Only 1% of Startups Raise Investment!
Our Foundations Programme Can Help You Be Amongst The 1%
Sign up now and start your 90-day sprint to revenue generation and funding success.
Less than a pizza, with a million times the payoff!
Begin Your Journey for Only £9.97
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
90% of Startups Fail Because:
38% Ran out of cash: They failed to raise new capital or generate customer revenue.
35% No market Need: They became victims of their ego and built something nobody wanted. .
20% Got Outcompeted: They spent too much time doing the wrong things.
19% Flawed Business Model: They priced their services/products incorrectly.
Only 1% Raise Investment Because:
Lack Fundraising experience: They've never raised investment before.
Vague Value Proposition: Haven't identified their early adopter and problem they are solving.
Weak Team: Haven't gained any traction with customer acquisition.
Lack credibility: Struggle to present financials and traction metrics confidently.
Fail to provide clarity: They don't have a crystal-clear, investor-ready pitch deck.
Attention Startup Founders: Stop Guessing And Start Winning.
While others hustle in the dark, for just £10, our Foundations program starts you on the path to becoming one of the 1% of Startup Founders that raise investment and build a succsssful business.
We give you proven tools to achive Market and Problem Validation, and help you execute your plan, start generating revenue; and an inspiring entrepreneurial community.
Gamified Programme: Motivates you to world-class productivity.
Accelerator Tested Programme: Follow our Step-by-Step guide to Success.
Focus on Revenue: Get paying customers within just 90-Days.
Qualify to Enter The £100,000 Startup Race: Hit £96 Weekly Recurring Revenue and You're IN!
Why Risk Failure? 90% of startups crash - don’t be one of them. Foundations is your GPS route to success, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
⚠️The Cost of Inaction⚠️
Every moment you delay is a missed opportunity to refine your business model, attract investors, and outpace your competition.
❌ Weeks of wasted effort
❌ Costly product development mistakes
❌ Miss opportunity to win a Startup Race
Consider this:
Without the right mindset and tools, you're more likely to become part of the 90% of startups that fail.
Missing out on getting to revenue within 90-days and winning a Startup Race could mean the difference between scaling your startup or watching it stagnate.
Your Journey to The 1% Starts Here!
🧪 What Makes This Different from Every Other Startup Course?
The primary reason 90% of startup fail isn't lack of effort - it's lack of the right mindset and strategy.
Most founders fail because they drift.
They build something nobody wants.
They delay testing.
They get demoralised.
Our Foundations programme is your Startup GPS.
It combines world-class training with battle-tested tools, founder accountability, and the competitive urgency of The Startup Race.
🔒No fluff. Just results.
With the Foundations Program, you'll:
Adopt the Winning Mindset: Learn why "The business model is the product," "Love the problem, not your solution," and "Traction is the goal" are the mantras of successful entrepreneurs.
Embrace the New Rules: Avoid the "Build it and they will come" trap. Instead, build what customers want by engaging them continuously and practicing the Lean Startup method of Build/Measure/Learn.
Gain a Speed Advantage: In a world where a new startup is born every 3 seconds, speed of learning is your competitive edge.
💡 What You'll Gain
Access to a methodology unique in all the world because it combines three powerful elements - that are rarely, if ever, offered together: Lean Startup Tools x Gamification x Sales that transforms founders into fundable entrepreneurs.
✔️ Faster product-market fit
✔️ Real revenue, not vanity metrics
✔️ Confidence to pitch investors
✔️ A clear path to win a Startup Race Investment Prize
Take your first step on this journey to success with:
Access to LeanStack Tools: Utilise industry-leading resources to map out your business model and track your progress.
Community Support: Join a vibrant community of over 1,000 startup founders who are on the same journey as you.
Expert Guidance: Learn from seasoned entrepreneurs and avoid common pitfalls that lead to startup failure.
🏁 Ready to Win? Take the First Step for Just £9.97
If you’re serious about becoming a a successful entrepreneur - and beating your competition - then Foundations is your first checkpoint. You’ll leave behind confusion and self-doubt and start building like a founder who knows exactly what to do next.
For less than the cost of a dinner, invest in your startup's future.
🎯 Join now and gain instant access to:
Startup idea generation tools
7-part email mini-course
Access to Leanstack's Lean Canvas tool
Insights into the three critical startup mindsets
Entry into a community of ambitious startup founders
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
If you don't find value in the program within 30 days, we'll refund your investment - no questions asked.
Don't let your startup become another statistic. Equip yourself with the knowledge, tools, and community support to succeed.
Act Now - Only 20 Places Available
Sign up now and start your 90-day sprint to revenue generation and funding success.
Less than a pizza, with a million times the payoff!
Begin Your Journey for Only £9.97
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
Why Us?
The Startup Race is revolutionising the entrepreneurial ecosystem by infusing gamification into the startup and fundraising processes.
Inspiring Entrepreneurs - Empowering Investors
Our mission is to make the world a better place by empowering gifted entrepreneurs and Investors (our “Neos”) to build successful companies.
We do this by creating dynamic environments where ambitious founders are motivated to rapidly learn important truths, generate sales and so scale their businesses.
By prioritising gamification methodologies over traditional approaches, our evidence-based methodologies provides Angel and Venture Capital investors with valuable evidence and data to identify high-potential startups and make confident investment decisions.
Our accelerator tested Preparation Programme equips founders with tools like Ash Maurya’s Lean Canvas and personalized coaching, to go from ideation to revenue in only 90 days and meet the £96 Weekly Reccuring Revenue criteria to qualify for the £100,000 Startup Race competition. And maybe even win.
Our Foundations - integrity and Congruence
The Startup Race was founded in 2015, Edinburgh, Scotland, by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors, including James Shoemark and Michael Clouser, who have over 25 years of experience in launching businesses globally.
After coaching 1,000's of startup founders around the world, running over 400 events for entrepreneurs and investors, they realised the importance of integrity and congruence - ultimately rewarding the behaviour that needs to be encouraged amongst startup founders.
Instead of rewarding the extreme extroverts who can pitch to large crowds, they wanted to give ALL startup founders a fair opportunity to prove their entrepreneurial capabilities to investors and grant making bodies.
Measuring what startup founders do, rather than what they say, over a significant period of time, increases integrity, trust and gives us the opportunity to reward genuine achievement. By supporting them financially.
Our Capabilities - Expertise That Fuels Growth
After investing >10,000 hours working as Startup Founders, Mentors, Coaches and Angel/VC investors, we developed unique capabilities to innovate the startup and fundraising challenges:
Our 2021 Virtual International Accelerator helped more Startup Founders discover and implement Lean Startup principles and tools such as LeanStack's 'Traction Roadmap' to grow their business than any other.
We enabled Startup Founders to use Target Fixation and other gamification principles to earn pricless insights into themselves and advantages over their competitors.
We also developed an exclusive ability to analyse critical data to benchmark startups at scale to identify the most promising for investors to support.
Our Results - Proven Impact, Tangible Success
In 2020 the Scottish Entrepreneurial Ecosystem crowd-funded our first 10-week Startup Race. This enabled us to test and validate our methodologies to find the winner, Jonas Virsilas and present him with his cash prize.
Launched during the Covid-19 Lockdowns, our VIA accelerator programme enabled 76 entrepreneurs to startup in the UK. We invested in seven of those.
558 startup founders applied for our second Startup Race in 2022. 1st and 2nd place were won by Priyanshu Nath (44X revenue growth) and Mariely Macias Olmedo (17X revenue growth), both of whom were members of our Virtual International Accelerator programme.
Join Us
The Startup Race is more than a competition; it’s a movement to redefine entrepreneurial success through gamification and meritocracy. Whether you’re an entrepreneur ready to accelerate your startup or an investor seeking the next big opportunity, we invite you to join us.
Together, we’ll build a future where performance powers progress, and every race leads to remarkable results.
Why the Startup Race Preparation Programme Works
The Startup Race Preparation Programme is grounded in the methodologies of two of Silicon Valley's most influential entrepreneurs: Steve Blank and Ash Maurya. Their frameworks have transformed how startups are built and scaled, making them indispensable for any founder aiming for success.
Steve Blank: The Father of Modern Entrepreneurship
Steve Blank introduced the Customer Development methodology, emphasizing that startups are not smaller versions of large companies but institutions designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.
His Lean LaunchPad course, adopted by over 75 universities and federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, has trained thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide.
Blank's approach focuses on rigorous customer discovery and validation, ensuring that startups build products people actually want.
Ash Maurya: Innovator of the Lean Canvas
Ash Maurya, the creator of the Lean Canvas, offers a one-page business modeling tool that helps entrepreneurs deconstruct their ideas into key assumptions.
His methodology, detailed in his book Running Lean, guides startups through a systematic process of testing hypotheses, measuring results, and learning from feedback.
This approach minimizes waste and accelerates the path to product-market fit.
Why Pirate Metrics Matter for Your Startup Success
At the core of every successful startup lies a deep understanding of its customers and how they move through the growth funnel. That’s where Dave McClure’s Pirate Metrics (AARRR) come in - a simple yet powerful framework focusing on the five key stages of a customer lifecycle:
Acquisition — How do customers find you?
Activation — Do they have a great first experience?
Retention — Do they come back and keep using your product?
Referral — Do they tell others about you?
Revenue — How do you make money from them?
The Startup Race Preparation Programme emphasizes these metrics because mastering AARRR helps you measure what really drives growth and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
By tracking Pirate Metrics, you avoid the common trap of vanity metrics that don’t translate to sustainable business. Instead, you focus on the essential levers that impact your startup’s ability to attract, delight, and monetize customers.
Why This Matters to You:
By incorporating Pirate Metrics into your validation process, you gain clarity on which actions lead to real progress - from getting your first paying customer to building a loyal user base. This focus dramatically increases your chances of qualifying for the £100,000 investment prize by ensuring you’re not just building a product, but a thriving business.
Watch Dave McClure introduce his Pirate Metrics concept in this video recorded at Ignite Seattle in 2007
📣 Feedback from Startup Racers
“Foundations helped me go from vague idea to £1,000 revenue in 12 weeks. I’ve never moved this fast.”
- Anisha, SaaS Founder, Edinburgh
“I thought I was focused, but Foundations showed me how to test and sell like a real entrepreneur.”
- Mike, Product Creator, London
“I never saw startup ideas before. Now I see them every day — and I’ve validated two already!”
— Ella, Healthtech Innovator, Glasgow
Justin Rastegar, CoFounder at MobiSkip explains how our programme benefitted him
Case Study 1:
Priyanshu Nath – Founder of The House of Tula
44X Revenue Growth & £10,000 Cash Prize Winner
When Priyanshu Nath joined the our programme, The House of Tula was an early-stage startup with a promising vision but limited revenue traction. Through the programme’s proven Lean Startup methodologies, combined with hands-on mentoring and a competitive, gamified environment, Priyanshu rapidly refined her business model and validated her market fit.
The Foundations Programme helped Priyanshu:
Identify critical customer needs using targeted problem validation.
Optimize her value proposition to stand out in a competitive market.
Implement weekly revenue-driving experiments that scaled fast.
The results were remarkable. Over the course of the programme, Priyanshu achieved a 44X increase in revenue, catapulting The House of Tula from initial concept to a thriving business. This outstanding growth secured her the £10,000 cash prize as the winner of the Startup Race, providing vital capital to accelerate further expansion.
“The Startup Race Programme gave me the structure and clarity I needed to focus on real customer problems and build real revenue fast. Winning the cash prize was an incredible validation of our efforts and a game changer for The House of Tula.” – Priyanshu Nath
Case Study 2:
Mariely Macias Olmedo – Founder of a Mexican Clothing Brand
17X Revenue Growth & Runner-Up in the Startup Race
Mariely Macias Olmedo entered the Startup Race Foundations Programme aiming to transform her Mexican clothing brand from a passion project into a scalable business. The programme’s framework enabled her to systematically test her assumptions, gain critical customer insights, and focus on sustainable revenue growth.
Key ways the Foundations Programme supported Mariely:
Validated product-market fit through customer interviews and data-driven decision-making
Streamlined marketing and sales efforts to boost conversion rates
Fostered a competitive spirit that motivated consistent weekly progress
Thanks to this focused approach, Mariely achieved an impressive 17X growth in revenue during the programme. Her success earned her the runner-up position in the Startup Race, attracting attention from investors and industry partners eager to support her brand’s growth.
“The structured support and community within the Startup Race Programme transformed how I approach my business. It pushed me to focus on measurable growth and gave me the confidence to scale my brand.” – Mariely Macias Olmedo
The Startup Race Advantage
By integrating these proven methodologies, the Startup Race Preparation Programme equips founders like you with the tools and mindset needed to rapidly validate their business ideas.
Participants engage in a competitive, gamified environment that mirrors real-world startup challenges, fostering resilience and adaptability.
Why Join the Startup Race Foundations Programme?
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Priyanshu and Mariely - growing your revenue exponentially and positioning your startup for investment - the Foundations Programme is your proven launchpad. For just £10, you gain access to the same tools, mentoring, and competitive environment that helped these founders achieve remarkable success.
Don't miss out on this chance to transform your idea into a validated, investor-ready business. Sign up now and start your journey with the Startup Race Preparation Programme.
The Four Levels of The Startup Race Preparation Programme
Your Proven Path to Startup Success and Fundraising - in just 90 days!
The Startup Race Preparation Programme is a uniquely designed, step-by-step accelerator that equips aspiring founders with world-class tools, expert mentorship, and a competitive framework to dramatically increase their chances of building a successful startup and winning investment.
Built upon proven methodologies from Silicon Valley pioneers like Steve Blank and Ash Maurya, and enhanced by real-time revenue tracking and gamification, the four levels of this programme helps you validate your idea, build traction, and prepare to raise funding - no matter your experience level.
Choose the Level That Matches Your Entrepreneurial Ambition:
1. Foundations
Discover The Secrets to Revenue Generation in Just 90 Days
Ideal for early-stage entrepreneurs still searching for the right problem to solve. Foundations teaches you how to find a great startup idea, and give you access to the world's #1 Lean Startup resources to get you on the path to generating meaningful revenue within just 90 days.
It will also explain how it's gamification principles can help you can qualify for AND win the £100,000 Startup Race. This level gives you the critical mindset and tools to avoid costly mistakes and move forward more confidently and quickly.
Benefits:
Get started on your path to revenue in just 90 days
Learn the ONE thing you need to build a successful startup and raise investment
Gamification principles to help you qualify for AND win the £100,000 Startup Race
Discover the 3 most important Startup Secrets
Learn how to find a great startup idea
Get access to the world's #1 Lean Startup resources
Learn the importance of finding Founder/Problem Fit
2. Business Model Design
Validate a Scaleable Business Model and Achieve Founder/Model Fit
For founders who want to validate a robust, scalable business model to create a £100 Million company.
Discover how to find and persuade CoFounders to join your team to ensure that you can beat your competitors, and decide whether to commit the next five years of your life to solving this problem or not.
Benefits:
Learn how to win the £100,000 Startup Race
Learn how to uncover big problems
Learn how to find a great CoFounder
Use Leanstack's resources to validate a scaleable business model
Achieve Founder /Model Fit
Learn how to decide Problem Go/NoGo
Achieve Problem Go/NoGo
3. Full Membership
Validate Your Solution Via Market Demand
Designed for startup founders who want to make sure they are building something people want and will pay money for. Learn how to validate your solution and refine your value proposition quickly using customer discovery and market demand.
Monthly online group-coaching will also help you establish predictable revenue streams, optimise conversion rates, and discover data-driven growth hacks.
Benefits:
Access to premium validation resources on Leanstack
Access to our Accelerator tested growth-hacking tools and resources
Monthly group coaching and peer-mentoring with other ambitous entrepreneurs
Set realistic and achieveable financial forecasts on LivePlan to build a £100M Business
Test and optimise marketing and sales funnels to create a repeatable customer acquisition system
Establish Pirate Metrics that will increase your company's value
Find Problem/Solution Fit
4. Premium Membership
Startup Correctly, Create an MRP and Achieve Investment Readiness
Premium Membership if for entrepreneurs that want to ensure they build their startup on a solid foundation, avoid common legal pitfalls that could haunt them later, AND catapult their startup into revenue generation and investment readiness.
This level also helps you understand how to be amongst the 1% of Entrepreneurs that successfuly raise investment and significanlty increases your chances of impressing investors and securing an investment deal via one of our startup races.
Benefits:
Learn how to be amongst the 1% that successfully raise investment
Learn how incorporate your business correctly and avoid common legal mistakes
Exclusive resources to create a MRP that exponentially grows revenues
Weekly 1:1 Coaching and Mentoring to learn how to achieve your goals
Use investor psychology to craft an investment-winning pitch deck
Secure SEIS Advance Assurance
Opportunity to impress investors and win a investment deal via our Startup Races
Why The Startup Race Preparation Programme is World-Class
Expert Foundations: Rooted in industry-leading startup methodologies from Steve Blank, Ash Maurya, and Dave McClure, ensuring you learn from the best.
Real Revenue Focus: Unlike traditional programmes, we measure success by real sales and customer traction, not just ideas or plans.
Competitive & Supportive: Our gamified structure motivates you weekly with leaderboards and prizes, while our expert mentors provide personal guidance.
Flexible & Scalable: Choose the level that matches your current stage and grow at your own pace, with clear milestones and outcomes.
Proven Results: Join hundreds of founders like Priyanshu Nath and Mariely Macias Olmedo who have exponentially grown their revenue and raised investment through this programme.
Begin Your Journey for Only £9.97
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
© Copyright The Startup Race 2025
Disclaimer: Individual results will vary. The Startup Race Preparation Programme and Foundations Course do not guarantee investment or business success. This course provides educational resources designed to help founders build traction and improve their chances of securing funding.
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