Accelerator-on-a-ship will embark to Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam in 2013
April 18, 2012 by Terence LEE
Last year, we wrote about Blueseed, an incubator-on-a-ship that is anchored near Silicon Valley.
We think we’ve found something cooler. Check out Unreasonable at Sea, an accelerator program geared towards tech entrepreneurs who want to take their products to different shores.
They are doing it quite literally too: Ten teams from around the globe will participate in a 100-day program aboard a ship that will port at 14 different countries (subject to changes):
- EMBARK: San Diego, CA, USA
- Hilo, Hawaii
- Yokohama, Japan
- Kobe, Japan
- Shanghai, China
- Hong Kong
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Singapore
- Penang, Malaysia
- Cochin, India
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Tema (Accra), Ghana
- Casablanca, Morocco
- DEBARK: Barcelona, Spain
If you think this is some kind of extended cruise trip, you’re wrong. Teams will be expected to perfect, tweak, and adjust their business model and product. Daily workshops will be held by mentors on the ship.
When porting at the different countries, events will be held to put these entrepreneurs in front of their land-based peers, as well as investors, politicians, and philanthropists. An opportunity will also be presented for them to test their products in various markets.
Which is a lot of hard work.
To be eligible for this accelerator, your company must be for-profit, technology-based, and consist of at least two people. You must also have a prototype, and prove that it is highly-scalable and has the potential to gain user traction. Being revenue-generating is a plus (full criteria here).
This accelerator, a collaboration between Semester at Sea and Unreasonable Institute, will start in January 2013. Applications close on 15th May 2012.
Some of the mentors that will join the program include: Ben Casnocha, co-author of The Start-Up of You, as well as George Kembel, who leads the Institute for Design at Stanford.
I guess spending 100 days out at sea is an experience very few have gone through, so expect some tough competition for a place.
Here’s the kicker: The cost of attending the program, estimated at US$120K per team, will be sponsored. On top of that, you’ll get a US$500 stipend for the whole trip.
But if you’re prone to sea-sickness, perhaps you should look elsewhere.
Images: Unreasonable at Sea
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About The Author
Terence LEE - Editor
Terence writes mainly about technology trends and startups in Asia. He believes in crafting smart content: Not just a regurgitation of text, but well thought-out pieces that serve the reader using a combination of data, design, narratives, analysis, and visual impact. His articles have been published on Venturebeat, Yahoo!, Straits Times, Today, and The Online Citizen. He also co-founded NewNation.sg, a satirical news site covering Singapore affairs. Engage him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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