Focus, speed, and execution are crucial elements of success for startups. As former operators and entrepreneurs, we’ve experienced firsthand how the right advice at the right time dramatically saves time and resources for early-stage startups. That’s why we created the concept around Superangel Base Camp hackathon. After hosting 7 Base Camps with 100 participating teams in the startup mecca Estonia, we introduced this high-energy format in Sweden with our first 48-hour hackathon in Stockholm – featuring 11 awesome teams!
“Attending Superangel’s 48 hour hackathon and talking to mentors and founders outside your startup’s bubble was like breathing fresh oxygen for our business” – Team Ribbn.
Uniting Vision and Expertise: Teams and Mentors Craft Winning Strategies
The number one principle of Base Camp is to not to invent your own wheel. There are people who have most likely already navigated similar challenges, so why not save time and learn from their wisdom. These people are operators with domain expertise and we invited them to Base Camp to provide tailored mentorship advice to the teams and their chosen goals. Each team tackled their own unique challenges, and “got to pick the brains of some of the best people in the ecosystem”, as one team put it.
The main themes the teams worked on were GTM, sales, fundraising, business- and product development. For example, one team outlined plans for expanding to a second market, while others defined their GTM for their initial market. A noteworthy highlight was the deep-dive into how VCs operate. I heard from one team that the intense coaching was so thorough it almost felt like a crash course to the Superangel investment team – do I need to start polishing my CV..? 😳
Engage Early, Engage Often: Do Not Build in Isolation
Our second principle encourages breaking out of the silo. It’s about engaging stakeholders right from the get-go. Our teams embraced this fully, orchestrating real-time workshops and pitching directly to individuals belonging to their ICPs. Mentors shared their best tips on growth hacking, storytelling, and a golden nugget of sales wisdom: never end a meeting without setting the next steps.
Celebrating a Community of Innovators and Talent
A heartfelt thanks to all the mentors!
💛 Anders Gustavsson, Ash Barbour, Bojan Lazic, Daniel Gorji, David Prentell, Ekaterina Garbaruk Monnot, Gabriele Garavini, Jens Bäckbom, Jessica Grönberg, Jonas Almeling, Joseph Michael, Juliana Geller, Kalev Kaarna, Kärt Siilats, Katarina Tranäng, Lin Gong-Deutschmann, Marcus Ramming, Maria Niclason, Olha Halytska, Per Björklund, Raman Ramalingam, Stefan Lindeberg, Stefan Wendin, Valtteri Korkiakoski 💛
A special nod to the recipient of “The Most Helpful Mentor” award – congrats Juliana Geller!
Besides the mentors, the teams themselves were a source of energy and inspiration. There’s something magical about being in a room with such driven and talented individuals, all sharing insights and learning from one another.
Certainli, Embedl, JULI, Microspace, ML Genics, molnett, Rebaba, Ribbn, Sircular, Tab, Your Beet – you rock! 🚀
A special kudos to Team Rebaba and Team Ribbn, winners of “The Most Helpful Founders” award.
While Base Camp is fundamentally about growth and learning, a little competition never hurts. We picked a team that showed a lot of grit and made significant progress during the 48-hour hackathon – congratulations to Team ML Genics, winners of the Superangel Base Camp 2024! ⭐💪
Lastly, thank you to The Park who provided great venues and food throughout the hackathon (strongly recommended if you’re looking for a co-working space!).
Stay tuned for the next Base Camp and make sure to secure your spot once the applications are open!
/ Céline Pattyranie
If you have any questions, please reach out to celine@superangel.eu