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Any graduates on HN? Just curious if we can get an inside perspective.

Alex3917 16y ago
Not a graduate, but I met one of the founders of Postling at PR Camp last year and he spoke very highly of the program. It was a while ago, but I think he was saying that compared to YC there was more of a focus on business advice, and there were more contact hours with the mentors. I'm not sure to what extent that is true, but it certainly seems like a quality program that was run this way would be useful to some founders. Obviously different founders have different levels of experience and skills, so there probably isn't one best model, at least from the perspective of the founders.
- epi0Bauqu 16y ago
  This is my second year as a Dreamit mentor, and I really like the program. All the startups work in one big room, which fosters collaboration. And the partners really try hard with the mentoring portion.
deleted 16y ago
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minalecs 16y ago
Just presented today.. and as a hacker/ entrepreneur.. the great thing about Dreamit is they do focus on the business. Its easy for all of us hackers to put out products but how do we get users, and turn that product into a real business.. and this is what the DreamIt program really helps with. Learned a lot, and was a great summer. The Philly tech/startup community is incredible. I highly recommend anyone to apply.
bknotts 16y ago
I'm a non-hacker founder who actually came to the Dreamit program through Startl (www.startl.org). I just realized I have no way to compare Dreamit or Startl to YC or TechStars - no one can compare unless you've been to both, so I say it's innaccurate for anyone to comment that Dreamit focuses more on "building a business." Every company I saw at Dreamit was in a different place and had different needs, and all I can say for sure is that Dreamit was really good about not forcing anyone to fit some "mold." If anyone out there is shopping for an incubator, my question is, "Why are you waiting for an incubator?" Go build something and if along the way the stage of your product matches up with an incubator, think about applying, but don't think you NEED an incubator to succeed. As much value as Pocket Tales got out of the experience (and we're really grateful for everything), this wasn't life or death for us. It was a boost. Just keep that in mind if you're an aspiring entrepreneur.
shedd 16y ago
I was part of DreamIt Ventures last summer - it's an excellent program - certainly one of the top accelerators in the country, providing access to a tremendous amount of mentoring and connections / resources. The DreamIt partners put in a lot of effort and are very well connected in the area, meaning lots of useful, targeted introductions, mentors, and speakers. Philadelphia is also under-rated as a startup town - Philly Startup Leaders is extremely active with a wide range of entrepreneurs and there are a number of other meetups, as well. I'm clearly biased, as it was a great experience for our startup, but I would highly recommend the program.
sankim83 16y ago
I participated this year (Easel), and I had a great experience. I would agree with their focus on the business aspect, particularly biz dev, in which the partners are superstars. Besides that, it's pretty awesome to work 24/7 alongside smart entrepreneurs dedicated to helping one another out - I would almost say I got more out of the fellow entrepreneurs than the DreamIt partners. It definitely accelerated our company's development, both on product and business.

Not a graduate, but I met one of the founders of Postling at PR Camp last year and he spoke very highly of the program. It was a while ago, but I think he was saying that compared to YC there was more of a focus on business advice, and there were more contact hours with the mentors. I'm not sure to what extent that is true, but it certainly seems like a quality program that was run this way would be useful to some founders. Obviously different founders have different levels of experience and skills, so there probably isn't one best model, at least from the perspective of the founders.

epi0Bauqu 16y ago
This is my second year as a Dreamit mentor, and I really like the program. All the startups work in one big room, which fosters collaboration. And the partners really try hard with the mentoring portion.

deleted 16y ago

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minalecs 16y ago

Just presented today.. and as a hacker/ entrepreneur.. the great thing about Dreamit is they do focus on the business. Its easy for all of us hackers to put out products but how do we get users, and turn that product into a real business.. and this is what the DreamIt program really helps with. Learned a lot, and was a great summer. The Philly tech/startup community is incredible. I highly recommend anyone to apply.

bknotts 16y ago

I'm a non-hacker founder who actually came to the Dreamit program through Startl (www.startl.org). I just realized I have no way to compare Dreamit or Startl to YC or TechStars - no one can compare unless you've been to both, so I say it's innaccurate for anyone to comment that Dreamit focuses more on "building a business." Every company I saw at Dreamit was in a different place and had different needs, and all I can say for sure is that Dreamit was really good about not forcing anyone to fit some "mold." If anyone out there is shopping for an incubator, my question is, "Why are you waiting for an incubator?" Go build something and if along the way the stage of your product matches up with an incubator, think about applying, but don't think you NEED an incubator to succeed. As much value as Pocket Tales got out of the experience (and we're really grateful for everything), this wasn't life or death for us. It was a boost. Just keep that in mind if you're an aspiring entrepreneur.

shedd 16y ago

I was part of DreamIt Ventures last summer - it's an excellent program - certainly one of the top accelerators in the country, providing access to a tremendous amount of mentoring and connections / resources. The DreamIt partners put in a lot of effort and are very well connected in the area, meaning lots of useful, targeted introductions, mentors, and speakers. Philadelphia is also under-rated as a startup town - Philly Startup Leaders is extremely active with a wide range of entrepreneurs and there are a number of other meetups, as well. I'm clearly biased, as it was a great experience for our startup, but I would highly recommend the program.

sankim83 16y ago

I participated this year (Easel), and I had a great experience. I would agree with their focus on the business aspect, particularly biz dev, in which the partners are superstars. Besides that, it's pretty awesome to work 24/7 alongside smart entrepreneurs dedicated to helping one another out - I would almost say I got more out of the fellow entrepreneurs than the DreamIt partners. It definitely accelerated our company's development, both on product and business.