Sector Light is running a program for emerging founders with material expertise to help them determine if their ideas are original, directionally correct, important and if they have the values, attributes and capabilities to succeed.

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Read about the Point of View that lead us to developing this program

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The program is designed for founders with material expertise who want to maintain their day job while working on their idea. We will help founders refine and validate their ideas, assess risks, guide strategy and act as capital investors and time allocators.

We believe 'timing' is a key success attribute and that great companies take time to build, and often come from founders with deep experience in their fields.

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What does this mean;

We will help emerging ‘expert’ founders determine if their ideas are original, directionally correct, important and whether they have the attributes and capabilities to succeed. 

Practically;

• Typically a candidate's engagement will run for 6 months. Getting a sense of timing is key, and proving out when you feel the market will be ready is critical.

• We only allow a maximum of 5 candidates at one time, in strategic areas where they have demonstrated material expertise.

• The candidate maintains their day-job whilst working with us to build out their idea thesis/PoV, assessing prior attempts, where the market is heading and what strategic options might be feasible, if any. 

• Once a strategic direction is agreed, we mentor the candidate to build out horizon execution plans, for themselves and the business.

• The founder will then only commit to the work full time at the appropriate stage in the execution plan, recognising external capital and the candidate's own time requires real commitment.

 

FAQ's

Is it a full-time commitment from the entrepreneur?

No, we actually prefer you to stay in your job and work part-time on your PoV/thesis until you have confidence. This way, you can keep your options open, be mindful of the risks, opportunity costs, and give your work time to develop. If you’ve already left your job to explore opportunities full-time, we want you to be patient and willing to say no if needed.

 

Does this cost money?

Yes, but not to Sector Light. You will pay $100 a month, whilst working with us to a charity of your choice. You will be asked to send a record of the donation each month to us. Yes, this is a test, but it’s not policed. See our Point of View on charging money for value exchange.

That said, we value our time and will only put effort into people who are experts in their field and determined to progress a thesis. If that effort is not ongoing our engagement will cease.

 

Is this an accelerator or incubator?

Nope! Accelerators come in after you've nailed your core idea and focus on getting you funded. Incubators work more like a co-founder, guiding you in areas where they have expertise or a competitive edge.

 

Are you paying a salary?

No. This isn’t an EIR program, so paying someone who’s already in a job gets complicated. If you’re employed while working with us, it's your role to figure out a research capital and time budget to credential your thesis/PoV.

 

Do I need an idea?

No. Our preference is that you have a thesis you’d like us to help you refine. If you have an idea, that’s fine, but please don’t just pitch it to us. You should be in the exploring phase and be willing to be wrong and say “no” should it be needed.

 

Are you taking upfront equity?

Nope. We don’t take upfront equity. Forming a company is a big commitment, and we want talented people to go through the process first. Also, when people take equity, it pushes the founder towards a venture path, and that’s not always the right thing to do. 

 

Is Sector Light a future source of venture funding?

No. Whilst we may provide some initial funding at a point, we likely will not. One of your key future skills needed is capital raising and it will be the founders responsibility to raise capital independently. During that process you will likely need truly independent advice.

 

How do you help founders?

We help founders refine and validate their ideas, assessing risks, guiding strategy in order to act as great capital investors and time allocators. We view this as a long term investment in founders. Your thesis or business may or may not work, but our investment is in people. The resultant outcomes will eventuate if the people persist in the right directions. 

 

What’s in it for Sector Light?

We believe great companies take time to build and often come from founders with deep experience in their fields. Supporting these founders puts us in a prime position to invest further time and money in them and help guide them towards the biggest opportunities with the best chance of success.