Welcome to the Future of Work Studio Accelerator, powered by
Untapped Ventures & the City of Burbank

Find your cofounder, ideate, validate,
and build a venture-scale company
deserving of seed-funding in 9
months.
 

Welcome to the Future of Work Studio Accelerator, powered by
Untapped Ventures & the City of Burbank


Find your cofounder, ideate, validate,
and build a venture-scale company
deserving of seed-funding in 9
months.
 

The Program

Let's build the Future of Work together!
 

This innovative Studio-Accelerator program is for passionate entrepreneurs obsessed with solving an important Future of
Work problem and creating a venture-scale company.

The Future of Work Studio-Accelerator.

 

Work as we know it is rapidly evolving. The COVID-19 pandemic was a major catalyst for this change, but disruption in the workplace has been a long time coming.

At Untapped, we firmly believe the New Future of Work is in redefining what, where, and how we get work done, and why we do it in the first place - is it our life purpose? Are we leveraging our superpowers? Are we using the latest productivity tools? Can we easily reskill? How is well-being? This is our definition of the New Future of Work.

 

This is a 9-month intensive program for founders passionate about disrupting work environments, designing new models of work, developing new tools for enhanced productivity, and bringing wellbeing into the workplace. 

 

If you're an experienced entrepreneur with a bold new idea aimed at changing the "traditional work experience" and you are ready to commit to this hands-on venture building journey- we want you to apply!

Got questions? Watch our informational webinar to meet the team, learn more about the program, and get key insights!

What Do You Get From This Program?

This Studio-Accelerator program is designed for serious entrepreneurs innovating within the Future of Work space. Your venture should be in the early stages and have some proof of concept.

 

Through this program, you will work with the Untapped startup studio team to meet your cofounders, validate your business model, accelerate traction in the market, launch your product, and grow sales.

BENEFITS

  • Co-Founder Matching:

    One of the hardest parts of building a startup is finding the right co-founder for you and the problem you're trying to solve. Through our unique co-founder matching process, you'll be introduced to other passionate, smart, and driven founders with the goal of building venture-scale companies.

  • Access to Investment

    Untapped is a startup studio (see FAQ for info on startup studios) with a venture arm. This means we build companies and invest in them. In addition to our investment capabilities, we have a strong network of investment partners and will make intros when the time is right!

  • Curriculum:

    Through this program, you and your team have access to the World Class Lenstack Continuous innovation venture building platform. Through state of the art playbooks and various modeling tools, this platform walks you through all of the stages of building and scaling a venture. While moving through each battle-tested playbook you’ll have access to integrated tools to build lean canvases, model traction, record insights from customer interviews, engage in financial modeling, and much more! 

  • 1-to-1 Startup Coaching:

    Our expert coaches are trained in Lean Startup methodologies and will help you move through the playbooks, program, and venture building stages efficiently. Your team will meet with your Continuous Innovation coach every other week.

  • Community:

    Founders need support. Whether it’s sanity-checking an idea or getting some motivational uplift- we understand how lonely entrepreneurship can be. This is why we built the Future of Work Studio-Accelerator community. It’s the place where you'll share the ups and downs of startup life, get advice from peers, network, test ideas, share experiences, and find new opportunities.

    • The Structure

    Phase 1: Launch

    4 Months - March to June 2021

     

    Teaming:

    If you enter the program as a solo-founder, this is where you will be introduced to potential co-founders. Think of it as cofounder speed dating. At the end of this period, you'll have built your A-team and will be ready to roll.

     

    Ideation:

    Everyone has great ideas, but each team can only choose one. This period is where you'll get clear on what problem you're solving, why it's a problem worth solving, and develop a potential solution to solve that problem.

     

    Validation:

    This is the Problem/Solution Fit stage: It's your time to experiment, talk to customers, build a demo, and test your product and see if you can pre-sell $10K ARR. You will iterate as you go and the Untapped studio team will help you to make your first set of sales. The Leanstack playbooks (our startup curriculum) along with your expert startup coach will be there to teach you everything you need to know. 

     

    Phase 2: Growth

    5 Months - July to November 2021

     

    Investment:

    At this stage, you should have validated a problem worth solving, ideated a solution, and developed clarity on MVP 1.0. To get into the Growth phase, you and your team will pitch our investment committee to get funding. Untapped is prepared to invest in the most promising startup teams and ideas and those who gain investment will move on in the program. 

     

    Traction:

    This is where our team helps your team build, launch, and scale. During this MVP-Customer Fit phase you'll develop your financial and business models, build your product, test it out in the market, and get sales. As initial customers are delighted and referenceable, you'll work on acquiring more customers. Using our proven system, expertise, and connections, we will help you move from $10K ARR to $100K ARR quickly becoming worthy a favorable seed financing round.  

     

    Demo Day 

    This is the big day! You've worked hard over the last 8-months and it's time to show the world what you've built. You can expect dozens of early-stage investors to attend as well as media, sponsors, our team, and our partners. This is your chance to secure seed-funding and grow a venture scale company. Note: Virtual or in-person TBD due to COVID. 

    Key Dates

    Who We're Looking For

    Who Should Apply:

     

    Here's who we're really looking for...

    • Entrepreneurs with a previous exit ready to do it again with the help of a startup studio
       

    • Business Cofounder whose gone out and gotten clear market validation on a very compelling Idea
       

    • Technical Cofounder whose come up with a brilliant solution to a big problem, likely hacked out an MVP already
       

    • Venture-backed startup exec who left their full-time job to take a shot - you're time has come!
       

    • Rockstar startup team with 2 to 4 cofounders with complementary superpowers and an early product

    Minimum Requirements

    • Clear idea of a specific problem to solve for a target customer market
       

    • Strong venture-backed startup experience
       

    • Proven and demonstrated business results
       

    • Deep domain experience in your selected problem space
       

    • Entrepreneurial DNA - hungry, motivated, and driven to succeed
       

    • Committed to a 9-month program
       

    • Excited to put in ~40 hours per week building your business (minimum 20+ hours per week) 

    Program Team and Partners

    George Bandarian

    Founder and CEO

    James Bottom

    Managing Director

    Dianna Lesage

    Program Manager

    A Word from our Partner, the City of Burbank...

    The City of Burbank Economic Development is proud to partner with Untapped Ventures to sponsor the Future of Work Studio Accelerator, spurring innovation and collaboration in Burbank and beyond.

     

    Burbank is the Media Capital of the World championing the entrepreneurial spirit and supporting programs that nurture and inform the next generation of business talent. From strong demographics, to a high quality of life, and a thriving business community, Burbank offers you an unparalleled competitive advantage.

     

    Burbank’s inspiring entrepreneurial programs like Burbank Tech Talk meet-ups and Startup Pitch Fests provide opportunities to learn collaborate and grow as an entrepreneur. The City also offers an entrepreneurial ecosystem with flex-creative workspace, co-tenancy with major corporations, access to several co-working spaces, a dedicated High Speed Fiber Optics Network and a competitive tax structure with no City Income Tax and no Gross Sales Receipt Tax.  Co-locate your business with Disney, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, ABC, Netflix Animation and hundreds of other industry leaders - be a part of a world class City!  For more information, visit: https://econdevburbank.com/entrepreneurs/ or contact the team at 818-238-5180 or econdev@burbankca.gov!

    What Others Are Saying

    Garrett Hoyos
    Burbank, CA

    Through customer discovery interviews (50+) our team found a unique problems worth solving within the the "well-being at work" arena. 

    Through the Leanstack curriculum, I learned how to build a startup and used the built-in tools to model the business.
     

    Some key outcomes of going through this program were: building a website, developing video demos, assembling a "mafia offer", pitching the product and getting sales. Overall, I learned how to succeed as an early stage startup founder- all thanks to Untapped!

    When I joined Untapped’s 100
    day program, the thought of
    experiencing the startup process from A-
    Z excited me! I was looking for more
    help than just “building products” and
    that is exactly what I received from
    Untapped. The value I got from
    formulating business models, flushing
    out ideas, learning how to perform user
    discovery, and ultimately using this
    training to find problem/solution fit was incredible. It changed my life for the
    better as now I have an Untapped
    network of like-minded
    entrepreneurs, friendships made with cohort members, and more
    confidence to go out into the world
    and either join a startup or create my
    own.

    Marianna O.

    Armenia

    I joined Untapped, because I wanted to stay relevant in fast-changing times. Within 100 days, I acquired valuable entrepreneurship skills and more importantly, found purpose and meaning by working closely with team-members whom I admire in creating a business that helps others find purpose and thrive in uncertain times. It's almost poetic how rewardingly recursive my Untapped AF experience has been.

    Peter H.

    Los Angeles, CA

    I joined Untapped because I wanted to
    solve a big global problem and join a
    community of like-minded entrepreneurs
    who were focused on to changing the
    world. Untapped helped to open these
    doors for me and showed me proven
    methods of how to get from idea to
    solution and beyond. The entire
    Untapped team, especially George,
    Dianna, and James provided weekly
    mentorship, guidance, trainings, and a comprehensive curriculum for which
    helped me learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how to solve real
    problems.     I am now equipped with
    unique abilities and valuable skills
    that I look forward to taking with me
    into my career. Thank you, Untapped,
    for making business,
    entrepreneurship, and startup education accessible and exciting. 

    Brian H.

    Boston, MA

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Logistics

    Future of Work Theme & About Us

    Application Questions

    Can I apply with an idea only?

    All applicants must have a clear understanding of the problem they are trying to solve in the market. Naturally, when one recognizes a problem one thinks of the solution and this becomes the "idea" for your venture. While we expect you to have an idea, we are really looking for entrepreneurs who have taken action to validate the idea, build a prototype and get customers. 

     

    What if I have a full-time job?

    We are looking for founders, 110% committed to solving an important Future of Work problem. A full-time job get in the way of that. If your plans are to quite your job to pursue entrepreneurship full-time then please apply.

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