Tech City in a nutshell: getting an investment for an idea and building a company from nothing to millions in users or revenue.
I’ve been through this journey, creating an idea in my bedroom, graduating through shared workspaces, and onto an accelerator and beyond.
If you’re already part of Tech City, you can probably count yourself in one of the following groups.
Try-curious wantrepreneur
Wantrepreneurs are normally fed up of corporate workplaces and have a burning desire to run their own business.
You can be found attending random events from meetup.com, and reading their Bible: “The Lean Startup” or “The 4-hour work week.”
You are constantly worrying about personal relationships, financial stability and making new ways of discovering events on your smartphone.
Google Campus Basement Virgin
Google virgins are either living off savings or parents as you spend the day in the Campus basement, asking other startups what they think of your ideas.
You have started attending TechHub and Campus events which can actually help you.
You’re probably a first-time founder, and know off by heart the names of other founders who became millionaires with their first startup.
Stressed out Accelerator member
You’ve been handpicked from hundreds, maybe thousands of other applicants to effectively go back to school. You are currently being told where to be and at what time by people you’ve only just met, and get very little sleep.
People keep asking you if you are “enjoying” the accelerator program and you’re never sure of the correct answer.
You’ve disappeared completely from public life in the three weeks before “demo day”, if you have recently finished a program, you will have difficulty re-adjusting to normal life.
Potential Unicorn
You’ve been given so much money you can get your own office space! No more running out of cups in the kitchen or queuing for the coffee machine at the crowded accelerator or co-working space for you!
You can actually use the phrase “exit strategy” on your pitch deck without raising suspicious eyebrows from potential investors. You are the stuff startup dreams are made of. The multimillion-pound IPO or exit is in sight – don’t run out of money now!
Vincent Dignan is Founder of Magnific, which helps companies find users and customers.