Start2 x Coven Virtual Accelerator Program

A free, virtual 3-part series for early-stage founders who want to validate real customers, de-risk their startup, and think like an investor.

Join us for the Start2xCoven Virtual Accelerator!

What is Start2xCoven?

Start2xCoven is a virtual accelerator program created for early-stage founders who are ready to move beyond ideas and into disciplined, evidence-based building. Over three live online seminars and one-on-one mentoring, you’ll learn how to deeply understand your customers, focus on the risks that matter most, and align your strategy with how investors actually evaluate startups.

The program is free for accepted founders and is delivered entirely online, making it accessible no matter where you’re building from. However, you have the option to come join your fellow founders at The Coven and attend in person.

Who this program is for

This program is a fit if you are:

• An early-stage founder or aspiring founder working on a new product or venture
• Testing or validating a new business model and looking for real-world feedback
• Planning to raise at the pre-seed or seed stage and want to understand investor expectations
• Interested in applying disciplined customer discovery and de-risking frameworks to your work

You do not need to have raised funding to participate, but you should have a defined idea or early project you are actively exploring.

What you’ll get

Over the course of the Start2xCoven Virtual Accelerator, you’ll:

• Build a practical customer discovery practice you can use immediately
• Learn how to identify and prioritize the key risks facing your startup
• See your business through an investor’s lens and strengthen your narrative
• Receive individual mentoring to apply concepts directly to your company

The program combines live, interactive seminars with individual mentoring sessions scheduled in late June and July.

Section: Program schedule

Live virtual seminars - link will be provided to registered attendees

• June 3 – Kickoff & Seminar 1
• June 10 – Seminar 2
• June 17 – Seminar 3

Individual mentoring sessions (selected participants will be matched with mentors in their field for one-on-one discussions)

• Scheduled with participants in late June and July

All seminars are delivered virtually, with an option to attend in person at The Coven Cary. Session times and access details will be shared after registration.

Section: Session details

1. Customer Discovery - Wednesday, June 3rd
This workshop introduces the principles and methodologies of customer discovery as a core discipline of early-stage venture development. You’ll explore value proposition design, customer segmentation, and qualitative research techniques, with particular emphasis on conducting structured customer interviews. You’ll develop the skills to gather meaningful insights from customers, challenge your assumptions, and apply what you learn to inform product iteration and go-to-market strategy.

2. Startup De-Risking Strategies - Wednesday, June 10th
This session provides a structured look at key factors that contribute to startup success across industries and business models. You’ll learn how early-stage ventures can identify, assess, and mitigate the most common sources of startup failure. The focus is on building a stronger conceptual and practical foundation for making informed decisions that reduce preventable risk.

3. Investor Mindset - Wednesday, June 17th
This session offers an inside look at how early-stage investors evaluate startup opportunities. You’ll examine the criteria and decision-making processes that shape investment decisions, and how founder positioning, business fundamentals, and investor expectations fit together. The goal is to help you develop a more rigorous, investor-aware approach to building and communicating your business at the pre-seed and seed stages.

Your facilitators

Deborah Lee, M.Ed
Senior Manager of Life Sciences, Start2 Group

Deborah Lee is a Senior Manager at Start2 Group, Inc., where she manages the VITAL Hub, a Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA)-funded hub focused on supporting early-stage therapeutic startups aligned with BARDA’s mission to develop medical countermeasures that promote health security. She has over 15 years of experience leading federal research programs and initiatives in the healthtech industry, with a focus on translational research and early-stage innovation.

Deborah has managed more than $75M in federal funding across a wide range of research programs, including the NIH-NIBIB POCTRN RADx Initiative, and brings deep experience working with both multi-institutional collaborations and early-stage startups. As a founder of an educational startup, she brings a wealth of practical knowledge in customer discovery and early venture development.

Marc Filerman
Chief Business Officer, Start2 Group

Marc Filerman is Chief Business Officer at Start2 Group, Inc., a global accelerator that funds, de-risks, and internationalizes promising early-stage startups across sectors, with a specific focus on life sciences, medtech, and deep tech. Marc is a serial startup founder and angel investor with expertise in the translation and early commercialization of medtech and healthtech startups.

He co-founded two ventures—a molecular imaging startup and an NIH-funded hometech startup—and previously held multiple corporate leadership roles, including VP of Global Marketing at iCAD and Group Director of Marketing at Smith & Nephew, where he launched a $30M operating room integration business. Marc holds MS and BS engineering degrees from MIT.

Cost and how to apply

Cost
The Start2xCoven Virtual Accelerator Program is free for accepted participants.