ArvindraI am a Startup founder from India and my primary motivation to pick an accelerator in Silicon Valley was to learn “Valley Best Practices” and get an entry into the startup network there. Also, the ecosystem in India is less friendly to innovation and more open to Indianized me too’s of US Startups. Our best are Yahoo, Monster and Amazon Clones. Built to exit.

Frankly I never expected Founders Space would accept an India-centric startup. The fact that they did was a validation that my startup had a global play and our solutions a fit for US Markets. To my pleasant surprise I had startups from Russia, Korea, Canada and France all looking for the Silicon Valley Entre-testosterone. India was not an accident. Founders Space is genuinely geared to innovation from any geography.

Scott and Steve quickly make us all feel at home with good or bad English skills. They adapt their technique and training for each individual. The focus on soft skills is extremely high. Elevator Pitch, 2 Minute Pitch and the 5 Minute. They participate in crafting your pitch, role play as Angel and VC until you can roll a Shakespearean performance.

Your Pitch is crafted to your perceptual and delivery strengths. For the duration of the course they “live” your business. It’s amazing to see them pitch your business. In style and format, Scott is a rock star and Steve a CNN talk show host. You will land up shaping yourself one way or the other. You will talk only executive! What’s that? Steve’s secret sauce. Enroll and find out.

Steve Hoffman, Captain Hoff, Founder of Founders Space, does not let you sleep. He schedules a whole host of video and short learning bytes. This ensures you have a rich diet on and off site. You can catch up on one everyday. This way they groom you with all the inputs you need from a three month course into one. You take more credits. You learn fast. You learn smart. You save two months and build a better business or MVP with their input.

As for the format. Core classroom sessions are balanced with select sessions covering legal, VCs, startup leaders, go-to-market and communication and presentation stalwarts. Naomi, cofounder of Founders Space, carefully selects and makes sure sessions are practical and worthwhile. Experiences you will share and weave into your story. Mentor connects you will cherish.

There is an online resource library that’s with you forever. This is combined with a social mixer with the VCs and mentors for networking and of course the big PITCH DAY for the graduating batch. Fun is not far behind work. Watch out, it’s still a lot of work and exhausting.

For non-Valley people, you have a valley address and open entry anytime you feel a need to get refreshed. And what an address: CALTRAIN SOMA district. In the thick of the action. Your visiting card starts carrying more weight now. It’s not a money first venture. It’s a genuine effort to give back to grow the entrepreneurial community. They taught me that an entrepreneur is motivated by failure and by success. It’s a lonely road, but you will make some lifelong friends here. We compete for money together but cherish and are spurred by each other’s success. We are the Founders Tribe.

Arvindra Kanwal
CEO of Bindass Party Private
India