Overview

Overview of Open Accelerator

Hey there! Welcome to the Open Accelerator—a free resource to help blockchain startups get from idea to launch. Whether you're just brainstorming or gearing up for a big launch, this guide has got you covered.

The Open Accelerator is all about breaking down the startup process into simple, actionable steps. We focus on the essentials: raising funds, building your product, and bringing it to market. By splitting the journey into clear phases—pre-raise, post-raise, and launch—we will guide you and insights you need at each stage of the game.

This resource is mainly for those diving into blockchain projects, but honestly, a lot of the advice works for general startups too. If you're a first-time founder looking for guidance on funding, strategy, or product development, or if you're part of a small team in need of a structured path, the Open Accelerator might work for you.

We get it—blockchain can be complicated, and launching a startup in this space can be tough. Our goal is to make things a bit clearer, so you know what steps to take and when. Hopefully, this guide will make your journey to building a blockchain product a little smoother and a lot less intimidating.

Feel free to explore, learn, and start building. The Open Accelerator is constantly evolving, just like the projects we support. Let’s get started!

Why choose the Open Accelerator? While there are many accelerators available for blockchain teams, not all of them prioritize the long-term success of the projects they support. Traditional accelerators often have mixed incentives, focusing on short-term financial gains over sustainable growth. The Open Accelerator, by contrast, is a free resource designed to provide transparent, unbiased guidance. There are no costs involved, and while there won't be direct handholding, the resource is comprehensive enough to guide you through the entire process, from ideation to launch.

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Launch Roadmap

Here is a simplified roadmap to guide builders towards launch.

Early stage

The early stage is all about laying the foundation for your startup. This includes coming up with a solid idea, finding co-founders, and getting your initial operations and presence established. By the end of this phase, you should have a clear vision of your product, a basic team, and a presence in the blockchain community. There are a few more details in the dedicated early stage section.

1. Ideation

   1. Brainstorm product

   2. Pick an ecosystem

2. Find co-founders

   1. Meetups

   2. Community channels

   3. Hackathons

3. Incorporation

   1. Set up the developer entity (this is not the token-issuing entity).

4. Fundraising Prep

   1. Bootstrapping

   2. Apply for grants

   3. Start whitepaper

   4. Start pitchdeck

5. Establish presence

   1. Set up basic website

   2. Register on Twitter and other places

   3. Create content / Marketing

   4. Create Community Channels (e.g. Discord)

6. Start building

   1. It is best to build something before approach investors.

   2. Consider releasing an alpha version of the product.

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Mid-Stage

The mid-stage is about scaling up—securing investment, growing your team, expanding your product's presence, bulking up the operations of your business, and making sure the product gets finished. This includes planning for organizational growth, structuring teams, and considering which tools and apps can best support your growing needs.

• Build

  • Need something that works before approaching investors

• Fundraising

  • Start reaching out to investors.
  • Incorporate a token-issuing entity before receiving investment
  • Raise over multiple private rounds leading up to TGE
• Team & Structure:

  • Start Hiring
  • Work on team organization
  • Find tools/apps to help operational efficiency.
• Build Presence (continuation) - Content Creation, Marketing, and PR Strategy

  • Create content / Marketing

  • Community engagement (Discord, Telegram etc).

  • Communicate Roadmap

• Product Development

  • Beta release, iterate on user feedback

• Security & Continuity

  • Appoint a security lead

  • Develop a Business Continuity Plan

  • Start audit process (plan, engage, commit).

• Launch preparation

  • Look ahead at the launch stage and start preparation of those tasks.

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Launch Stage

• Ensure Audits Completed

  • Remediate major issues and consider remediation for lower severity issues.

• Product Launch

  • Test launch the product.
  • Early Access - Phased released to wider and wider audiences.

  • Token Generation Event (TGE), Public Token Sales, and Distribution
  • Full Product Release

  • Airdrops, bounties, deploy own grants, etc