Time to Raise Cuts Application Review from 2 Weeks to 4 Days with AcceleratorApp

About Time to Raise

Time to Raise, by Techarena, runs a focused program for female entrepreneurs looking to raise funding. They bring together 10-12 startups twice a year for an eight-week journey that combines in-person kickoffs, online workshops, and lots of one-on-one time with investors.

The results speak for themselves: 77 alumni startups with a 62% success rate, 28 million euros raised for portfolio companies, and a network of 122 mentors. The primary objective is to expand these founders' investor networks. They don't just teach pitch decks and financial models. They actually introduce startups directly to investors and create real relationships that last beyond the program.

With 400+ applications coming in each year, they needed a better way to manage everything. Here's how AcceleratorApp helped them save 65% of their review time while actually improving their program quality.

Manual Processes Were Killing Productivity

Before finding AcceleratorApp, Time to Raise was juggling multiple tools that didn't talk to each other. Applications came through Typeform, got dumped into Google Sheets, and then three team members would spend two full weeks just trying to review 400 applications for their annual competition.

The mentor matching was even worse. Mikaela Larsell, Head of Investor and Business at Time to Raise, was manually coordinating between mentor availability and startup needs, sending calendar invites back and forth, and dealing with conflicts. 

"That was all done manually before. I was matching all of the startups with the available time slots for the mentors and sending out invitations, etcetera."

Communication happened across Slack, WhatsApp, and email, depending on what felt right at the moment. It worked, but barely.

Finding the Right Solution Among Four Softwares

Time to Raise looked at four different platforms, including some other names like Circle and Babele. But AcceleratorApp solved the two biggest headaches they had:

First, the application process. 

"What stood out with AcceleratorApp was the application process that you could actually set up and customize your funnels and get all of the applications inside the portal and then do the full review process of the applications inside the portal, which was not possible in the other tools."

Second, mentor matching. Instead of playing calendar Tetris, mentors could just add their availability and get matched with startups automatically. This helped solve the endless back-and-forth emails.

65% Time Reduction with Better Quality

The improvement in their review process was dramatic. What used to take three people two full weeks now takes four days total. That's a 65% time reduction on one of their most important processes.

But it's not just about speed. The quality actually got better too. AcceleratorApp's review rounds let them be more thorough. One person screens for basic criteria, then passes qualified applications to the next reviewer who can focus on the good stuff instead of wading through everything.

"The review process and the rounds that you have in your funnel helps a lot," explains Mikaela. "We can assign different people to different stages and just forget about the ones that don't meet criteria."

Managing 80-120 Applications Per Cohort

Time to Raise processes 80-120 applications per cohort, twice a year. That's a lot of startups to keep track of, especially when you're trying to maintain relationships beyond the eight-week program.

AcceleratorApp handles their entire pipeline. Applications come in through customized funnels that ask exactly what they need to know. The evaluation tool lets different team members focus on their expertise areas. And once startups are in the program, everything lives in one place. Progress tracking, mentor notes, resource sharing, the works.

"Before, it was tons of different Google Sheets with different startups in each, and you have to go back, etcetera. But now they're all gathered in one place. We tag them. We know what programs they have participated in."

Benefits Beyond Just Saving Time

The efficiency gains were obvious, but some benefits were unexpected. The program feels more professional now. Startups and mentors both appreciate having one place to go for everything instead of juggling multiple platforms.

Mentors especially like being able to see all the startups in a cohort, not just the ones they're assigned to mentor. It creates better connections across the whole group.

The branding got better too. Instead of sending people to different forms and sheets, Time to Raise now has one cohesive experience that makes them look more established.

Small Features That Save Big Hours

Some features seem small but save long hours. Being able to duplicate application processes between cohorts means no setup time for the next round. Mass email capabilities mean no more individual messages to keep everyone updated.

The mentor reactivation is huge for their model. "It's also great for the mentors to mentor again in the next cohort because we just activate them again in the same platform, and it works really well."

Even the expert evaluation process got easier. While they still work with outside experts who prefer email over logging into another platform, they can now easily export applications to them and import feedback rather than managing everything manually.

Continuous Improvement and Future Plans

Time to Raise keeps finding new ways to use the platform. They're looking at bringing their external experts directly into AcceleratorApp and exploring more automation around mentor matching.

The 65% time reduction in reviews freed up their team to focus on what really matters. Making better connections between female entrepreneurs and investors. That's exactly what an accelerator should be doing instead of drowning in spreadsheets.

Their success shows what happens when you pick the right tool for the job. Sometimes the best technology is the one that gets out of your way so you can focus on your mission.

This case study shows how Time to Raise continues to use AcceleratorApp to support female-led startups in building investor relationships through their twice-yearly cohort programs.