05.05.2022
This year continues to bring new opportunities and amazing trips that we’re thrilled to share with you. This time, our destination was the beautiful city of San Francisco, a giant tech hub, where team Hoory took part in the Berkeley SkyDeck program.
We’re excited to tell you all about our transformative experience, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Hoory Takes Part in SkyDeck Accelerator Program
Team Hoory proudly partnered with UC Berkeley to participate in the SkyDeck Accelerator Program, a startup acceleration initiative that promotes high-tech entrepreneurship. Berkeley SkyDeck has supported many businesses on their journey of growing from promising startups to renowned leaders in their industries. And being among the select few to participate in the program was an honor and achievement for our team.
Throughout the six months of the course, we got to present Hoory to investors and entrepreneurs, explore new ideas and exchange ours, meet inspiring mentors and fellow startups, and of course, have a really fun time doing all that! Although for the first few months, our team joined the events online, we still gained a great deal of knowledge from each session.
Our schedules were packed with insightful workshops on a wide scope of topics related to business, marketing, branding, legal, and finance. Within the SkyDeck advisor network, we heard interesting talks from leading experts, including Scott Adams, Tim Smith, and Darren Cooke. These events gave us an insider's view of the business practices at companies like Google, Amazon, and Mercedes.
The time zone differences often led to late-night Zoom calls and work sessions, but we still thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. The SkyDeck staff did an excellent job at creating a welcoming and productive environment where everyone was encouraged to share their thoughts and openly discuss ideas.
Another great achievement for us was welcoming three brilliant interns from UC Berkeley. Throughout the many productive sessions we had online, we got to know each other, share our goals, and exchange experiences. Within this short amount of time, they became an essential part of our team and brought their knowledge and fresh perspective to our projects.
San Francisco, Here We Come!
We continued the rest of our journey at Berkeley SkyDeck offline from San Francisco. The vibrant city welcomed us right away, granting us a chance to absorb the innovative spirit and explore the amazing scene of high-tech entrepreneurship.
Our journey kickstarted with various networking events — now, offline. We were very happy to reconnect with partners, advisors, and lots and lots of rising startups in person. During the panel discussions, workshops, and seminars organized by SkyDeck, we pitched our product to investors and received very positive feedback.
The vast SkyDeck advisor network of 300+ experts gave us many invaluable connections, some of which we want to share with you.
We were very fortunate to closely collaborate with Linda Itskovitz, our Key Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck. We shared many value-packed sessions that helped us define our product vision and create a go-to-market strategy. Thanks to Linda’s guidance, we emerged with a narrower scope for our product — an essential step for Hoory. We are looking forward to taking the next steps in our collaboration with Linda and working together toward developing Hoory.
Speaking of important developments, the next one was reshaping our product story, for which we got the assistance of none other than David Riemer, a highly regarded author and storyteller. We shared fascinating discussions around the power of a good story, choosing the right narrative, and product strategy. And, of course, we got to talk about his Amazon bestseller, “Get Your Startup Story Straight: The Definitive Storytelling Framework for Innovators and Entrepreneurs."
Next, we finally got to see our interns in person, resuming our sessions in an offline setting. Their enthusiastic and uplifting energy was very refreshing, and we’re looking forward to reaching new goals together.
We had yet another memorable meeting with Will Burke, an advisor and mentor at Berkeley SkyDeck. He shared eye-opening insights into business growth, market strategy, and brand design, explaining the power and significance of branding.
For making this incredible experience possible and guiding us every step of the way, we have to thank Karén Gyulbudaghyan, Berkeley SkyDeck Ambassador and Strategic Advisor. His continuous support and encouragement were monumental for our team's accomplishments.
It Wasn’t All Work
As productive as our San Francisco trip was, it was equally fun and entertaining. After all, we were right in the heart of a huge tech city, and we made sure to take full advantage of it!
As you might know, San Francisco is home to many of the world’s most prominent companies. We took the chance to walk around the offices of Apple, Facebook, Tesla, Google, Salesforce, and many, many more.
Touring around the UC Berkeley campus and witnessing the old gorgeous architecture and the hustle and bustle of university life was a breath of fresh air. We fully immersed ourselves in the bold, creative, and innovative atmosphere that was present in every corner.
It’s Been a Great Ride!
Being part of the SkyDeck Accelerator Program was a great learning and networking opportunity for our team. Once again, we want to extend our gratitude to the wonderful staff at SkyDeck for their dedicated work and guidance.
We can say with confidence that we left the program with a honed vision for our product, a fresh perspective on the tech industry, and many meaningful connections we’ll continue to nurture. We’re excited to put our new knowledge and skills into practice and provide you with a product more refined than ever.