Rise Start-Up Academy
Applications are closed, register your interest for future dates
Rise Start-Up Academy equips you with skills and tools to help you get fit for market. Here you’ll think about your entire business and all its moving parts, learn to pitch for funding, grow your customer base, and launch with confidence.
Continue to refine your MVP, explore pricing, and develop an understanding of business model dynamics.
The Academy is built around a set schedule and key learning milestones. You’ll have access to a range of modules, a wealth of exclusive content, and a community of like-minded individuals with whom you can share challenges whilst you support each other.
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The Basics
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Rise Start-Up Academy is a 10-week digital programme that equips you with skills and tools to help you get fit for market and transition from proposition to launch. Here you’ll think about your entire business and all its moving parts, learn to pitch for funding, grow your customer base and launch with confidence.
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The programme is entirely virtual, meaning you can learn from anywhere. You will just need a laptop and Wi-Fi to access the weekly workshops and dedicated support available through the programme. Note that all verbal and written communications are in English.
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Over 10 weeks, you will access the skills, tools and resources to help you take your start-up to market. With other like-minded founders, you’ll:
- Learn from anywhere: 24/7 access to your curriculum, benefit from the structure of weekly modules and bite-sized videos to help you gain the tools and mindset to build your business.
- Learn by doing: Through weekly activities and live workshops, keep yourself accountable by applying, testing and building on what you’ve learned.
- Learn as a community: Build your network with a cohort of like-minded fintech founders and growth experts so you can share your experiences, challenges and opportunities. -
Once applications close for the Rise Start-Up Academy, then all completed applications will be reviewed by the Rise Academies team. We will email applicants to let you know if you have/have not been successful. If you have been successful we will let you know the next steps you need to take to register for the programme. Successful applicants will receive detailed information on how to get started.
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Programme Details
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The programme covers all you need to successfully get ready to launch your business and start achieving early traction. You’ll cover topics such as pricing, sales generation, growth marketing, business model dynamics, leadership and team development, and financial modelling.
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Participants will benefit from a collection of products and services that are highly demanded by entrepreneurs, including Amazon Web Service (AWS), HubSpot for start-ups, 7Cups, Rooney Law and Accelerate Law.
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Time to celebrate your achievements. You will have the opportunity to showcase your business and practice your pitch by pitching to the Academies Team and getting feedback from experts. We encourage you to keep learning as you will have access to the online content for 6 months post-programme. You will also be invited to join the Rise Academies alumni network, allowing you to continue to connect with like-minded individuals.
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Programme Applicants
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Individuals or teams from Europe (including the UK), the US and Canada. You can articulate your vision on how you’re rethinking the traditional approach to finance and are committed to learning a new set of skills to launch your business and go to market.
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The Rise Start-up Academy is best suited for early-stage fintech founders with a team of up to 4 people, who have a validated idea and are ready to take their business to market. You’ve secured, or are securing, your first customers and looking for pre-seed or early-seed stage funding in the next 12 months. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to identifying successful founders/ideas, in terms of age, education, work experience or geographical location.
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Programme Leadership
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The Rise Start-Up Academy is delivered to you by Rise, created by Barclays and Rainmaking. Committed to being the catalyst for change in financial services we have teamed up to support your entrepreneurial growth. To ensure you can access our support flexibly, the Rise Start-Up Academy content will be delivered online through ASPIRE, Rainmaking’s’ digital learning and development platform.
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Rise, created by Barclays is the #HomeofFinTech and is on a mission to connect technology, talent and trends and to accelerate innovation and growth in the financial services industry. Rise allows cutting-edge FinTech start-ups and scale-ups to connect, create and scale their businesses, backed by Barclays’ global network of industry experts, mentors, investors and partners. Rainmaking has been heavily involved in supporting people launch new businesses for more than 100 years collectively. We wish you the best of luck on your next step to building your business!
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Is the Rise Start-Up Academy the best fit for you?
You're a fintech founder of an early-stage start-up with a team of up to 4.
You’ve validated your idea and have secured, or are securing, your first customers and looking for pre-seed or early-seed stage funding in the next 12 months.
You're based in the US, Canada, Europe or UK.
Applications are currently closed. Register your interst for our future cohort.
Rise Start-Up Academy alumni
"So proud to have been part of this programme and this community. Your support made a huge difference!"
Jonathan Neumann, Founder of Climataa
"Participating in the Rise Start-Up Academy programme was a fantastic experience for Zeed. It provided us with invaluable practical knowledge with guidance from experienced mentors, programme managers and fellow participants."
Rohan Regmi, Co-Founder of Zeed
"Being a part of the Rise Start-Up Academy at our early stage not only gave us the knowledge and education to build as a business, it also opened up the entire Rise fintech ecosystem to us as a network. Hugely beneficial!"
Sonal Bagga, Founder and CEO of Namma