We joined UpNext by Dreamups — here's our 6-month plan
UpNext is a 6-month traction accelerator in Moldova that helps tech startups grow faster with hands-on mentoring, access to investors, workspace, and funding opportunities (up to €25k). It's run by Dreamups and focuses on practical execution, not theory.
The program selects a small cohort (typically five teams) and surrounds them with mentors, experts, and a supportive community geared toward scale.
In recent editions, founders work with resident mentors and 30+ experts on growth, go-to-market, and investment readiness.
What UpNext includes:
- Mentoring & experts: Weekly expert sessions on targeted topics, plus 1:1 mentor hours to keep us unblocked and moving.
- Investor access & demo: Regular pitch practice with feedback, a public launch moment, and a Demo Day at the end.
- Workspace & tools: A dedicated coworking environment and an organized toolkit for collaboration (Slack, Zoom; Dreamups uses an offline/onsite format for UpNext).
- Funding pathway: UpNext is positioned with funding up to €25k for the cohort, alongside active investor exposure.
How we'll work week to week
Based on our internal program timeline, here's the cadence we'll follow across the six months:
- Expert Sessions (weekly): Deep dives on a specific topic (e.g., positioning, pricing, sales systems, analytics, hiring).
- Founder Talks / Investor Guests (every ~3 weeks): Short, practical sessions with founders and investors who share what actually worked for them.
- Group Hour — founders only (weekly): A closed space to compare progress, share obstacles, and borrow working playbooks.
- Group Office Hours — founders & mentors (every ~2 weeks): Hands-on work on experiments, funnels, and product priorities.
- 1-to-1 Mentor Hours (weekly): Individual guidance on our growth levers and blockers.
- Pitch Practice (ongoing): Iterative improvement of our story, metrics, and Q&A ahead of investor meetings and Demo Day.
We'll keep participation full-time, ship deliverables per topic, and track against oursix-month goals in a clear dashboard.
Tools & workspace: We'll coordinate in Slack/Zoom and use the assigned coworking space for focus days, mentor sessions, and check-ins. (Exact venues/tools may vary by cohort, but the format remains structured and offline-first.)
Our six-month journey
Phase 1 — Onboarding & Goals
- • Define our single top growth objective and baseline metrics.
- • Prioritize customer segments and set up the reporting cadence.
- • Book 1:1 mentor slots and lock the weekly routine.
Phase 2 — Product-Market Fit Signals
- • Tighten ICP, value proposition, and messaging.
- • Fix must-have product gaps that block adoption or retention.
- • Start 2–3 traction experiments (activation, conversion, or expansion).
Phase 3 — Go-to-Market Focus
- • Test channels (partnerships, outbound, inbound content, events).
- • Build a repeatable sales process (qualify → demo → close → onboard).
- • Document playbooks; track CAC payback and time-to-value.
Phase 4 — Scale Readiness
- • Optimize onboarding, SLAs, and support automation.
- • Strengthen analytics (dashboards, cohort views, retention).
- • Prepare the investor data room (metrics, pipeline, legal basics).
Phase 5 — Launch & Investor Prep
- • Public announcement/PR and customer references.
- • Formal pitch reviews with mentors and guest investors.
- • Set up follow-up meetings and a target investor list.
Phase 6 — Demo Day & Next Steps
- • Deliver a crisp, numbers-first pitch.
- • Convert investor Bravint into meetings.
- • Publish our six-month results and the 12-month execution plan.
What we expect to achieve
By graduation, we want to show clear traction: higher conversion rates, faster sales cycles, and stronger retention. We also aim to leave with a repeatable go-to-market motion, ready to scale. These outcomes are the core promise of UpNext's traction-first design.
Why we chose UpNext
UpNext is Moldova's traction-focused accelerator with a tight cohort, deep mentor bench, and an execution rhythm that matches the way we build. For us, it's the fastest way to pressure-test our roadmap, grow smarter, and get investment-ready.
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Follow our UpNext journey
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