I submitted an application on behalf of Tencap Sports in 2013 to enter MassChallenge. I had no idea what I was getting into, but the experience ended up being fantastic. MassChallenge helped advance Tencap, but more importantly it plugged me personally into Bostons great entrepreneurial ecosystem. Now as CEO of MatchOn, it was a no brainer to apply again.
Why was applying again such a no brainer?
In short, the application process is easy, as any start-up should have answers to the questions within the application well thought out already, and if you dont they are questions you should be thinking about. But more importantly participating is very likely help your company succeed.
But I am Applying again for a few fairly specific reasons:
Promotion- We are planning to launch in late April, early May and having MassChallenge help promote our app as a finalist, will definitely help.
Benefits to the Team I might be an alum, but the rest of the MatchOn team isnt and plugging into the MC community will help their careers.
More Opportunities – The MC provides so many opportunities there is no way you can take advantage of all. Having gone through the program allows you to participate in the way you wish you had the first time.
Credibility- Investors, future employees, and customers all are recognizing that being a MassChallenge finalist means something. Thus, it provides a level of credibility at the very least within the start-up community in Boston.
The Working Environment- The MC environment helps create the excitement, energy, and urgency in your team necessary for all start-ups.
The Buzz- Being an MC finalist enables you to create Buzz about your company within the entire Boston start-up ecosystem. This Buzz can help with a lot of things including: team morale, investment, attracting team members, and in our case attracting users.
The People- Some of my best connections and friends have been CEOs or Co-Founders of other companies who participated in the 2013 accelerator. Your network can never be to big and you can never have too many friends.
The MassChallenge application deadline is April 1! Don’t miss this chance to compete for $2M cash, and connect with mentors, office space & more. No equity taken