Acceleration Program

About the Program:

With the support of the USAID Agriculture Program, Startup Georgia launched an acceleration program aimed at empowering female and youth startup founders. The program, crafted with insights from the international accelerator Seedstars, offered an unparalleled opportunity for local startups. Participants had the chance to collaborate with top-tier mentors with experience in building global, scalable solutions, providing invaluable guidance for the growth and development of their projects and operations.

• 📅 Implementation Period: August–December 2022
• 🎯 Target Group: Female and youth startup founders from Eastern Georgia (including Tbilisi and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions)

Accelereation

After a thorough selection process, six startups were accepted into the accelerator program and began their journey toward growth, the startups from the acceleration program were:

• Agrometa - offers farmers a 10% yield increase and 20% cost savings using modern technologies (agrodrones). Services include but are not limited to crop and plot planning, fertilization, analytics, seeding, and pesticide-spraying services.
• Grassy - A company that produces Fruit & vegetable juice ice cubes of different varieties and tastes.
• DG Systems - Greenhouse technology, that enables you to get the 2x yield from the 3x less investment.
• Happy Kids - A website where you may quickly browse children's products, compare their features and costs in one location, and then decide on what to buy after doing so.
• Digital Village - A hybrid Fin and Agri tech platform that connects landowners, farmers, logistic companies, capital owners and multi-sectoral entities with each other through innovative approaches.
• Dusheti City - Marketplace for natural products that connects local farmers with customers through a unique application.

In the scope of the acceleration program, along with many other activities, the following was conducted:

48-hour Intensive Training by Seedstars:

The international accelerator Seedstars conducted a rigorous 48-hour training session focused on enhancing business sustainability, attracting investments, and honing presentation skills.

1. Business and sustainability.

Christo Kritikos from Seedstars, and a US-based venture architect as well as the founder of Emerging Humanity, conducted training sessions on Business and sustainability.

2. Branding and Customer Communication Training:

Brianna Quintero, a mentor from the Estonian accelerator Startup Wise Guys, led a session on branding and customer communication, providing participants with key strategies for building a strong brand identity.

3. Investment Proposal Training by Davit Chikhladze:

Davit Chikhladze, founder of Investo, delivered a comprehensive training on preparing investment proposals, equipping startups with techniques to effectively pitch to investors.

4. Business Models and Commercialization Training:‍

Tornike Tsiramua, founder of the Biliki app, guided participants through the intricacies of business models and commercialization strategies, helping startups navigate the path to market success.

Conclusion:

The active involvement of Seedstars in the Georgian ecosystem marked a significant milestone, further diversifying the landscape of quality entrepreneurial education. This acceleration program catalyzed sector development and the implementation of technological innovations. It inspired youth, equipping them with practical skills, education, and knowledge essential for continued success in the industry.