New accelerator offers a hand to the mature entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is not just for young geeks whizzing by on their electric bikes with dogs in tow, wearing T-shirts as they meet investors and scoop up money and attention. In fact, gray hair and the experience that comes with it can be an asset.

The “Future” accelerator and investment program, set up through a collaboration of private investors and Facebook Israel, is targeting more mature, experienced businessmen and entrepreneurs, not necessarily from the high-tech world, who have some 20 years of proven professional track record in their field of work and a good, undeveloped idea.

The aim is to help these older aspiring entrepreneurs overcome the ever-changing challenges of marketing and development in the era of social media. The program participants will be mentored by marketing and product development gurus from the industry who will give them insights into the knowledge and marketing strategies needed for their products, Future said in a statement.

“When you talk about startups and entrepreneurs, you tend to think of youngsters aged 20 or 30. We want to change that perception,” said Ronny Faivelovitz, who set up the program together with her investor partners. “There are hundreds of 45+ people with a huge amount of experience in business and high tech that set out to new challenges and independent businesses. The program and the fund we have set up will spur and enlarge the circle of the older entrepreneurs and give them the tools to succeed.”

Ronny Faivelovitz, founder of Future, an accelerator for mature entrepreneurs (Courtesy)

The accelerator program will include 12 workshops, run by the backers of the program, in which tools will be provided to help the aspiring entrepreneurs set up a plan for their product. Participants will also have access to personal mentors, which include Facebook’s Tom Laster, Fiverr’s Eli Bogdan, Good Pharm’s Adam Friedler, Yael Shafrir from Playbuzz and other marketing and brand and development managers.

At the end of the program entrepreneurs will pitch their developments to Future investors and a select few will get an investment of $100,000 to develop their project, the statement said.