The Netherlands is an incredible place to kickstart a business: it has a small market of early adopters, a direct attitude, and an international vision. And for the next three months Swogo.com will be right in the heart of it as we join Startupbootcamp 2013, Europe’s largest accelerator program.

It may only be a 40 minute flight from our hometown of London, and everyone here speaks English, yet this is the first time we’ve ventured into the Netherlands. Back home Amsterdam is famous for its wild reputation, but we’re most excited by its innovation and keen business culture. It’s the season of accelerators ­ with programs like RockStart in full swing and the new TechStars recruits having just been chosen ­ so we thought we’d take you through the accelerator process, and what it’s like being a part of it.

Where are you at and where do you want to go?

It’s important to be selective, and there’s no point applying to programs that can’t offer you what you’re looking for.

We applied to a lot of accelerators, but Startupbootcamp was always our number one choice. We wanted direction for our business alongside world­class mentors, which is exactly what SBC offers. There are international contacts, as Startupbootcamp is a member of the Global Accelerator Network, incredible business mentors, including SBC founders Patrick de Zeeuw and Ruud Hendriks, and the small Dutch market is a great testing ground for new services.

If you’re not sure how an accelerator can help you grow, then make contact with the program’s alumni. See how it guided their startup journey, and then decide if it could help yours.

It’s all about the pitch

That’s not strictly true ­ but it does feel like it as you settle into a day of pitching at the end of the selection process. So prepare before you go, and remember these quick tips:

It’s easy to focus on explaining why you think your business is so great ­ but begin your pitch much before that. Where did the idea come from? How did you know that there was a problem in the first place? Why are you the right team to deliver this solution? It’s much easier to sell an audience on an idea once they’re invested in its journey. Keep everything short, clear, and in context. In our early pitches we used terms like “first port of call”, which didn’t translate to a Dutch audience. The most important thing is that the audience understand your idea, so cut the flashy phrases and stick to words that everyone will know.

3. Demos are great… in theory. A demo is the simplest way to show exactly what you’re doing, but you never know what technical difficulties will crop up, like issues with the WiFi. We prepared a video demo instead, which delivered our message without the worry of a dodgy Internet connection.

What’s it like to be a young startup in a new city?