We got better value than just investment money
During the entire Startup Accelerator Course I felt being treated as an entrepreneur. What we have gotten was worth more than angel or VC money.
The first real investment in our entrepreneurial carrier came from Peter, David, Imre, Zoli and the other guest speakers. They’ve been investing their time in us which is more valuable than money or anything else.
During the course, we’ve been enjoying the benefits of a mini Silicon Valley ecosystem on the CEU campus. Peter created this environment by bringing together a great mix of people and introducing them to ideas and concepts that are well known in countries with more developed ecosystems. Over the last ten weeks, we’ve been working hard, and we probably learned more than during all those university years.
The most impressive thing I experienced throughout the Startup Accelerator course wasn’t a presentation, nor a speech, but the dedication of the EEF team to the program. Imre has a newborn son, yet he prepared a new business English video for every session, Zoli flew in from California with a serious jet-lag, yet spent the evening with us; and David who has been spending his free time coaching us. They all deserve the highest praise, but these acts also spoke volumes about Peter’s entrepreneurial skills. Having such a successful group of entrepreneurs want to work with you is the epitome of entrepreneurialism. That’s the skill we should all try to learn.
It’s safe to say that with the help of Peter and the others, the largest room in the world became a bit smaller for all of us. With that said, we still should keep in mind that even after participating in an event called “The Finals”, we have just arrived at the starting line. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but with the invaluable knowledge we absorbed during the course, I firmly believe that we’ll cope with the challenge of turning our ideas into reality.
Gábor pitched MarkMyProfessor well, RealScene became a RealTeam. After hearing Virginia’s presentation, Chateau Banó will undoubtedly host many from the audience, sooner or later. The BestExpert team delivered a complete pitch and a good stand-up act under 6 minutes, a feat that the jury will surely remember for quite a while. And having looked at my mobile phone bill yesterday, I can tell that I’m going to be a customer of CellActing.
It’s too early to tell whether our businesses will turn out to be a success, but I do know that we will have interesting stories of our own to tell. There is a long road ahead of us, but that road might just lead some of us back to the Startup Accelerator Course of 20xx, to share our ‘war stories’. I hope that we’ll come to a full circle, and Peter’s mission of creating a silicon valley like ecosystem in the CEE region will become reality.
It’s a privilege to be a member of the alumni of this course and to take part in that mission.
