I like to recommend entrepreneurs speak with alumni (other founders of startups that have already been through Techstars) before they join an accelerator program. These are the people who have been in your shoes recently, gone through the process and will have the best insights for you.
Sometimes it can be difficult to get a conversation started with strangers, so here is a short list of questions you can ask alumni before joining the Techstars Berlin Accelerator.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one to get the ball rolling. Listen intently to the answers, and ask follow-on questions into points you think are interesting.
- What were your expectations going into the program?
- What was your favourite part of the program?
- What was your least favourite part of the program, and why?
- Where did your business get the most value from the people you met during the program, and also how did you keep them engaged after the program?
- What would you have done differently if you could do it again?
- How did you measure your success before, during, and after the program? Why did you decide to make changes, if you did?
- How did you get the most from the mentors? What did you do to build relationships with these mentors?
