What is NDRC Catalyser?An investment programme for very early stage companies with deep know-how and technology that address a global unmet market need

6 month acceleration programme at NDRC

Up to €100k investment

What are we looking for? Deep know-how and technology, beyond proof of concept that

address a significant unmet market need or problem

Globally scalable product and/or services led propositions

Propositions with strong a commercial and technical team

Potential to be investor ready or revenue sustaining within 6-9 months

Why NDRC? We have guided more companies to investor ready stage

than any other Irish accelerator. Over 180 with approximately 60% in continued operation employing well in excess of 500 people

A strong network and track record with follow on investors. Our investee companies have secured in excess of €110M in follow on investment

Recognised as one of the top 5 accelerators in Europe, our programmes and supports have been refined over the years to provide exactly what a young company needs to bring a great technology to market.

Why NDRC Catalyser Up to €100k investment 6 month intensive, deeply experiential commercially focused

programme Mentoring and access to our networks “Hands on sleeves rolled up approach” from some of the best

mentors in the ecosystem Access to multiple areas of expertise Location & culture – collocated with over 50 start-up

companies Peer to Peer learning

Investment Mechanism Investment is made through a convertible loan The loan converts to equity at later stage investment round at

a discount of 20% to reflect that our investment was made at an earlier stage i.e. higher risk and typically lower valuation

Why use a convertible loan note? Difficult to create realistic valuations for early stage start-

ups Provides a means of raising finance without the need to

establish a valuation therefore reducing the time and effort this entails.

Valuation is effectively postponed until a more realistic basis for valuation is possible

Key Investment Terms Investment is made via a convertible loan agreement Investment is in two tranches - an initial €30k investment and a

second investment of €70k conditional on reaching agreed milestones

Milestones are developed jointly and agreed prior to the programme

The loan converts to equity at the next round at a 20% discount to the round price

Solely for the purposes of converting the loan, a cap of €1.5M and a floor of €500k is applied

Key DatesMarch 31 Open NightApril 1- 6 1:1 Sessions available at NDRC April 6 Application DeadlineApril 8 Pitch Invitations IssuedWeek of April 11 Investment PitchesApril 11 – 20 Additional Information Requests by NDRCApril 26 First Round Offers subject to milestonesMay 13 Agreed MilestonesJune 7 Programme starts

ApplicationProcess• Online form via http://www.ndrc.ie/catalyser/

• Just 10 questions• Once your application is submitted, a Venture Investment

Leader will contact you

• Closing date is April 6 at 5pm

• Don’t wait until the deadline!!

The Pitch• Tell us your story…

• 40 minutes (20 Pitch/20 Q+A)

• One idea per slide

• Be creative

• Content + timings

• Practice, practice, practice

The Pitch• Anchor your Value Proposition

The value to the customer; the unique selling proposition; the innovation

My company [Company Name]is developing [defined offering]

to help [target audience]solve [x problem]

with [y secret sauce]

Unlike the competition, we [differentiation]

The Pitch• Define your problem

The problem of [pain point x] is experienced by [target customer segment; including

customer archetype]and we know this because [results of customer

discovery]

• Describe your solution Focus on BENEFITS to your customers rather than

FEATURES

The Pitch• Market Opportunity

• We hope to see scalability in large global markets• Outline who the customers and users are (they could be

different)• Can you quantify the niche target segment?

The Pitch• Competitors

• Everyone has them… who are yours?• Opportunity to demonstrate you know the market you’re

entering• Position your differentiated offering

The Pitch• Business Model

• How are you going to make money? License fees; one off product purchase; rental; additional

services…

• How will you reach customers? Direct sales force, digital marketing & sales

The Pitch• Team

• Who is the team? Track record & skill sets What makes each team member uniquely qualified to make

the proposition successful

• What’s expertise is missing?

The Pitch• Roadmap

• Major milestones for next 12 months • Customer validation• MVP launch• Product launch• Rollout plan

• Insight into new markets/products/features…

Selection Criteria#1 The Grab

Is the idea compelling? Do they have BHAGs?#2 The Problem

Did they make it clear that there is a big, important problem that they’re going to solve?#3 The Solution

Were they specific about what they’re offering and to whom?#4 The Opportunity

Did they provide basic market segmentation, size, growth and dynamics?#5 The Competitive Advantage

Did they detail why they’re different to the competition?#6 The Model

Did they detail how they are going to generate revenues and from whom?#7 The Team

Did they detail why their team is uniquely qualified to win?#8 The Reality Check

Can they achieve a meaningful milestone in 6-9 months? What are the key risks they face?

Further InformationContact: ventureleaders@ndrc.ie