A vibrant startup ecosystem depends on more than just having all the actors in place (entrepreneurs, engineers, mentors, angel investors, venture capitalists, legal framework, good universities, strong R&D). As the saying goes, quantity has a quality of itself. In other words, the number of actors also makes a big difference.

This is why the WorldSkills Romania Foundation, the operator of Startup Foundry, has partnered with the Romanian-American University of Bucharest and with the Institute for Excellency in Entrepreneurship to operate the first university-level pre-accelerator, RAU Accel.

The pre-accelerator runs 3-months long programs, helping students gain first-hand experience in the step-by-step process of building a startup from scratch.

Our mentors will guide the young entrepreneurs through the ideation activity, validating and refining the product, service, or app. After that, they will look to create a business model, a market strategy, a brand, and a pitch for investors.

The first cohort for RAU Accel will graduate on June 2^nd, 2021.