Access Accelerate

Platform for Start-up Programs

Overview

Access Accelerate is a platform which aims to connect start-ups with accelerator programs and provide all the tools necessary for start-ups to grow and succeed. The platform will also provide in-house messaging and video calls exclusively on one platform so start-up founders and their teams do not have to use softwares like Zoom and Slack to connect. Everything will be in one place.

In todays start-up scene, many founders find it difficult to launch or grow their start-up since they lack all the tools needed and the guidance to navigate. There has been no platform to date that solves this ongoing problem. As such, the idea of creating Access was born. Access provides NINE different platforms which cater to start-ups. Some of the other Access platforms which will launch soon include Access Talent (for finding top talent), Access Core (for start-up resources) and Access Network (exclusively for networking).

This platform aims to fully launch next year alongside all the other Access products.

Check out the Access Landing Page:

https://accessthefuture.io/

Role

UX/UI Designer within a team of stakeholders
User Research, Stakeholder Interviews, Interaction, Visual Design, Prototyping & Testing

June 2021 - December 2021
‍

Goals

💻 To design a platform which allows start-ups to find and apply to accelerator programs as well as get in to these programs to grow their start-up
🔍 To help accelerator programs find the best candidates and fully run their program from the Access Accelerate platform
💰 To monetize the services provided off the Access Accelerate platform
✏️ To design a platform which is user friendly and has a beautiful UI
‍

Problem Statement

In the current start-up environment, it is difficult to accelerate, expand and continue to run your start-up. The lack of available tools and guidance for start-up founders and teams are one of the main reasons as to why. This problem has also been the reason why many start-ups fail in the first two years.
Access Accelerate and other Access products aim to resolve this problem by creating a first of its kind platform with everything a start-up needs to grow and continue to run. As of now, there has been no such product which attempts to resolve and accomplish what Access does.

Below are some User Pain Points (directly from start-ups, founders and start-up accelerators) from our research which have helped us guide this project.
‍
USER PAIN POINTS
1️⃣ I cannot find much valuable information on how to run a start-up after it launches
2️⃣ Finding great accelerator programs is not as easy as it sounds
3️⃣ Applying for accelerator programs is complicated because I have to input a lot of information and even input repeated information again
4️⃣ There are too many different platforms we have to use to run our start-up (i.e. zoom, slack, google docs, etc.) --> it would be nice to be able to use less platforms and softwares
5️⃣ It is difficult to find the best candidates for accelerator programs
6️⃣ There are too many applications to go through when selecting candidates for accelerator programs

Process
‍

User Problem

“Sarah, the founder of the start-up “Healthy Handz”, struggles to keep her company on track and running for her 2nd year in the business. She is not sure where to find the best resources to train her new hires. The whole process has been extremely overwhelming”.
‍
Access Accelerate and other Access products aim to help founders like Sarah by providing a one-stop platform for all their start-up needs.

User Research

To gather user insights, I conducted stakeholder interviews with founders of start-ups and recorded their past experiences plus pain points.
The interviews were done through Google Meet and over the phone due to COVID-19.
These interviews were about 1-2 hours. Some interviews had to be broken up due to time limits.

What I Can Conclude from the Data

While analyzing the recorded answers from the interviews, there were some conclusions that should be highlighted.
These include that start-ups do not have many allocated resources or platforms that make it easier for them to grow or learn from. Many founders find themselves lost throughout the journey and unfortunately, go under because of lack of guidance, training and resource.
Surprisingly, we learnt from our market research that no one else has made a product as unique as this. This is due to the fact that a product like this can be difficult to make because of research, time and high costs. Time and high costs were problems we also had but these were resolved through expansion of the team and funding rounds.

Sketches

Access Accelerate

Want to work together?