Here we go again! After weeks of intense hacking, we are excited to launch our latest adventure, X2 Labs – a startup factory. A 4-week hyper-accelerator program to launch and scale 50+ startups over the coming year. The best thing; anyone can join and become a co-founder! There has never been a better time for starting new adventures in Stavanger – a region in transformation.
You are launching….what?
We are launching a startup factory. A hyper-accelerator program. A 4-week program to co-found, co-start and co-build a whole series of new companies. This will be a huge collaboration between anyone interested in co-founding and building their dream job, investors, public organizations and our team at X2 Labs.
Our program is organized around ten, 4-week programs, starting out withSmart City – Smart Everythingon November 21st – December 15th, with Tourism, Food, the Blue Revolution and many more coming during 2017.
You will join a team, attack a problem, launch a company, meet customers, attract mentors and receive two rounds of funding – all in 4 weeks. It is going to be intense, around-the-clock action.
What’s the deal?
We are trying to build a win-win-win deal. You can join as a participant, and you get to co-found, co-own and co-build a company. Do it right, and this can really be your next job. If you already have a job (and plan to keep it), you can join as a part-timer, mentor, advisor – and eventually leave your day job to do this full-time.
You can also join as a corporate partner. Send us your people, join us for inspiration, learn how to work with startups. Co-create a partnership package with our Captain and work with us to create a truly unique hyper-accelerator program.
We are also inviting investors for our first Fund. We are raising NOK 10 – 20 million to start and scale between 10 and 30 companies in the first few accelerator programs.
Awesome! Can I join?
You bet! Our mantra is “Anyone can join”. That is very important to us. We are openly and actively inviting anyone. From 14 to 70+, from oil & gas engineers, to current and past CEO’s, students, hackers, administrative staff, sales people, designers, emphatic customer builder, “in between jobs”, artists, doctors, foreigners from every part of the world – and yourself.
The only thing we ask is you invest 4 weeks of your time (part-time or full-time), your passion and energy. It is, of course, free to join. If successful, this will be your next job and you will be a co-owner and co-founder. See our awesome FAQ for all the details.
Where do I sign up?
That’s easy. Sign up at www.x2labs.io or www.facebook.com/x2labs
Who is doing this?
Our Captain is Sean Paul Shanor. He is a second generation oil kid (oil brat), having been born in Norway, son of an American oil rig worker with Schlumberger. Having worked most of his life in the Middle East, Sean returned back to Norway in 2013. Since then he has been involved with various companies in the startup scene. Sean is the all-round Ninja, Captain and Co-founder at X2 Labs – a startup factory.
Next are Elisabeth Øvstebø and Christian Rangen, serial entrepreneurs, strategy & innovation advisors and early-stage investors. Sharing a passion for creating an unreasonable future, their first book together was titled “Dream Bigger”. They combine their global strategy experiences with a strong drive to help develop the regional innovation eco-system. While serving global clients take them to Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Brazil and beyond, they both really want to spend more time with crazy tech startups and sunny beaches in the greater Stavanger Region.
Also leading the charge is 25-year old Inger Hanne Vikshåland. Shaping the role as Growth Hacker and co-founder, she helps companies large and small create new business models, launch in-market MVP’s and accelerate everything.
Rounding out the Board of Directors are Eirik Gundegjerde, EVP New Business Development at Lyse and Kurt Sele, former business developer and early stage investor – turned accounting startup CEO at Oval.
Tell me about your “global runway”
Equally important is our international network, what we call global runway. We have established a global community of accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces. Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Amsterdam, Beijing, San Francisco – and Oslo are all on our list of global partners. The goal is to ersbalish a strong network of programs our new startups can jump into as soon as possible. Need an Asian market for your smart city solutions; jump into Magic in KL. Want to drive the clean energy revolution? Join the program in Dubai.
Equally important is the big goal of “Attract to Stavanger”. We want to put Stavanger on the map of global innovation eco-system. that’s a long target. But we can attack this by building bridges, big, strong, huge bridges with transfer of ideas, research, business development and people. We plan several events attracting both Asians and Americans to Stavanger over the coming 2-3 years. We need the right corporate partners in place, but it is shaping up nicely.
But, wait, why are you doing this?
Our mission is “Transforming a Nation”. We believe deeply in a future version of Norway beyond oil & gas (yes, we are inspired by Kenneth and his team at Moonwalk). Oil and gas will continue to be a very important part of the world’s energy mix and the Norwegian economy moving forward. At the same time, we need to dramatically accelerate the pace and passion for building new growth companies in future growth industries. We hope X2 Labs – a startup factory can be a part of that future.
In February 2016, we launched X2 Innovation Center to accelerate corporate entrepreneurship (intraprenurship). We’ve been piloting a number of accelerator programs to help established companies launch new growth ventures in days, rather than weeks or months. Our programs have covered solar-energy, electric cars, offshore fish-farming, smart cities, digital health, smart buildings and more. Working with foresighted companies like Lyse, Delfi, Aibel and more, has allowed us to test, experiment and develop an accelerator methodology that works. Thanks to financing and a strong partnership with Rogaland Fylkeskommune we now have a proven methodology that allows established companies to launch new business areas in just five days. It’s fantastic to see how teams work, collaborate and iterate business model designs closely aligned with customers to test and scale new business areas.
We are now building on this experience, connecting startups and corporates through a series of accelerator programs. Combined, they will push, inspire and potentially acquire each other.
And finally, do you have a Space-program?
Yes, of course we do. Every company should have a space-program. Our team is involved with The Government of Luxembourg in their asteroid-mining ventures, the global New Space conference, the space angel network and of course the upcoming Spaceport Norway (Stavanger, Norway June 17th – June 25th 2017).
Space has long been identified as a high-tech, high-value growth industry for Norwegian firms. We are now putting together a unique, 4-week, “Launch a Space-company” accelerator in June 2017. Our aim is to co-create, launch and build 10 space-related space-companies in 4 weeks.
One last question, are you guys for real?
Yes, we are. Several people have asked us this; but our intentions are straightforward, we want to co-found, start and scale a wide number of companies across a range of future growth industries for Norway. Our ambitions might be, well, optimistic, but we are doing this - and we hope you will join us. Really, how hard can this be?