Acceleration – Looking beyond Peru

Founders in Peru are pushing beyond borders and seeking out regional and global acceleration programs.

Participating this these programs can help founders:

1. Think beyond Peru. These founders infuse a “regional DNA” in their startup’s culture and organizational chart.
2. Find sector specific knowledge. Spacedat was recently accelerated through the NXTP Labs program and the process allowed founder Guillermo de Vivanco to find agriculture industry experts that helped him refine his value proposition.
3. Enter new markets. The Startup Chile program has been a great first point of entry for Peruvian startups like Aprendiendio.la, Mesa247, Juntoz and others.
4. Meet other founders that think big. Jean Pierre Carrere of TuRuta recently participated in the Plug And Play program in Guadalajara that has enriched his network with a fresh group of founders and potential investors. Entrepreneurship is a solitary journey and talking to customers and local investors is draining.  Building a mutual support network of other founders at different stages of advancement can be motivating. Founders can accelerate the learning curve and avoid pitfalls.
5. Achieve a valuation bump. Founders that have gone through programs like 500 Startups in Latin America and Y Combinator in the U.S. have finished with a larger and more sophisticated network of potential investors. These can lead to larger rounds at higher valuations than local investors are prepared to invest.

Founders can be hesitant to go through these programs since they often require an in-person component and take equity of startups. Most founders I have talked to are happy to have gone through these programs and can point to direct or indirect benefits.  Talk to fellow founders that have gone through these programs in order to determine which is best for you. Fellow founders are also the best people to recommend you.