Startup Next Steps
A practical course, designed for founders and senior team members looking to scale their product which is already live in the market, with active users.
The Spring '24 cohort will run from Wednesday 10th April to Wednesday 26th June including two weeks away from the core content featuring deep dives and networking events and a celebratory showcase on the final date.
Applications for Spring '24 are now closed.
What is Techscaler Startup Next Steps?
Startup Next Steps is a practical course, designed for founders and senior team members looking to scale their product which is already live in the market, with active users.
The Spring ‘24 cohort will run from Wednesday 10th April to Wednesday 26th June including two weeks away from the core content featuring deep dives and networking events and a celebratory showcase on the final date. Sessions will take place on Wednesdays 1pm to 4pm.
Course delivery and format
Startup Next Steps sessions are highly collaborative, balancing lectures from industry experts, founders at different stages of the startup journey, as well as practical activities and group discussions to apply session teachings.
- 10 weekly sessions over twelve weeks
- No cost or equity stake involved, funded by the Scottish Government
- Mostly online, with weeks 1 and 10 hybrid (available both in-person and streamed)
- Cohort events and meetups with your fellow founders
- No grading or assessments, practical lessons that you can implement directly into your startup
- Applicants should be fully committed to working on their startup and consider their product their core work
Not sure if this is for you?
Join at Techscaler hub locations across Scotland
Hybrid - in person and streamed
We know how important it is to bring the community together and leverage the network effects of the ecosystem, so weeks 1 and 10 will be hosted in person, giving you the opportunity to connect with fellow participants. Location in Scotland TBC. Week 10 will end with a showcase event, giving you the opportunity to celebrate at an evening with your cohort peers.
Online only sessions
So you can join the sessions from wherever is comfortable for you, we’ll host the session via Zoom using a mixture of presentation, breakout room and interactivity. If you don’t have a suitable workspace available, we can help arrange a space for you to take part. We can also make space for participants to join from a hub if you need a quiet space with fast internet to take part.
Private group on community platform
Continue conversations, share milestones and support your peers as part of your exclusive Startup Next Steps cohort group on our online community platform. Keep up to date with the latest news about the course and share ideas and questions.
Additional content
Outside of the core content of the course, you’ll have the chance to engage further with a personal induction, regional events, speaker 1:1s and additional events.
Session recordings will always be provided so you can catch up if you're unable to make it to a particular session!
Participant eligibility & expectations
Startup Next Steps is designed for founders and senior team members looking to scale their product which is already live in the market, with active users.
Startup Next Steps is designed for founders and senior team members looking to scale their product which is already live in the market, with active users.
- Founders and team members whose startup has reached problem-solution fit and is looking to capture a greater market share
- Founders and senior team members with a product in market and active customer acquisition who want to focus on growth
- Founders and senior teams from startups without consistent traction and revenue who are looking to mature their operations
- Ambitious founders with an early MVP in the market with active users, who want to grow their business quickly and learn from experienced operators
- A second (or more) time founder or startup operator at any of the above stages who wants to progress quicker and more efficiently this time round, with support
- To take part, you must have a product in market with active customers
- Recommended knowledge level: Even if your business meets this criteria, you'll benefit from our earlier stage programme, Startup First Steps, if you're not familiar with or don't have a clear customer profile, value proposition, or understanding of jobs to be done theory.
- You must be able to attend (or catch up with recordings of) at least 6 out of 10 sessions
- You must be prepared to demonstrate progress you are making during the course, in the form of a video submission
Syllabus topics and outcomes
Startup First Steps
Week 1: Growth and Leadership Mindset
Get ready to challenge your assumptions about you r business, think about how you'll bring you team on the journey and get ready to tackle the next stage of your business's journey
Week 2: Business strategy
Review product/market strategy using best practice frameworks and playbooks to plan for your next stage of business growth
Week 3: Product fundamentals and how to grow
We'll cover the fundamentals of product growth, leaning into product-led growth, and the importance of strategy and roadmaps
Week 4: Sales and marketing
Get clarity on a strong single value proposition for your startup, explore the various acquisition channels available, and design experiments to test the best opportunities for you
Week 5: Tech sales
Learn why sales is less scary than you think, how to increase your revenue through the implementation of a sales process, more effective selling techniques, and understand key buying signals
Week 6: Growth mechanisms
Review how you will grow customers efficiently and transition to long-term activation and retention
Week 7: Building a team
Revisit the basics of employer responsibilities, think about intentional culture building, and how to align your people plan with your business plan
Week 8: Funding and Money
Learn how to be smart with money - runway planning, cashflow, forecasting and shifting revenue streams
Week 9: Pivots, failures and exits
Learn about different exit journeys, and envision what success looks like for you. Then take time to plan how to make that happen
Week 10: Investor panel, pitching and networking
Celebrate the end of Startup Next Steps with an opportunity to pitch, a Q&A with a funding panel, and networking with ecosystem partners, other startups and investors.
Please note the course syllabus, format and duration is subject to change for each cohort based on participant feedback.
Join Techscaler
If our education courses are of interest to you, apply for Techscaler membership. Membership is for people working in startups who are at all stages of the startup journey, from ideation through to scaling phase, based in Scotland, and with ambitions to grow their business. Fill in the application form and Team Techscaler will get back to you as soon as possible to let you know your suitability for Techscaler membership and benefits available to you.
You can also keep up to date with our tech events and sign up to receive the latest news from Techscaler and the Scottish tech ecosystem.
