10 things Virgile from Livescale learned at Founder Fuel 2019… after 2 weeks

Founder Fuel has been back at Notman House for the past 2 weeks and we’re introducing you to one of the startups participating in the accelerator. Yes it’s a bit early to talk about a top 10, but we figure it’s never too early to see how things are going.

  • Virgile from Livescale @virgile on Slack / @livescaletv on Twitter
  • Participating in Founder Fuel to deliver a new product in less than 3 months.

Originally from France, Virgile co-founded Livescale in 2016 in Montreal. Livescale is a suite of tools to make it easy to record and broadcast live video anywhere on the net. Here are the 10 things Virgile remembers from his early days at Founder Fuel..

1. An accelerator to consolidate the foundations

Virgile has participated in incubators and accelerators in the past. Incubators are great for forming concepts, building the first pitch deck and team management basics. Where the incubator is a first class, the accelerator is a master class. According to Virgil, you have to come in with all your tools to refine them.

2. The Founder Fuel advantage: a diverse cohort

Participating in Founder Fuel allows you to meet startups at different stages and mentors connected to the local ecosystem. For new Quebecers, this is a golden opportunity.

3. Weeks 1 and 2: meetings and training

“The early days of the accelerator are intense because we have to build the first pieces together. We have a lot of training with mentors on both planning and strategy.”

4. Beaucoup de travail, vraiment

The challenge for Founder Fuel is to both participate in activities and at the same time move your project forward. “It’s hard, but you have to be a sponge. Absorb all the feedback and then find a way to make it your own.”

5. Prepare Well

The secret to a successful gas pedal is to get plenty of sleep and clear your schedule before and during the program.

6. It is a financial investment

To be truly effective, you must be willing to invest your time and all your resources.

7. Continue to run your business on the side

“I’m back to the schedule I started with. In the evenings after workshops, I go back to my office and work on Livescale until midnight. In the morning I come back 8am so I don’t miss anything.”

8. Develop a strategy quickly

The first phase of Founder Fuel allows you to quickly build a game plan.

9. Find a Demo Day deliverable quickly

To really take advantage of Founder Fuel, you need to find an easily deliverable project. Livescale will take advantage of the accelerator deliver a new product faster.

10. 3 months goes by really fast

The first few weeks go by in fits and starts. To keep the pace, you have to keep a clear head.