Note: This was written on November 6th before we rebranded to foundercentre.
"Time2Fund is the matching business tool everyone in the startup space needs."
Where did Time2Fund come from and why are we so confident it's the tool that you need to progress on either your startup journey or to use to find your next big deal?
Throughout this blog, we detail where the idea for Time2Fund came from, its importance in the startup space and how we see it developing in the future.
The Founding
What was the inspiration that sparked the idea for Time2Fund? Why is there a need for a platform like Time2Fund?
The idea of Time2Fund came from working in multiple startups at university. Some of the businesses were fortunate to get to the stage of raising pre-seed and seed capital, however every time we experienced the same problems.
It was too time-consuming
It was too expensive
We didn't have an existing network of investors to go to
We thought to ourselves; there must be a better way to do this. This is where Time2Fund was born.
We know that every founder has the same problems when it comes to fundraising and there are always running jokes about it.
But no one focused on fixing the problem.
They only saw the problem from a biased perspective.
Time2Fund was born as a new generation in the startup ecosystem to allow a global barrier-free network between founders, investors, incubators and accelerators. People should have the ability to connect globally with the click of a button. Ideas should be encouraged to grow, not removed at the roots.
How did the idea evolve from its initial concept to the current state of the platform?
The idea has always been to have a "dating app-esque" platform, taking inspiration from how well Hinge and Tinder work. In the beginning, we envisioned matching only founders with investors. During our continual market research, we heard the want for:
A directory of incubators and accelerators that we can apply to like with the investors.
Incubators and accelerators also being able to process the applications in this more time-efficient way.
Founders match with other founders, allowing them to ask questions to others in a similar position and foster the community feel.
These will all be in the MVP launching in December '23!
The Importance
What value does the 'eligibility matching' bring to founders, incubators, investors, and other stakeholders?
The 'eligibility matching' allows all parties to seamlessly order and filter their potential matches based on what they are looking for.
Is the counterpart not being located in the South West a deal breaker? Are you looking for someone who is active or has expertise in a specific field? All of this is accounted for in the 'eligibility matching' and represented as a percent.
No more time or money spent looking for the perfect matches. Time2Fund does it all for you for FREE.
In what ways does Time2Fund democratise access to fundraising opportunities, especially for underrepresented or novice founders?
Fundraising has always had the pre-built barriers founded of "who you know". These "prerequisites" can be incredibly discouraging to those who don't already have connections in the industry.
By creating a no-barriers, FREE platform, all ideas are on an even level with equal opportunity for success.
At Time2Fund, no matter your background or location, you can get your idea in front of those best suited to make it a reality.
Meet the Team
Both meeting at University, our friendship allowed us to build a strong partnership as co-founders where we came to support each other's strengths and weaknesses. We shared a passion for the social drive of challenging the existing way fundraising and networking is done.
Aj being a dental student who worked with multiple startups, and with Oli being a data scientist, the skill-set worked very synergistically in identifying a key gap in the market and developing a solution for this.
Our mission statement at Time2Fund is:
"To bridge the gap between Founders, Investors, Incubators and Accelerators, by cultivating a barrier-free fundraising community. We're committed to levelling the playing field, ensuring that passionate innovators, whether from deprived regions or privileged backgrounds, have equal opportunities to thrive."
Looking Forwards
How does Time2Fund plan to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the startup ecosystem?
We've been overwhelmed with the support and feedback we've received from founders, incubators, accelerators and investors at in-person events (like rebel meetups) and through our online outreach.
By leaning into this network and listening to their needs, as we have so far, and keeping up to date with developments in the startup space, we believe we'll be able to guide Time2Fund in whatever direction our members need to maximise its use and their chances of success.
Are there any upcoming features, tools, or partnerships that users can look forward to?
All the features that we've talked about so far will be in our MVP soft launch in December '23! For a while after this, we will not be looking at implementing any major changes until the base model is running seamlessly.
After this, however, we have plans to create a marketplace for professionals to offer their services and match with founders based on “eligibility matching”.
Regarding partnerships, we have a lot of great founders and big names in the startup we are in talks with around partnering for blogs (and maybe even a podcast) that we are very excited to share with you!
Are you a founder with a story to tell? Get in touch with us at info@time2fund.com
Want more insights into the startup ecosystem? Join Time2Fund today and be part of our thriving community! We always love to hear your thoughts and suggestions so if you have any queries please feel free to contact the team today or email info@time2fund.com
We look forward to building with you,
The Time2Fund Team
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