Decelera

Decelera is the world's first start-up Decelerator located in Menorca, Spain. It provides a new model for funding early-stage startups consisting of a free-of-charge 10-days program where the 20 selected startups can meet 10 different investors while enjoying the advantages of the island. Only 10 out of the 20 startups will be eligible for a €150K convertible note, and Decelera will work with them for three months (before, during and after the program). It finishes in a Demo Day when founders present their startups to a selected group of investors, however, Decelera can continue supporting startups with up to 2 M€ in capital. The Decelera community and network are also willing to help and support founders throughout the life of the company and beyond.

This program started in 2015 and is mainly aimed at tech-business models that follow at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and is especially designed to help founders rethink their purpose, reboot their company and disrupt for a human world. Decelera usually receives more than 900 applications and only 20 are selected to participate, but founders can apply for this program as many times as they want.

The application process is not as tough as others, yet it is highly selective given that only 20 applications will be accepted to attend the program. The application process is lighter than others since candidates only have to answer from 7-10 questions and provide a deck, but they must be as accurate as possible. Nonetheless, all companies that participated in the program become Decelera Alumni and as such will be supported in their business and professional development.

Portfolio: Auticmo, B!Play, Bloola, Dozens.

General information

Decelera supports tech-business startups that focus on sustainable goals and they welcome applications from all over the world.

They provide substantial financial support with:

-150K€ convertible note,

-up to 2 M€ investment in capital.

In addition, Decelera selected companies receive coaching, mentoring and access to investors as part of the Decelera community.

Application process

Candidates must go through a five-steps process: the application form, the interview, the Decelera program, Demo Day and the Investment phase. The first one is about filling the application form with 7-10 questions and a deck. This is in order to get an insight of the achievements, motivations and potential of the company. In the second step, founders are invited to an interview with the startup committee that will focus on business and human aspects (business model, value proposition, motivation, personal questions, etc.). The third step is only devoted to the 20 selected startups, which will participate in the 10-days program that will be coached and challenged by startups experts to find the best performing model, always focusing on sustainability. The fourth step is Demo Day, when candidates can pitch to Decelera investors. And finally, Decelera will invest 150K€ in those 10 selected companies, but will also share their expertise, network and capital (up to 2 M€) to contribute with the founders.

 Last update: March 8, 2022.