This document provides information about the Diogenes Incubator and its services for innovative startups. It lists the strategic business services offered, including business planning, mentoring, coaching, marketing, networking, funding access, office space, and legal/accounting support. It highlights some successful startups that were facilitated by the incubator, with many products in international markets and patents. The document promotes Cyprus's growing entrepreneurship ecosystem, including business incubators, research centers, competitions, networking groups and funding schemes. It emphasizes the importance of passion, talking to customers, failing fast and getting traction for startups.

1. Connect – The Introduction. Larnaca
12/04/2013
Stavriana A. Kofteros
CEO

2. Diogenes Mission ‐ Services
Strategic Business Management
Facilitate the 
 Business Planning
creation of  Mentoring
 Coaching
innovative  Marketing / Sales
startups  Networking
 Funding Access, Funds Sourcing
 Ad hoc Technical Support
 Accommodation [Furnished Office, lab leasing,
access to broadband internet, telephone, office
equipment, meeting rooms facilities…]
 Back Office Support [Secretarial and Reception
Services]
 Legal, Accounting / Taxation expertise
 Project, Contract, Financial Management

3. SAFE. www.bio‐merge.com
www.armes‐tech.com
www.viscientific.com
www.diogenes‐incubator.com

4.  Highly innovative startups on a global scale
 International sales
 International patents
 54+ products in international markets
27 patents (international)

5. • Innovative Startups (loan): JEREMIE, PROGRESS
• Entrepreneurial Innovation
Schemes • Change of Culture Initiated
• Cyprus Entrepreneurship • Open Coffee Cyprus
Competition • Cypriot Enterprise Link
• Business Incubators • Hack Cyprus
• Research Centers • Startup Grind Cyprus
• Research Programs • Cyprus Startup Digest
• World class research results • Startup Cyprus Initiative
• Youth & Women • Connect
Entrepreneurship Schemes
• Micro‐funding Schemes

6. Thank God.

11. Make Your Future

12. Do you speak Startup?
Serious Fun. Seriously.

13.  Innovation Planet
 We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll
want to lick them
 Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a
follower
 Talent in Team
 They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me
is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple?
 Perseverance
 We went to Hewlett‐Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we
don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet
Steve Jobs
Chairman, Apple

14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAB83Z1ydE

15. Passion of CEO is the single differentiator
between doing ok and doing well

16. Be the aspirin.

17.  world class product (whatever it is)
 have fun doing it
 in a business area or segment that is at
its “ground floor” and in its infancy
 Value proposition
Be the aspirin for the
customer’s headache
MIT, EDP

18. Don’t fall in love with the technology.
Fall in love with the customer

19. Be a Pig.

21. 3. Team up. Get co‐founders.
4. Evangelize idea.
5. Get great Mentors.
6. Public speaking training.
7. Pitch. Pitch. Pitch.
8. Network. Network. Network

22.  TALK.TO.THE.CUSTOMER.
 Write /Revise BP.
 Do Not Self ‐ Fulfill (your) prophecies.
 There is always competition.
 Build the product fast.
 Test it.
 Fail Fast. Re‐build. Retest.
 Get Traction.
Lean Startup Methodology

27.  Same everywhere
 SV: Just because there are VC funds doesn’t mean
they will fund your start‐up
 Silicon Valley update ‐ 8:10 do not get funded
 VCs don’t really jump to invest in early stage….
 Funder of Pandora.com got rejected by 300 investors…
 Plan to build your company without any outside
investment Bootstrap
 Then maybe you are ready to speak to potential
investors

28. 1. Apply for Crowd‐funding (e.g. kickstarter)
2. Get a Loan from 3Fs
3. Apply to Startup Chile…!
4. Use your Credit Cards 
5. Start Side Projects
Money shouldn’t be an objection when you’re starting a company. Be creative.
Carlos Solorio, Founder of Arden Reed, a custom menswear company.
http://under30ceo.com/5‐creative‐ways‐raise‐money‐without‐giving‐equity/

30.  Co founders fight
 They cant build their initial spec
 No one will fund their idea
 Too few people buy/use the product
Steve Blank

31. Most startups fail
from lack of customers
not from failure of product development
Steve Blank

32.  Teach'nGo
 the first Cypriot startup selected to participate in an international
acceleration program Startupbootcamp Amsterdam
 Teach'nGo is an online Student Management System for private tutors
and small schools which gives teachers the ability to manage their
physical and online students all in one place
 Manage your students, payments and teachers
 Access your information online from any computer, tablet or smartphone
 Parents and students can log‐in and view their information online
 Manage payments, issue receipts and view payment reports
 Offer downloadable lessons to students who can pay online
 Organize course material digitally
www.teachngo.com

33. http://www.cycrete‐mentor.eu/lms/
… http://steveblank.com/books‐for‐startups/

34. Startup Cyprus Initiative
www.opencoffeecyprus.org
www.diogenes‐incubator.com
http://startupdigest.com/cyprus

36. BE
THE
CHANGE.
BE
CRAZY.

37. Thank you
skofteros@diogenes.com.cy