Startup acceleration
Are you a start-up or an entrepreneurial team? Discover your path to market entry, validate your business model, win your first customers and secure your first investment through Compass Acceleration Cycle.
Let's speed up this startup!
Let's help you navigate your way to entering the market, validating your business model, attracting customers, and securing investment.
Early stage
With a complementary team
Free of charge
For the core team, for the whole acceleration cycle
No equity sharing
Protecting your shares with ACE
40 week
Duration to prepare for market entry
Hybrid
with occasional in-person attendance
October - June
As a proper period to prepare and launch
Zero to one with a proven methodology
Laying the foundations
Work on defining and refining your target market from October to the end of June.
Research
Conduct primary market research to gain insights into your customers and users.
Experiment
Run experiments to validate key assumptions with potential customers.
Build and bond
Establish and cultivate your founding team to ensure success.
Fundraise
Make progress on finding fundraising opportunities.
Launch
Work towards launching an investor-ready business.
A place to succeed
Have dedicated space in the co-working environment at the premises of ACE.
Compass Cycle 25-26
In numbers
- 7+ Pilots
- 660+ Customers
- 90K+ Users
- 11+ Pivots & new products & services
- 3 Bootcamp trainings
- 6 Progress presentations
- 92 Coaching sessions
- 70 Consulting sessions
- Legal entities: from 4 to 7
- Teams having Clients: from 4 to 8
We help build your ideas into investible, globally scalable startups.
Intensive coaching
Startup coaching is the best way to speed up your progress. Speed, not for the sake of just going faster, but to avoid wasting time on wrong decisions. Our dedicated coaches serve as trusted advisors. Through one-on-one coaching sessions and ongoing support, we empower you to create a go-to-market strategy, craft a solid marketing plan, develop your MVP, achieve profitability, hire the best talent, and build a motivated team.
Business Support & Mentoring from Industry Leaders
We offer a curated network of more than 70 experienced mentors, industry specialists, and entrepreneurs, all eager to volunteer their time to support your business growth journey. By carefully matching your start-up with the most suitable experts, we ensure you receive top-tier structured mentoring and strategic guidance to help your business thrive.
Flexible Office Space and Administrative Support
We offer flexible office space and administrative support to ensure you have everything you need to focus on growing your business.
“Milestone update” Gathering & Community Building
Once every two months, you will present your progress, get unbiased feedback and pose any questions or requests for help. Teams will often pair up to help each other with issues and give each other feedback.
Guest Talks & Seminar Series
You will expand your knowledge of entrepreneurship techniques and frameworks via a seminar series, as well as guest talks by thought leaders on topics of interest such as service design, market research and competition analysis, innovation teams’ management, no code tools & prototype design, financials, sales and pricing strategies, ESG metrics, pitching and storytelling.
Investor-readiness Training and Fundraising opportunities
Our investor track record is impressive – with 10.6M investment raised since 2014. We have strong connections with local funds and angel investment groups, ensuring that you can make those all-important investor connections. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to apply to participate in our annual major investors showcase, Athenian Nexus - Investor Day.
Flexible Office Space and Administrative Support
We offer flexible office space and administrative support to ensure you have everything you need to focus on growing your business.
Access to the Start-for-Future (SFF) Cooperative
By joining the SFF Cooperative, you will be part of a forward-thinking network that offers plenty of opportunities and benefits such as access to an Open Incubator, the SFF platform and comprehensive education programs,
Competition Structure
The competition consists of three main phases, which include the open call period, a series of workshops and deliverables, the coaching and mentoring sessions for all participating teams, as well as the pitching events.
Program timeline
Applications Open
18th of August 2026
End of submissions
18th of September 2026
Team auditions
September 2026
Announcement of qualified teams
28th of September 2026
Bootcamp & Kick-Off Event
17th & 18th of October 2026
Mandatory on-site participation at ACE premises (exact location TBC, Athens)
Coaching & Mentoring
November 2026 – June 2027
Bootcamps
23rd of January & 10th of April 2027
Mandatory on-site participation at ACE premises (exact location TBC, Athens)
Milestone Update Gatherings
December 2026, February 2027 & May 2027
End of Cycle & “Graduation”
June 2027
We offer a curated network of more than 70 experienced mentors, industry specialists, and entrepreneurs, all eager to volunteer their time to support your business growth journey. By carefully matching your start-up with the most suitable experts, we ensure you receive top-tier structured mentoring and strategic guidance to help your business thrive.
Who should apply?
- Innovation driven
The venture must be an innovation-based, may not be a “consulting” (i.e. must have a product or service)
- Functional prototype or mockup
The venture should ideally have a mockup and/or a functional prototype that helps validate the concept and its feasibility.
- Growth potential
The venture must demonstrate a strong potential for significant commercial growth.
- Investment attractive
The venture must demonstrate its potential to attract significant investment for long-term growth
- Team Open to Support
The team involved must be committed and open to outside support and advice