Ever wonder what it takes to turn a startup accelerator into a reality show? In an AMA with BeInCrypto, the XFounders team dives into their groundbreaking venture: the world’s first edutainment reality show for Web3 founders.
XFounders CEO Nelson Lopez, along with co-founders Fazil Suleymanov and Fedor Erashev, shared how this unique format brings startups to the mainstream, making Web3 concepts accessible to everyone.
From moments like founders rescuing a kitten to high-stakes challenges of startup life, XFounders Bootcamp S2 delivers a view into the journey of Web3 entrepreneurs. But why a reality show? According to Lopez, reality TV’s viral appeal is unmatched, creating a connection between startup founders and mass audiences.
Let’s get into the AMA to learn more about how XFounders and their approach to startup storytelling.
Join the BeInCrypto Trading Community, participate in our AMA sessions, and earn cash prizes for asking questions of our guest speakers!
AMA Session With XFounders
BIC: It’s AMA time, Community!
Today we welcome the XFounders team:
👉 Nelson Lopez, the CEO at XFounders & Ex. Global Head of People at Gate.io,
👉 Fazil Suleymanov, Founder at XFounders,
👉 Fedor Erashev, Founder at XFounders.
Ok, let’s get started!
Fedor: Hey, community!
Which countries and cities are you from? Fazil and I are currently in Bali, Indonesia.
BIC: We are spread all over the world, but your location is impressive 🔥🔥🔥By the way, How did the idea of creating this reality show come about? 👀
Fazil: Last year, when we organized XFounders Bootcamp S1 in Turkey, supported by ICP Blockchain and several Tier 1 partners, we generated over 200 hours of content. However, this content wasn’t interconnected and, as a result, didn’t attract much attention. On the other hand, living together for a month created many dramatic, sometimes extreme, and exciting moments.
For example, the founders rescued a kitten stuck under a car by lifting the vehicle while one person crawled underneath to save it. One of the founders flew back to France in the middle of the program to get married and returned two days later. By the end, there were tearful goodbyes because everyone had become like family.
This time preparing forXFounders Bootcamp S2 powered by Solana , we realized we couldn’t just keep these moments to ourselves — we wanted to show the world what XFounders Bootcamp is all about.
BIC: And how did you manage to execute it without prior experience? 🤯
Fedor: Great question! Like any other venture, it started with an idea, preparation, finding the right team, making the first sales, and, most importantly, maintaining full control and working daily on all the processes, tasks, and issues that arose during production.
One of the biggest challenges was synchronizing the work of two different teams—the Accelerator team and the production team on set. Together, the teams totaled around 50 people. This was probably the most challenging period in all of our careers. One of the key insights we gained was that such a project is best executed when all teams and employees are in-house, with us as the founders acting as both the clients and the executors of the product.
On the other hand, it was a costly and risky experiment. However, its successful execution and distribution could open new doors for marketing our startups and partners, potentially attracting a large new audience for them.
For us, this was a calculated risk, and we hope that our product— the world’s first edutainment reality show about founders—finds its audience and brings significant value to the entire XFounders ecosystem.
BIC: Tricky question 😈Why do startup founders need a reality show like this? 😏
Nelson: One of the main struggles any founder has is making their product reach a mainstream audience. It’s one thing to have an already web3-educated audience know about you, but to reach across to the uninitiated has proven for everyone, and I mean everyone, nearly impossible.
Our reality show fixes that. Reality shows are probably the most viral, far-reaching, mass-consumed, globally easy-to-digest media language. So we’re giving audiences a show, and by the end, they’ve been educated on key web3 topics, plus, they connected to the specific startups’ path and solutions in the show and bonded emotionally with the actual founders.
It’s about fundamentally getting people to like the startups and founders without making it an ad. Get it? As a mass audience, you come for the entertainment, and you end up being educated.
People avoid marketing, ads, or classes on topics they’re not already bought into. By making a show about Web3, we’re making an amazingly entertaining show that revolves around your startup and you as a founder. How powerful is that?
BIC: What do other partners, investors, and mentors gain? 🧐
Fedor: A massive new audience for each of our participants. Go-to-market is the biggest pain point and challenge for projects. Acquiring an audience is expensive, and building a recognizable brand takes a lot of time and resources. Our reality show can provide this in the most organic way—by telling the real stories of founders and learning about them alongside the viewers.
For investors, it’s an opportunity to invest in the best startups from our cohort, knowing they will see tremendous growth and attention in the future. This acts as a strong multiplier for return on investment and successful exits. Our partners and experts get to showcase their skills and companies to a new generation of founders who may want to work with them in the future.
For startups, it’s powerful marketing for their products, the creation of a strong personal brand, generating FOMO among investors, driving sales, securing new contracts, and more. All of this helps them grow exponentially and capitalize on their business. XFounders is like the secret sauce that startups often lack in their pitch decks to grab the attention of investors.
We want to be part of the success of our portfolio companies and are doing everything we can to help our teams succeed.
BIC: What about the web3 market? What value does this format bring to it?
Nelson: We’re bringing a completely new exposure vector to the market. The depth of how we can connect mass audiences to our startups is unheard of. Because we’re not doing marketing. It’s not product placement, which has been used since the 50s and is now proven to decrease in effectiveness drastically.
It’s not like formats such as “Shark Tank,” where you see a pitch for an idea and a founder for 5 minutes, and you’ve forgotten about them the moment the next one comes in. We’re showcasing a whole narrative, character development, and the building process over 10 full episodes.
The scope and airtime for audiences to connect to the startups and founders is nowhere to be seen yet, or even close. We’re not selling a product. We’re not selling anything at all. We’re having you connect, truly, with the process and people that stand behind the product.
BIC: In your opinion, what aspects were successful, and what could have been better?
Fazil:
One of XFounders key successes is that we were the first to create this kind of format, not just in web3, but across the entire startup industry. XFounders is the first accelerator to film a reality show within the program, and we handled it well.
What we did well was that we stayed realistic and had a clear understanding of what needed improvement. While we haven’t had enough time for a full retrospective yet, I can already say that we need to allocate more time for preparation and plan for more resources. There were many unexpected expenses.
Additionally, we couldn’t fully implement a competition for a prize, such as investment funding, but we’ll definitely focus on that more next time. That said, we did manage to secure one check on XFounders Demo Day, which I believe will make it into the show.
BIC: Why do you think the viewer will be interested in watching your show?
Fazil: I believe many viewers dream of launching their own startup. Some may even be trying to do it now, or perhaps they’ve had an unsuccessful attempt in the past, drawing inspiration from Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, or other well-known entrepreneurs.
In our show, we present real founders who are no different from our viewers. We tell their stories, show their journey, and how they overcome the challenges we put them through at the XFounders Bootcamp. Every viewer can find a hero to connect with, get inspired, and learn how to handle similar situations themselves.
But what makes it truly special is the strong edutainment element of the show. We include insightful lectures from people like Matt Sorg, VP of Technology at Solana, Chase Barker, Head of Developer Relations at Solana, and our CEO Nelson, who shared incredibly valuable leadership content, along with dozens of other seasoned experts who participated in XFounders Bootcamp.
BIC: I need to ask this question! 😂Not everyone in our Community knows this, but the BeInCrypto team made a party to celebrate the company’s 6th anniversary. So… What did the participants say about the BeInCrypto Birthday party? 😂
Fedor: Oh, it was wonderful… Our Accelerator isn’t about leisurely downtime. We have a very packed schedule, and we strive to make the most efficient use of participants’ time to provide them with value from our experts. But it’s also important to know how to relax, recharge, and maintain a balance between work and rest. In this regard, a huge thank you goes to the entire BeInCrypto team for organizing your birthday celebration.
We had an amazing time, with plenty of different activities. All the founders relaxed, recharged, and bonded with one another. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the Bootcamp, which we carefully captured and will feature in our show.
A big thank you to the BeInCrypto team for your support, participation in XFounders, and your openness and drive to help us grow the web3 market together.
We hope to see you in the next season!
BIC: Share any videos or photos from the camp with our Community!
- Fazil – https://youtube.com/shorts/40tvJH_ZJfU?si=bWNnneilP8GGoWXI
- Fedor – https://youtu.be/8xqtlYykTos?si=0HmfrdPdeE6j3PwY – Our very first teaser 😎
- Nelson – https://youtu.be/CkJBPMCUWpI – This is the most recent trailer 🍿
BIC: The last questions from my side! What are your plans for the future development of the project?
Nelson: Okay, so here’s the Alpha… We’re highly experimental, so we’ll take what works from this season and twist it for the next one. Some seasons will be more competitive, others more focused on a particular stage of building a startup or maybe the human aspect of the founders’ journeys.
All these elements are here for the very first edition, and we’ll just tweak them from season to season to keep things fresh! There will also be continuity between seasons, so you’ll recognize faces, catch up on storylines, and build your own knowledge on running a web3 startup, hopefully inspiring you to do the same and, who knows, be a future season of Startup Warriors!
As a teaser on the distribution model, let’s just say you can expect us to be on a major stream platform soon.
BIC: Cool! Now, let’s move to the questions from the Community 😏
The first question is by @LittleXiaYuann:
How does XFounders create a collaborative environment where founders can exchange insights?
Nelson: Thank you Xia! Great question!
At XFounders Bootcamp, we prioritize offline collaboration, encouraging the exchange of insights through informal networking beyond the educational curriculum. This approach not only accelerates project growth and opens new opportunities but also helps founders build lasting relationships that often lead to strategic partnerships.
For example, in both seasons 1 and 2, founders initially focused solely on educational content. However, over time, through shared informal activities, they opened up, became friends, freely exchanged insights and knowledge, and some even joined forces to launch collaborative projects.
So we know for a fact that it works, and it’s just about replicating our unique formula for as many bootcamp and founders as we can reach!
BIC: The next one — @NinidCrypto:
How does XFounders’ curriculum address both current trends in Web3 and prepare founders for future shifts in the crypto landscape?
Fazil: There’s no better way to stay on top of market trends than learning directly from industry leaders. That’s why we’ve built our program around personalized one-on-one mentorship.
This season, for instance, our founders have been working closely with the VP of Technology and the Head of Developer Ecosystem at Solana Foundation—leaders who are deeply in tune with current trends and the future direction of their ecosystem.
BIC: @SusanneCooper12 is asking:
What practical tools do founders gain from XFounders that they can immediately apply to their Web3 projects after the camp?
Fazil: Our programs prioritize practical experience over theory. We measure the success of our educational sessions by how effectively founders implement what they’ve learned. For instance, when the focus was on personal branding this season, founders attended the Token 2049 conference with the task of creating content for their social media.
After returning, they worked with an expert to review the footage, develop a strategy, and begin applying it to build their personal brands.
We apply this same hands-on approach across all topics. Founders immediately put their newfound knowledge into action, and by the end of the Bootcamp, they’ve refined their vision, strategy, and pitch deck. They then showcase all of this to investors during the final demo day.
BIC: @siesie888888:
Is XFounders only for elite investors? How about others with small funds? Is it open to everyone?
Fazil: We want everyone who believes in our startups to have the opportunity to support them and benefit financially, which is why we are planning to launch a DAO. This will create opportunities for investors of all sizes, including those with smaller funds.
By establishing a foundation through the DAO, we will gather thousands of smaller investors who want to participate. We’ll carefully select startups, and the DAO will vote on which ones to support. This gives smaller investors a chance to get involved as we work to democratize access to startup investment. So stay updated for the DAO launch
BIC: The last one – @Jefffel_fire:
What key factors do you consider when selecting startups for the XFounders bootcamp?
Fedor: Since our program is highly personalized, we implement a multi-level selection process to ensure that each project aligns with the program, its current stage, and its growth potential.
This year, beyond the standard accelerator criteria (such as stage, investment size, and industry), we added two extra layers. Each startup underwent an assessment with the Solana Foundation team to ensure compatibility with their ecosystem, as well as with the reality show production team to guarantee the best possible experience 🤞✨
BIC: Ok, that’s it, guys! Thank you for being here today!
Conclusion
By turning their journey into a reality show, XFounders shares the real ups and downs of building a startup, creating a story that’s both entertaining and inspiring. This show brings viewers into the daily lives of founders, showing what it truly takes to launch.
As Bootcamp S2 wraps up, XFounders has proven there’s a new way to reach people, combining education with entertainment to make Web3 concepts easy to understand. With more seasons and possibly a spot on major streaming platforms in the future, the increasing reach that XFounders could get seems very promising.
Disclaimer
In compliance with the Trust Project guidelines, this guest expert article presents the author’s perspective and may not necessarily reflect the views of BeInCrypto. BeInCrypto remains committed to transparent reporting and upholding the highest standards of journalism. Readers are advised to verify information independently and consult with a professional before making decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.
