Why should you apply for Chinaccelerator

Started in 2010, Chinaccelerator is the first accelerator to launch in Asia and currently one of the largest startup accelerators in China. To date, we have invested in 15 batches, with a total of more than 150 Internet startups, bringing together 300 founders from 41 countries. Among them are BitMEX, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and top market performers such as cross-border luxury brand sales platform Shopal and Edtech platform Snapask.

Chinaccelerator is also a VC firm, backed by the fund SOSV, which has assets under management of $650+ million. In 2018, SOSV was named the 3rd most active early-stage investor in the world by Crunchbase. Its internal rate of return (IRR) exceeds 30%, much higher than the VC industry average.

Chinaccelerator has many entities.  But most importantly, we are a warm and energetic community for entrepreneurs. We spend day and night with our entrepreneurs and not only witness firsthand, but share in the many difficulties they face. Especially for those first-time entrepreneurs, learning to integrate and use various resources and tell their own story is never as easy as it sounds.

That’s why we create this space where we bring together more than 300 startup mentors from all over the world, more than 300 global partners, and a strong network of alumni and investors, dedicated to helping more entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

We will not only be your investor but also a stepping stone for you to find more capital. We will utilize a variety of resources to guide you towards a data-driven, sustainable business model for profitable and healthy business operations.

We have an international team. Before acting as General Partner at SOSV and Managing Director at Chinaccelerator & MOX, William Bao Bean served as Managing Director at SingTel Innov8 and Partner at Softbank China & India Holdings. William spent 11 years as an equity research analyst most recently with Deutsche Bank where he was responsible for Internet and Telecom Equipment in Asia and China technology, media and telecom. Between 2004-2014 William was an active angel investor with 39 investments.

Partner at SOSV and Managing Director at Chinaccelerator, Oscar Ramos is a “full stack innovator” with expertise ranging from product development to corporate strategy. He has experience as an entrepreneur, management consultant, and early-stage investor. Since early 2008 when he moved to China, he has been involved in various dimensions of innovation: product launches, go-to-market strategies, venture capital financing, and M&As.

The international background of the team indicates a diverse understanding of different markets. This is Chinaccelerator’s unfair advantage. We are committed to helping startups cross borders, including overseas startups entering the Chinese market and Chinese companies going global.

One of the most frequently asked questions from our applicants is which industry and stage we are looking into. Chinaccelerator focuses on the Internet sector, including e-commerce, Fintech, data marketing, Edtech, healthcare, and entertainment. In terms of the stage, Chinaccelerator tends to enter earlier, usually during the Angel/Seed round or Pre-A round, with a few investments in Series A and later stages.

However, this doesn’t mean you don’t need a product. We are not helping you achieve from 0 to 1, but supporting you to go from 1 to 100, 1000 and even more. We do believe in data and real market feedback, so we require a viable product with a certain number of users or clients if you want to apply for our program.

We also look at the team behind the company. Anyone can find a problem. Many people can come up with the same solutions as yours. But not every team has the capability to effectively implement that. They may lack industry experience, the right network, technology, or the ability to manage a team efficiently.

We expect that the founders should respect and understand the importance of the process and do not only focus on the result. We look for people who understand how to learn from the process, who will not be discouraged when faced with challenges and frustrations but perceive them as valuable experience.

• Take your money

Chinaccelerator and our syndicate partner Artesian Venture Partners will invest a total of $150,000. In return, we take 6% common equity for the accelerator program.

• 3+3 month program

Chinaccelerator’s program is divided into 2 stages: the first 3 months is the growth phase and the last 3 months is the fundraising phase. During the growth phase, we set up basic OKRs (Objectives & Key Results system) with you. During weekly 1:1 check-in with each company, we discuss company strategies and experiments, analyze the data and verify whether the OKRs are being achieved or need to be adjusted.

At the end of the first 3 months is Demo Day, when we invite more than 150 investors and senior managers from corporate venture capital firms to witness your progress and start the conversations for fundraising. There are USD funds, RMB funds, e.g. Sequoia, Fosun, Ctrip, etc.

• Mentor 1:1

We are a mentor-driven program and we bring together over 300 global mentors, including serial entrepreneurs, senior executives from MNCs, industry experts, investors and others. They come from different industries and are experts in different areas, such as China market entry strategy, growth hacking, mobile strategy, investor relations, B2B sales, media/brand strategy, data analysis, products, digital marketing, financial models, IP protection, and so on.

• Weekly check-in and office hour

You need to check in weekly with the Chinaccelerator team to discuss the company’s strategy, positioning, and action plans. You will also meet with the growth hacking team weekly to identify goals, measure metrics, design experiments, acquire users, and achieve sustainable growth.

Office hours are open to all alumni. If you require guidance, you can always book a time slot with our team.

• Workshops

During the program, we organize over 15 workshops on topics like Chinese market entry, data analysis, content marketing, cross-border payment, personal branding, B2B sales, technology localization, how to raise a seed round and Series A, etc.

• Free office space

We provide free co-working space during the 6-month program at People Squared near Jing’an Temple, the heart of Shanghai.

• Connecting with more investors

Demo Day means that you are ready to talk with investors. In order to help you better clarify your business to investors, we provide pitch training throughout the entire program, from the elevator pitch to the 6-minute demo day pitch. We constantly give customized guidance to you in terms of story elements, pitch angle, and the basic principles that should be followed. 

• Global alumni network

The power of the community lies in the people. SOSV’s global alumni network unites 1,849 founders from 73 countries. All have participated in one of the 7 accelerators backed by SOSV. These accelerators specialize in foodtech, biotech, cross-border internet, blockchain, hardware and more.

Even if the program is over, you are still part of the Chinaccelerator family.  Many opportunities in the community are open to alumni, such as event pitch slots and workshops.

Another question that many applicants asked is how many projects will be accepted? There are few high-quality accelerator programs in Asia, let alone China. So the application is highly competitive.Chinaccelerator accepts 2 batches each year, with 10-15 investments per batch. However, we usually receive more than 800 applications per batch. The acceptance rate is less than 2%!Therefore, the information that you submit through the application form is very important. The Chinaccelerator team will select a small number of companies based on the application information submitted, have face-to-face meetings with the selected founders, perform due diligence, and move to the decision stage.

In order to obtain the above investment and program benefits, you only need to fill out the application form through the official website (www.chinaccelerator.com/apply).

But do it quick, because applications for Batch 16 is about to end!

Batch 16 applications will be closed on August 2nd at 12 pm (GMT +8).  Go to www.chinaccelerator.com/apply to apply.

If you have any questions about the application, please add SOSV WeChat Helper. We will try our best to respond to your questions in a timely manner. Or you can email cateam@chinaccelerator.com with any inquiries.