On November 12, ERA Global concluded the third edition of the Pre-Explore Program with our partner, Teknoloji Yatirim. It was a great pleasure to run the acceleration program with six highly motivated, enthusiastic teams from Turkey.

The Pre-Explore Program was first launched in 2019 by ERA Global at its New York office. The second and third editions took place in a virtual environment through interactive, high-impact sessions with industry experts and entrepreneurs. Each week, companies participated in hands-on workshops, mentor meetings, 1-1 office hours, and pitch practice sessions. In six weeks, companies participated in 17 workshops which covered fundraising in the US, pricing B2B Saas platforms, US immigration and visas, B2B sales, and doing business in the US. Companies also had access to three virtual ERA events. 

All companies refined their pitch content and delivery each week with the Global team and workshop guests. Guests were business executives, investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs, who engaged with the companies and provided pointed feedback on each of their pitches. The Global team also tracked each company’s KPIs throughout the program during report-outs to the group. 

A key aspect of the program was the weekly lead mentor meetings. The Global team strategically matched each company to a lead mentor, who are individuals with extensive background and expertise that correspond with the company’s industry and needs. For an hour each week, lead mentors worked on all aspects of the company with a special focus on each of their needs.

On November 10, each company pitched to an audience that tuned in from all over the world, including Italy, Turkey, Japan, Spain, and the US. 

All six companies, listed below, made strides during the 6-week accelerator program. 

• Arvia, a live video communication platform that allows consumers to see products in real-time and communicate with a sales representative, bringing a physical store experience online, ultimately increasing sales conversion.
• AtlasOffice, the metaverse for enterprises to boost intra-company engagement.
• Cameralyze, a no-code computer platform that uses existing cameras to analyze and improve efficiency for businesses. 
• ConectoHub, a platform for fast-growing scaleups that combines both OKRs (objectives and key results) and work management in one platform.
• PulpoAR, a virtual try-on solution for beauty brands that delivers realism and precision through AI and AR.
• VRLab Academy, an educational software company with over 200+ laboratory science experiments in virtual reality. 
  

The cohort gained valuable insights into the US market by interacting with investors and fellow entrepreneurs, in addition to making key connections via ERA Global to expand their US network. One company shared that they had struggled with sales, and one workshop session with ERA Global was worth insights from 50 meetings combined. Another company closed two deals in the US during the 6-week program. Through their learnings from workshops on scaling and fundraising, companies changed their business in ways that helped them gain investments and customers in their home countries, as well. Overall, the founders gained strong conviction that the US was the next target for them and that the program accelerated their next step forward.

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