IOC Athlete365 Business Accelerator

The Athlete365 Business Accelerator Programme is an IOC initiative supporting Olympians, Paralympians and elite athletes in their transition to entrepreneurship, offering structured learning, mentorship, and resources to help them build and scale successful businesses.

Programme timeline · 2026–2027

Your acceleration journey.

From initial diagnosis to a market-ready pitch, each month combines focused business learning, personalised mentoring, peer exchange and practical action.

At a glance

One clear path through the programme

Follow the path below and select any month to explore its focus, key topics and practical application.

0 October 2026 Kick-off & diagnosis Explore

Establish your starting point, understand how the journey works and create a personalised focus for the months ahead.

  • Join the programme kick-off
  • Complete your initial business diagnosis
  • Meet your mentor and agree how you will work together
  • Identify two or three business priorities
  • Explore the programme hub, resources and community
Milestone

Start the journey with a shared understanding of your goals and priorities.

1 November 2026 Product & Service Explore

Clarify your value proposition and the entrepreneurial choices behind the solution you are building.

  • Problem and solution fit
  • Alternatives and positioning
  • Vision and mission
  • Feedback and learning from failure
  • Knowing when and how to pivot
Application focus

Sharpen the value proposition for your product or service.

2 December 2026 Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Explore

Test whether your solution has a viable market and define a credible route forward through focused experimentation.

  • Competition and niche
  • Willingness to pay
  • MVP benchmarking
  • Accio strategy
  • Gamification
Application focus

Define what to test next and how to learn from real users.

3 January 2027 Finance Explore

Build a lean funding and resource plan that supports progress while protecting the long-term sustainability of your business.

  • Resource efficiency
  • Fundraising options and dilution
  • Navigating the Valley of Death
  • Returning to the innovation loop
Application focus

Identify the resources you need, what they will cost and how you could finance them.

4 February 2027 Marketing & Branding Explore

Turn your business story into a coherent identity and digital presence that the right audience can recognise and trust.

  • Brand identity and visual language
  • Website and digital presence
  • Social media strategy
  • Storytelling and branding
  • Using AI to support marketing execution
Application focus

Strengthen how your business communicates its value across key channels.

5 March 2027 HR & Organisation Explore

Choose the legal, team and operating model that best supports the next stage of your business.

  • Business creation and legal set-up
  • Working as a solo founder
  • Co-founders and freelancers
  • How teams evolve as the business grows
  • Identifying the right external support
Application focus

Define the people, roles and external capabilities your business needs next.

6 April 2027 Sales Explore

Convert your offer into a market-ready pitch and a practical plan for reaching customers and generating opportunities.

  • Pitch and sales tools
  • Commercial action plan
  • Readiness to market
  • Preparing to present and defend your offer
Application focus

Build a convincing pitch and define your next concrete sales actions.

Your monthly rhythm

Learn, apply, exchange and progress

Each month follows the same four-week rhythm, making it easy to know what happens next.

W1 · Learn

Expert session

Join a live session, learn through practical examples and identify one action for your business.

W2 · Apply

Mentoring session

Review the resources and work with your mentor to apply the monthly subject.

W3 · Prepare to exchange

Mentoring & peer preparation

Continue the work with your mentor and prepare a question, experience or challenge to share.

W4 · Share & deliver

Peer-to-peer & monthly task

Exchange with other athletes, complete your task and preview the next monthly subject.

Your monthly task

Use the programme template or agree another practical task with your mentor, based on what your business needs most.

Support throughout

Personalised support, built around your business

At the start

Initial diagnosis

Assess your business stage and agree two or three priorities with your mentor.

Across Phase 3

Personalised mentoring

Six fixed monthly sessions plus six flexible sessions, shaped around your needs.

Build your network

Industry introductions

Receive at least two relevant introductions through your mentor’s professional network.

At the end

Final review

Review your progress, capture your learning and agree on the next business priorities.

Final stretch

Apply, pitch and showcase your progress

The programme closes with practical opportunities to test your commercial thinking, present your business and define what comes next.

Format to be confirmed

Sales challenge

Put your sales approach into practice through a focused commercial challenge.

Date & format to be confirmed

Pitch competition

Present your business progress and communicate the opportunity with clarity and confidence.

Details to be confirmed

Showcase & visibility

Potential visibility through IOC/Athlete365 articles and promotional features, together with opportunities to attend or showcase at selected events such as THE SPOT.

Programme close

Final review & next priorities

Review progress with your mentor and identify the decisions and actions that will move the business forward.

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