The Fastest Way to Learn How to Build a Startup
CORE’s free Tech Startup Pre-Accelerator helps you learn the process, test your idea, and prepare to pitch.
No idea or startup experience required.
At a Glance
Free, practical training: Learn how to validate your concept, create a prototype, and pitch investors.
Eligibility: Anyone in Kansas and the Kansas City metro area.
Weekly Sessions: In-person + zoom on Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 in November, December and January. No sessions are required. Join when you can to receive guidance and feedback.
Led by experienced founders: Learn from people who have built startups themselves.
$10,000 pitch competition: Complete the required deliverables to qualify. Pre-Accelerator participation is optional but strongly recommended. The pitch competition will be held in February 2027.
$15,000 investment opportunity + fundraising support: Teams demonstrating exceptional customer validation and scalability can pitch CORE Ventures, an early-stage investment fund. Selected teams receive investment and fundraising assistance to pursue a $250,000+ pre-seed round.
You do not need startup experience, a business plan, funding, or a finished product. You just need to be willing to learn.
Free | Join In-Person or via Zoom | Open Statewide Across Kansas
OUR GOAL
Train 100+ Kansans Per Year on the Startup Process
At the earliest stage, money usually isn't the first problem.
Doing the wrong work is.
Many founders assume they need $10,000, $100,000, or $1 million to turn their vision into reality.
Most tech startups eventually need capital. But raising money before you have tested the problem, talked to customers, and figured out what you should actually build is putting the cart before the horse.
CORE is run by entrepreneurs. We have made these mistakes ourselves.
Early-stage founders usually benefit more from practical training and feedback from experienced entrepreneurs before they start chasing investors.
You'll learn how to:
Determine whether customers have the problem you want to solve
Talk to potential customers and test your assumptions
Decide what you should and should not build
Create an early prototype without overbuilding
Understand the stages of startup financing
Understand what investors expect to see before they invest
Once you have evidence that you are solving a real problem for real customers, raising capital becomes much easier.
HOW IT WORKS
How the Pre-Accelerator Works
Thursdays
Lawrence + Zoom
Open Statewide Across Kansas
The program includes an optional information session followed by three stages: Learn, Practice, and Pitch.
Optional Information Session
Thursday, October 15 | 6:00–7:00 PM
Not sure whether the Pre-Accelerator is right for you? Join us before the program begins to learn how the program works and ask questions. Attend in person in Lawrence or via Zoom. Register for the info session. ↗
Meet the Facilitators
The Pre-Accelerator is led by people with firsthand experience building startups, advising founders, raising and investing capital, and helping early-stage companies determine what to do next.
Kyle Johnson
Kyle is the Founder / Executive Director of CORE and Founder / CEO of Bixy, an AdTech startup. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he worked at Accenture and earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of Kansas.
Kyle has spent 15+ building technology startups, raising outside capital, developing new products, and working through the same early-stage challenges covered in the Pre-Accelerator.
Jaime Gassmann, PhD
Jaime is a two-time startup founder, former e-commerce entrepreneur, startup consultant, lecturer at the University of Kansas, and product strategist at Invary. She also organizes the Lawrence Tech Guild.
Through her work with Fluent, Jaime has coached startups in Kansas and across the country on customer discovery, product-market fit, go-to-market, pricing, and growth strategies.
Michele Weigand
Michele is CEO and Managing Partner of Focused Perspective and has 27+ years of experience in finance and business development. She served as Chief Investment Officer for KTEC and managed investments for GE Mortgage and GE Reinsurance.
Michele serves on the Board of Network Kansas and helps founders understand what investors value and when raising capital makes sense.
01 LEARN
4 Virtual Learning Modules
Explore startup fundamentals, customer validation, prototyping, and financing through short videos, written lessons, and practical assignments. Complete the materials on your schedule and refer back to them as you make progress.
Module 1
Startups 101
Learn the stages of building a startup, common misconceptions, and what founders should focus on at each stage.
Module 2
Customer Validation
Learn how to talk to potential customers, test assumptions, and determine whether people actually care about the problem you want to solve.
Module 3
Creating a Prototype
Learn how to turn an idea into something customers can see, understand, and react to—without spending months building a finished product.
Module 4
Investor 101
Learn how startup financing works, what different types of investors look for, when it makes sense to raise money, and what investors expect founders to demonstrate.
02 PRACTICE
10 Practice Sessions | Thursdays, 6:00–7:30 PM
Nov 5
Nov 12
Nov 19
Dec 3
Dec 10
Dec 17
Jan 7
Jan 14
Jan 21
Jan 28
Think of these as startup open-mic nights.
Each founder can take approximately 10 minutes to get feedback from CORE facilitators and the group. We rotate through participants and accommodate as many founders as possible during each session.
Bring whatever you are working on (e.g. your customer deck, your prototype, your pitch deck, your questions).
You can:
Explain where you are stuck and ask for help
Talk through what you learned from customer interviews
Test your customer pitch
Practice your investor pitch
Show an early prototype
Ask for feedback on what you should do next
You can also simply attend and learn by watching other founders work through their businesses.
You are not required to present during these sessions.
03 PITCH
Founders who complete the Pre-Accelerator deliverables
There are two pitch opportunities:
The pitch competition with $10,000 in prize money
Investment from CORE Ventures. The fund makes $15,000 investments and provides hands-on fundraising support for companies seeking $250,000+ pre-seed rounds.
Eligibility
Founders seeking investment should be prepared to complete:
At least five customer interviews
An investor pitch deck
A two-minute pitch video
Initial product sketches, designs, or prototype concepts
The Pre-Accelerator is optional but strongly advised as it will help you create the required deliverables.
Target Investment Terms
Our standard investment approach:
Investment: $15,000
Instrument: SAFE
Valuation Cap: $200,000
Target Ownership: Approximately 7%
These are target terms and may vary depending on the company and investment.
Our goal is not simply to make a $15,000 investment.
If we invest, our intent is to help you pursue a $250,000+ pre-seed round, depending on the company's capital needs.
CORE's role does not end with the first check. We want to help promising founders strengthen the company, prepare for outside investment, and connect with potential investors and other resources that can help them reach the next stage.
Investment consideration is limited to founders who complete the CORE Pre-Accelerator.
Not every Pre-Accelerator company will receive an investment. CORE Ventures evaluates companies based primarily on evidence of customer demand, founder execution, the opportunity, and the company's potential to become a scalable growth venture.
ELIGIBILITY
The Pre-Accelerator Is Open to Anyone Interested in Startups
You can participate whether you're building a company, exploring an idea, or simply interested in understanding how startups work.
You do not need to have a startup idea.
You do not have to present during the practice sessions.
And pursuing an investment from CORE Ventures is completely optional.
There is no single path through the program. Participate in the parts that are most useful to you.