mentoring, access to data and connections to extremely targeted industry leaders. They are required to work out of the program location during specific periods of the program so as to take advantage of the various learning opportunities and events. However, outside of these periods participating startups can work out of any location of their choice. The program lasts for 12 weeks.
During the 12 weeks, Ventures Platform will work intensively with each startup; primarily on product, market and team to get them in the best shape possible. They will be provided with office space, access to the ARM network and carefully selected mentors from the fintech industry who will provide hands-on support and valuable introductions.
The program concludes with Demo Day, where startups have a chance to raise investments from ARM. The best startups out of the program get the opportunity to partner and leverage ARM’s resources. Once graduated, they become part of the Alumni program, which provides them with continued access to an ecosystem of founders and mentors.
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Criteria for selection
- Should be post-MVP (Minimum Viable Product) startup
- Should be operating in the fintech space
- Should be post-revenue
- Startups should have a well-rounded complementary team (in-house capacity for product vision, technology and business). The team should be a great balanced team who have a full range of skills that balances the founder’s skill set. Although single founders will not be turned down from the program.
- Startups should be solving an important problem for a highly-engaged set of customers
Benefits
- Access to funding worth $20,000 each to selected startups
- Co-working space
- Mentorship from leaders in the FinTech sector
- Partnerships
- Access to investors
- Access to the program’s alumni network
Application deadline: December 30th, 2019
Acceleration program: February – May 2020
Interested? Or know someone who will be? Apply here.
Featured Image Source: Techpoint Africa
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