12 weeks.
Investor-ready.
Then you pitch live.
A structured online accelerator built around the Palooza pitch. AI-powered feedback, weekly mentor sessions, and a guaranteed live pitch slot. 2% equity. No cash fees.
Built around the live Palooza pitch.
Most accelerators end with a demo day. The Palooza Accelerator ends with a live one-to-one pitch with an investor inside an iconic environment — an elevator, a stadium, a pool, a rooftop. Every week of the curriculum is engineered backwards from that night.
The programme runs fully online through the Palooza platform — curriculum, AI feedback, mentor sessions, video pitch reviews and your live cap table all sit in one workspace. The live pitch happens in person at the booked Palooza event.
Pitch craft
Distil your story into the most powerful 30, 60 and 180-second versions. Every founder leaves with three rehearsed pitches.
AI feedback loops
Upload deck, video pitch and financial model — get structured, line-by-line feedback from the Palooza AI coach within minutes, every week.
Financials & funding
Build an investor-ready model: cap table, runway, unit economics, fundraise plan. Templates you can ship straight into a data room.
Mentor sessions
Weekly group coaching with operators and investors from the Palooza network. Plus on-demand office hours through the platform.
Investor readiness
Diligence checklist, term-sheet literacy, data-room build, warm intros from the Palooza investor database when you're ready.
Live pitch slot
Every graduating founder is guaranteed a pitch slot at a live Palooza event — elevator, pool, stadium or wherever the next one runs.
Everything you need to get to investor-ready.
- 12 weeks of structured online curriculum
- Weekly group mentor sessions with operators & investors
- AI-powered feedback on deck, video pitch and financial model
- Cap table, financial model and data-room templates
- Private founder cohort community
- Pitch coaching: 30s, 60s and 3-minute versions
- Guaranteed live pitch slot at a Palooza event
- Warm introductions to the Palooza investor database
- Lifetime alumni access to future Palooza networks
- Optional 1:1 pitch rehearsal in the week before your event
Where we're honest about scope.
- ×Cash investment — Palooza takes equity, not gives it (live events handle capital)
- ×Visa or legal services — referrals available through partner network
- ×Guarantee of investment — outcomes depend on your pitch and traction
A self-paced paid programme from £149 covering the fundamentals. Re-apply to the accelerator when you've shipped.
A week-by-week build to your live pitch.
Six phases, twelve weeks, one live event at the end. Each week ships an artefact — deck, model, video pitch — graded by AI and reviewed live.
Story, problem, market
- Define the one-sentence problem statementDefine the one-sentence problem statement
- Map the market: TAM / SAM / SOM with sourcesMap the market: TAM / SAM / SOM with sources
- Submit V0 deck for AI feedbackSubmit V0 deck for AI feedback
Product & traction
- Product narrative: what it is, who it's for, why now
- Traction artefacts: cohort retention, revenue, pipeline
- Live mentor session — operator panel
Business model & unit economics
- CAC, LTV, payback, gross margin walk-throughCAC, LTV, payback, gross margin walk-through
- Pricing experiments and channel testsPricing experiments and channel tests
- Submit unit-economics one-pagerSubmit unit-economics one-pager
The 30-second pitch
- Hook, problem, solution, ask — in 30 seconds flat
- Record V1 video pitch into the platform
- Peer review with two cohort founders
The 60-second Palooza pitch
- Build the canonical Palooza pitch — green-exit outcome includedBuild the canonical Palooza pitch — green-exit outcome included
- Live group rehearsal with mentor on cameraLive group rehearsal with mentor on camera
- AI feedback on tone, pacing, body languageAI feedback on tone, pacing, body language
The 3-minute investor pitch
- Longer-form pitch for boardroom and Zoom intros
- Q&A drilling: top 20 objections with model answers
- Submit V2 deck for review
Financial model build
- Drop in the Palooza model template and customiseDrop in the Palooza model template and customise
- Three-year projections, scenario toggles, hiring planThree-year projections, scenario toggles, hiring plan
- Mentor review session — finance operatorMentor review session — finance operator
Cap table & dilution
- Pre-/post-money mechanics, option pools, SAFE vs priced
- Build your live cap table in the platform
- Round-sizing workshop
Data room & diligence
- Assemble the standard investor data roomAssemble the standard investor data room
- Diligence checklist — legal, financial, commercialDiligence checklist — legal, financial, commercial
- Common red flags and how to pre-empt themCommon red flags and how to pre-empt them
Term sheets & negotiation
- Read a term sheet line by line
- Liquidation preference, anti-dilution, board control
- Negotiation role-play with investor mentors
Palooza dress rehearsal
- Full run-through of your live Palooza pitchFull run-through of your live Palooza pitch
- On-camera coaching · final tweaks · backup answersOn-camera coaching · final tweaks · backup answers
- Optional 1:1 rehearsal slot with a Palooza coachOptional 1:1 rehearsal slot with a Palooza coach
Pitch night & graduation
- Live Palooza pitch in the booked environment
- Green exit: investor conversation · Red exit: feedback & re-pitch route
- Alumni induction · introductions to the investor database
From application to pitch night in four moves.
- 01Apply online
Submit your one-pager, short founder video and the link to your product. We review weekly.
- 02Screening call
30-minute call with a Palooza partner to align on stage, ambition and which cohort fits.
- 03Sign & onboard
Sign the 2% equity agreement, get platform access, meet your cohort and mentors.
- 0412 weeks · then pitch
Run the programme. Pitch live at the next Palooza event. Graduate into the alumni network.
Things founders ask first.
How much does the accelerator cost?
Nothing in cash. The Palooza Accelerator runs on a 2% equity agreement signed at the start of the programme. There are no monthly fees, no success fees and no charge for the live pitch slot.
Who is the accelerator for?
Founders who already have a product, early traction or a clear wedge into a real market, and who want to be investor-ready within 12 weeks. We accept pre-seed and seed-stage founders across software, consumer, fintech, climate and deep-tech.
What if I'm earlier than that?
Earlier-stage founders are routed to the Palooza Startup Readiness Course — a self-paced paid programme (from £149) that covers the fundamentals. You can re-apply to the full accelerator once you've shipped a product or hit early traction.
How much time does it take per week?
Plan for around 5–7 hours per week: roughly 1 hour of live mentor session, 2–3 hours of curriculum, and 2–3 hours of assignment work. The platform is asynchronous outside the weekly live call.
Where does the live pitch happen?
Inside the next scheduled Palooza event. Most cohorts pitch in an elevator format, but stadium, pool, rooftop and bespoke environments rotate through the calendar. We confirm your venue by week 8.
What happens to the 2% equity if I get rejected?
The equity agreement only signs once you're accepted. If you're not accepted, nothing changes. If you're accepted but later drop out, the agreement has a standard pro-rata clawback in the first 4 weeks.
Apply to the next cohort.
Rolling intake. Cohorts run quarterly. Tell us about you and we'll come back within five working days.