Ideas are important and execution more so...

FastTrack is a Netherlands based creator and implementer of the next generation wireless and Internet businesses, founded in April by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. 

Our mission is to continually develop and capitalise Internet and wireless business ideas into early-stage companies or products and release them into the market. By applying hands-on in-house expertise and leveraging our partner network in key areas such as product development, market entry and expansion, legal, recruitment, marketing and public relations, time-to-market is significantly shortened.

We are a team of seven professionals from five nationalities with long experience with Internet start-ups, management consulting, consumer marketing, product development, telecommunications, cutting-edge programming, technical architecture and international business expansion. We are not a consulting firm, we are not an incubator, we are fast trackers.

In today's truly global Internet and wireless industries, there is one single key success criteria that stands out -Time To Market. If you have a brilliant business idea, you can be certain that there are others somewhere on the globe that have same ideas. To succeed you have to beat them to the market launch. Fast Track was founded with this mindset and the prime competitive advantage of FastTrack is the ability to keep the ear on the ground, pick up an idea and extremely quickly fast track the development.

The Opportunity

• Single most important success criteria regarding Internet and wireless business development: Time To Market
• Scarcity of teams with hands-on start-up experience, able to implement business ideas quickly and accurately
• Window of opportunity for various business concepts in the evolving Internet and wireless industries
• Existing mechanisms (established companies, incubators, do-it-yourself entrepreneurs) are not optimally geared for consecutively generating and developing business ideas with shortest possible time to market

Business Process

To be able to spot the trends, identify an opportunity and quickly implement and launch a business, FastTrack is following a structured and well proven business development process. 

Fast Track is continually following the trends and keeps an ear to the ground.

Concept Idea Phase. An idea is born. It may be generated internally, it may be a spin off from another FastTrack project, or it may come from some external party. The external idea can come from someone within the partner network of FastTrack. It may also come from an individual, who due to his position within a company has an insight. He may not be willing to implement the idea himself, in this case he can hand it over to FastTrack for a percentage of the venture. The idea is conceptualised and verified against a set of checkpoints. If it meets the checkpoint it enters the business development phase.

Business Development Phase. The concept is analysed with respect to market opportunity, technical, competitive, legal, organisational and partner feasibility. Potential suppliers are contacted for price and time estimate. The budget is set. If the project is deemed to be launchable it is moved into the Anchoring phase.

Anchoring Phase. The project may rely on strategical partners; in this case those are signed-up with a letter of intent in this phase. The most important milestone is securing external seed investment for the project. When this is achived the project moves into the Implementation phase.

Implementation Phase. FastTrack is now a shareholder together with one ore more external investors. The project is being implemented. Technical product is implemented, staff is recruited, the marketing campaign is prepared, an office is secured, a company is incorporated. All needed partners are contracted. FastTrack is taking the responsibility of implementing the project against a consulting fee.

Release Phase. When the company can stand on its own and the management is warmed-up, FastTrack is releasing it to the new management. FastTrack will still have a close relation with the company on board level as well as in each discipline, e.g., marketing, technical, product, where FastTrack will couch the management in the company.

Partner Strategy

Fast Track is establishing a network of preferred partners in key areas such as: 

• Product development
• Market entry and expansion
• Legal and recruitment
• Marketing and public relations

Our team consists exclusively of professionals with: 

• A proven track record and 
• Extensive network in their respective competence area
• Specifically in the Internet and telecommunication industries

Idea Criteria

• Industries
• Wireless value added services, Wireless Access Protocol
• Small-size software for Personal Digital Assistants and smart-phones
• Pure Internet plays with low marketing needs and viral, self-propagating characteristics
• Self-sustainable business or market with minimum 8 -10 potential acquirers
• Clear sustainable competitive advantage
• Scalable cross-country
• Clear revenue streams
• Potential to be top 3 Europe-wide
• Internal knowledge of business area
• Development cycle less than 4 months

Investors

FastTrack is privately held by the founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis.

FastTrack is continually seeking to establish relationships with seed-phase investors, willing to invest seed money in cutting edge Internet and wireless projects, developed by FastTrack. Since we need to fast track the development, we also work with investors who are able to make investment decisions within weeks. 

©Copyright 2000 Fast Track