Copyright 2008-2023 Startup Port. All information, processes, programs and concept described herein are proprietary to and copyrighted material of Startup Port. Startup Port and Sprint 90 are registered marks. All rights reserved. Copying or use of the contents of this page in any form are strictly prohibited.
Our goal is to eliminate “reinventing the wheel”, by leveraging all the essential/key knowledge accumulated by our multiple serial entrepreneurs/advisors over the years and by using to connect all this “experiential knowledge” with the best existing “proven” methodologies to build a self-sufficient business from “nothing to success” in a short period of time.
How it all started
Everything started with a simple question almost ten years ago: “If incubators and accelerators are so good, how come we have 75 to 90 percent startup failures?”
From this simple question we created a “startup as a shared service” platform based on creating a collaborative ecosystem that provides a total support package to entrepreneurs and founders, plus our co-foundry process. All supported by our propriety “Sprint 90”© program.
Built by true entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs
Startup Port® was founded in 2008 and has been providing venture development solutions for early-stage entrepreneurs for a decade. Our hybrid support platform was designed to create real impact and execution value.
We are a collective of subject matter experts passionate about seeing the Chicago startup community thrive. We realize that startups must defy any number of odds to get to where they want to be. And to do that, they need crucial resources given by people who have a stake in their success.
So, we offer a comprehensive process that goes from ideation to commercialization, spearheaded by people who understand business. Our goal: to fill in the gaps startups have in terms of talent, skill, know-how, and good connections. If you want to fast-track your business launch, we can help!
Our Vision
Startup Port® empowers founders to adapt and keep pace in a startup world that is evolving at an exponential pace. We locate and work with the companies of the future, who want to improve the quality of life for their target audiences.
Our Mission
Startup Port® helps clients manage the accelerated pace of the startup industry by identifying emerging technology, analyzing the implications, and offering effective solutions that create value and growth.
Our values are driven by our founders and their support Teams all lifelong successful entrepreneurs with over three decades of successful business expertise.
Creating Your Startup Ecosystem & Journey In Three Steps
Our customized and proprietary startup strategy starts with three core elements, designed to empower your business and create an environment for success.
1. Join The Sprint 90® Program
Our comprehensive and proprietary signature program, Sprint 90®, helps your business go all the way from idea stage to a functioning reality. Think of it as a roadmap for success on an accelerated process schedule. We work with a small, select group of qualified startups all the way through the launch process, addressing challenging problems, management gaps and fundraising issues. It’s a competitive program with a proven track record.
2. Utilize Our Network of Experts
We understand that a business often begins as a founder’s passion. But actually bringing that passion to fruition requires new knowledge and skill sets. That’s why we make key experiential knowledge available to our clients! Our experts have been through the process many times before, and can help shepherd new startups through any initial challenges. Whether you need legal, financial, marketing, or other kinds of help, we can offer seasoned subject-matter experts to see you through.
3. Draw From A Universe of Resources
Launching a business requires a broad knowledge base and the tools to move forward despite the obstacles in your way. Startup Port® offers access to documents, articles, books, and other resources that give you an advantage in the marketplace. What’s more, we can provide a dedicated planning space that allows startups to develop businesses in a nurturing environment that meets your needs.
How we do it?
Startup success requires a lot of vision, planning and knowledge. You’ve got the vision in spades, of course. As for the planning – you’re willing to put in the hard work! But you’re realizing that you have some subject matter gaps. And you don’t want to be among the 90 percent of new startups that fail.
That’s where we come in. Creating a sustainable startup requires skill sets that not every visionary has in equal amounts. So, we at Startup Port® help you understand where your strengths and weaknesses are. Then, we provide the resources necessary to fill your “gaps” for business success. You don’t have to make this journey alone – we can help you!
- Collaboration centers, East-West (Global not Local)
Set in downtown Chicago, Startup Port® is our physical ecosystem hub. We work with experienced advisors and entrepreneurs who contribute real value each day. We don’t just host, but actively engage (with “skin in the game” approach) with our large tech and innovation community. But we also have other centers globally that provide added value and separate insights from other international perspectives.
- We Use Proprietary Practices
The principals of our firm are thought-leaders and centers-of-expertise related to the disciplines of business launches and strategic development. As a result, based on our deep knowledge, we have developed sets of proprietary best practices (Our black-box) that are employed within each realm of our process and strategic advisory work. These practices produce superior outcomes and advisory results for our clients.
- We Use Strategic Engineering Expertise
Our “black-box” allows us to identify the optimal modification to any company’s existing customer value proposition entailing the best risk/return profile for that company. This increases the value of a company. Our “purple ocean” approach is proprietary. This expertise is the heart of our strategic advisory offerings, aside from our transaction preparation activities (aligning with founder and investor preferences), and central to achieving exceptional financial results.
- We Are Successful Entrepreneurs
Each of Startup Port® principals and partners is a successful entrepreneur within their specialty ecosystem, and this is meaningful because in order to achieve success, a better solution needs to be provided, aside from the belief, conviction and courage behind the solution. Also, Startup Port®’s principals and partners have built and sold their own businesses so we possess a special empathy for our clients. As a result, our Team brings deep expertise and special care and experience exceeding traditional advisory and consulting services.
- Partner network
Hundreds of ecosystem partners are our feet on the ground in every community across the globe. These other co-foundries, universities, investment groups, shared services partners and other groups are critical components to offering world-class opportunities for our enterprises and entrepreneurs.
- Subject Matter Experts-Our Catalysts
A core group of 30+ (and growing) seasoned executives and business owners provide insights, ideas and intuition as they help build and innovate with our startups. Hundreds of other experts stand ready when their specific skills are needed for key operating advisory opportunities.
- Co-foundry and Co-working Labs
Co-Labs bring the entirety of the startup ecosystem players – enterprises, ventures, capital, government and more – together to share and work collaboratively and to create sustainable growth across the spectrum.
- Better and faster together
Our expertly curated (with subject matter advisors) network collaborates to fuel better solutions for everyone involved. Your efforts are multiplied by the power in numbers and expert thinkers working alongside you.
- No More middle-man
Startups don’t need the middle-men and intermediaries to achieve success. In order for startups to succeed they need to have advisors, interim management level support that have “skin in the game”. We align partners and drive collaboration to help startups grow into a sustainable business.
- Connecting all the dots
Our whole is greater than the sum of our parts for scaling! Our ecosystems contribute across the board an unparalleled value.
Why we are so different? In fact, we are unique!
We are Farmers and Hunters!
The typical consultant, mentor and accelerator gets involved just as an “outsider” providing some template solutions, and engages a process whose practices have not changed in a long time. As a result, some might provide good results, but not optimal results. If they were so good, how come 75 to 90 percent of startups fail?
We have “skin in the game”. We are your partner at the very inception of our relationship. We help your startup become aligned for success with minimal risk and achieve fast growth to increase its value while executing all critical strategic supporting roles. We help you navigate and act as your special advisory board. This is our farmer’s role.
Then, at the right time and in the right form we execute your funding event. We use proprietary practices related to every step of a more efficacious process, and our special insight about your company and its potential to achieve the best possible transaction result. This is our hunter’s role.
We have changed traditional startup support thinking. We have made it better. We are a next-generation trusted advisor that will produce the very best outcomes that your success, courage and hard work deserve.
We are:
Good For Startup Ventures:
- Ability to partner with each other
- Connection to the best subject matter experts and advisors
- Early access to customers and strategic capital
Good For Corporations and Investors:
- Access to vetted and screened ready startups
- Window to new opportunities, partners and prospect vendors
- Connection to unique teams to co-develop new technology across the globe
Read on, and find-out how we are able to accomplish what we say.
Our Flagship Sprint 90® method
Business Gap assessment
We begin with a series of questionnaires and interviews that provide deep dive view of the team, operation, organization, model, financial and strategic information (data) about the status and stage of the startup. Thereafter, we assess this information, along with evaluating a company’s industry, its dynamics and the likely future preferences of customers. This proprietary process highlights all the “gaps” of the company. This leads to ranking all of the “build propositions” and extrapolating the best proposition(s) in the manner so described. A company will be afforded with an optimal “build plan model” by filling the “gaps” with our subject matter experts as Operating Advisors to increase its value. Upon completing the gap assessment screening and vetting, the process takes three months to complete.
Market fit + Market validation
- Align your business model and product roadmap with market needs
- Prioritize your technology and product development plan
- Accelerate your sales process with enterprises
- Apply your technology to problems in new industries
Access strategic capital
- Get the funding you need with the control you want
- Collaboration with enterprises, not just funding
- Maintain independence while receiving guidance
- Secure strategic capital to scale
Co-develop and incubate with subject matter experts
- Build your business with access to the customers you need
- Obtain customer feedback to build a better product faster
- Access industry expertise from catalysts and deep dive advisors
- Develop products that solve real industry challenges
Accelerate pilots and customer acquisition
- Cut through red tape to effectively implement and execute
- Shorten your sales cycle
- Leverage pilots to validate use cases and iterate
- Drive traction and scale your engagement
So, What Next?
If you want to mitigate the risks of starting a new business and exceed your startup goals, you need the three R – Reliability, Responsibility, and Respectability in your journey. And you need a program strictly tailored to your individual goals. Contact us today to find out how we can provide all that for you.
Warning: Copyright 2008-2023 Startup Port. All information, processes, programs and concept described herein are proprietary to and copyrighted material of Startup Port. Startup Port and Sprint 90 are registered marks. All rights reserved. Copying or use of the contents of this page in any form are strictly prohibited.