Below is a case study for a Techstars contract I was hired for in October 2023. Techstars is the world’s most active pre-seed investor. This case study covers communications and design consulting services that I provided over the course of a three month period for a pre-accelerator program for early-stage entrepreneurs called Founder Catalyst. I was hired as the program’s Communications and Design Associate primarily to provide consulting services and mentorship to 21 startups that were invited to participate. As the program unfolded, I found my impact and experience went beyond a mere consultancy engagement—it was a testament to the collaborative nature of the Founder Catalyst initiative.
Company: Techstars
Industry: Pre-Seed Investment
Services: Communications, branding & design consultation, pitch deck review & feedback, event support & execution
Intro & Background
As the world’s most active pre-seed investor, Techstars provides entrepreneurs with access to capital, mentoring, and services, enabling them to find customers, talent, and more. Techstars has multiple programs suited for entrepreneurs at different stages. The program I was contracted for last October is a 10-week pre-accelerator program called Founder Catalyst. Founder Catalyst provides early-stage entrepreneurs with invaluable startup education and mentorship. Founders at this stage are typically idea-stage or early-stage and the resources provided help prepare them for the next level.
Techstars runs multiple Founder Catalyst cohorts across the globe during the year, each in collaboration with a corporate partner. The program I was hired for was the inaugural cohort of the Techstars Founder Catalyst sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker. I worked closely with the Founder Catalyst team, Audra Gibson (Program Manager), Jerome Nicolai (Operations Associate), and Olga Bartnicki (Entrepreneur in Residence) to mentor 21 early-stage startups from the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. The participating companies spanned across a diverse array of sectors including Future of Work, Civic Tech, Finance, Artificial Intelligence, Beauty, Healthcare, Ecommerce, Real Estate, Travel and Hospitality, and Hardware.
The founders participating in this cohort were truly as diverse as the industries they represent, which was by design. One of the goals set forth by program leadership was to serve diverse and underrepresented founders and the cohort achieved 100% of these goals.
Note: In this case study, I use the terms “pitch deck,” “deck,” “presentation,” and “slides” interchangeably.
The Work
As the Communications and Design Consultant, my contract role was heavily focused on different aspects of storytelling, design, and communications. I was primarily responsible for helping assess founders' needs in regards to their pitch decks for their final presentations. Additionally, I supported the Founder Catalyst team in a variety of ways, including: digital assets, resources and promotional materials for the program, operational processes and procedure, event support and execution, as well as the creation of a program final report and presentation.
While the majority of my work for Founder Catalyst was done remotely, Program Manager Audra Gibson invited me to Baltimore, Maryland for two in-person events scheduled during the cohort: Founder Retreat (a two-day retreat for all of the founders and staff to come together midway through the program) and the End of Program Showcase (a one day event that culminated the program with a live pitch to the public).
“Alex was a clear standout when it came to adding a resource to our team to guide our founders in communications and design, especially when it came to storytelling around their pitches,” shared Audra. “Not only did she help our founders communicate some complex technology concepts, she also helped bring their startup stories to life in a way that our audience was eager to continue engaging with our entrepreneurs.”
“Our startups found her a joy to work with, giving her an exemplary satisfaction rating. Her knowledge and coaching were highly valued by the founders as they prepared to present their companies. Notably, one of our entrepreneurs who was accepted into the Techstars New York City Accelerator, shared his appreciation for the pivotal role Alex played early on in the Founder Catalyst program. He emphasized that Alex’s mentorship and feedback on his pitch deck were instrumental in his startup’s acceptance into the Accelerator program,” noted Audra.
“Alex was prompt and timely in completing the deliverables we asked for, made helpful suggestions, and helped make our events and overall program a huge success. Alex’s experience and insight was such an asset to our program, that we later confidently referred her to another Founder Catalyst program team in a similar work capacity to offer support for additional founders. I hope we have the opportunity to work with her again soon,” continued Audra.
In addition to my experience working for multiple startups, I have also managed accelerator programs and startup initiatives in the past. My background uniquely qualifies me to offer communication and marketing services and consultations that significantly impact the Techstars Founder Catalyst team and provide invaluable support to the ambitious entrepreneurs selected for this program.
Deliverables
Tools used to complete work for my client: Google Workspace, Gmail, Google Slides, Google Forms, Airtable, Slack, Canva, Trello
Founder Pitch Deck Consultations: Each week, I met with founders one-on-one to assist with the creation and refinement of their pitch decks with special attention focused toward storytelling, brand, and design. The key deliverable was the final presentation used in their End of Program Showcase, which was a compilation of 21 pitch decks from all of the participating companies. Over the course of 10-weeks, I documented my calls and pitch deck feedback and any pressing or glaring items were raised to Techstars staff during our team meetings.
Presentations: There were several instances where I was responsible for delivering presentation assets for program communications. I ensured curriculum sessions included corresponding slides for speaker bios; assembled a pitch practice deck for founders; and I compiled all of the pitch decks for the End of Program Showcase presentation. Due to the large number of companies in the program, it was crucial for us to have all of their pitch decks assembled into a single format for in-person events. This ensured programming ran on time and allowed us to quickly and seamlessly transition between founder pitches.
Form Management: To better support the Founder Catalyst team and participants, I created submission forms the cohort used for streamlined pitch deck submissions in preparation for a founder retreat and the End of Program Showcase. The forms made it easy to organize founder pitch decks and quickly track submissions so Founder Catalyst staff knew how best to follow up with participants. I also provided additional resources and tips for founders to help them prepare for presentations. Upon submission, pitch decks were automatically saved and could be accessed by team members without the need for sifting through emails or messaging channels.
Branding & Design Work: In addition to participant pitch deck branding and design consulting, my role also included design work for program communications. Working alongside the Founder Catalyst team, we determined deliverables would include: social media posts about the program as well as a digital flyer to promote in-person events and invite local community members to attend. All designs were created in line with Techstars brand guidelines and assets (ie. color palette, fonts, logos).
Founder Selection Press Release: At the beginning of the program, I worked with Founder Catalyst staff to finalize a press release draft announcing the start of the Stanley Black & Decker program and the 21 companies that were selected to participate. It was later published to newsroom announcements here.
Lookbook: The Lookbook allows Techstars stakeholders to view the companies that participated in this cohort. It provides more information and details about each of the startups. I ensured the company information was correct, consistently formatted, and I created a custom filter view so all of the high level information could be quickly and easily viewed in a single window.
Event Support & Execution: When I traveled to Baltimore for in-person events, I worked alongside Audra and Jerome to set up and break down the events, kept time to ensure we stayed on track with the daily agenda, and I helped manage the founders in attendance. I also hosted in-person office hours for one-on-one meetings with founders to review their pitch decks.
Customer Reporting: The final deliverable was a critical administrative task where I supported the content and design aspects of a final report on the program outcomes to the Founder Catalyst corporate sponsor, Stanley Black & Decker. I provided a final proofread and review with special attention to the branding details to ensure the report adhered to the Techstars brand and was fit for final presentation.
The Results
Most notably, the Founder Catalyst program Audra and Jerome managed had received high praise and positive feedback from both the participants and corporate sponsor. Stanley Black & Decker commended the hard work and dedication of the Founder Catalyst team and the quality of the startups in the cohort as well. I am deeply honored to have been a part of such an incredible team and see how much the founders appreciated our efforts. This was an accomplishment we all shared.
Watch the final showcase recording at: youtube.com/watch?v=mVUyAJZw3Ns
Several deliverables that I mentioned above are confidential to Techstars. Therefore, some of my final work cannot be distributed or accessed outside of their organization. Here are a few things that I can share from my experience:
Testimonials from founders in the program.
Pitch Presentation Tips for Founders
