What happens when you compress five months of mentorship, pitching, investor meetings, and startup growing pains into one powerful accelerator experience?
You come out changed. Sharper. Stronger. More focused. That’s exactly what happened to our team at Pitch Avatar during Challenger AI 3.0.
We’ve officially graduated from the Challenger Accelerator program, and the transformation has been profound.
What is Challenger AI?
Challenger AI is more than just an accelerator – it’s a full ecosystem of support, guidance, and challenge. With 16 workshops, over 15 hours of expert mentorship, 1:1 sessions, peer networking, investor introductions, and a high-stakes Demo Day, it tests you on every front.
For us, it was the spark that ignited real internal transformation.
Why we joined the Accelerator
When we applied to the Challenger program, we were looking for strategic structure, honest feedback, and external support. We got all of that – and more.
The program gave us the clarity and framework to transform our ambitious goals into a precise, measurable roadmap. That immediately boosted our speed and focus.
“We just strictly formulated the goals and tracked them, thanks to the help of mentors and the Challenger Accelerator team… and made huge progress.” – Victoria Abed, CRO at Pitch Avatar
A powerful internal shift
One of the biggest transformations happened within our technical structure. Our team underwent significant strategic advancements, including expanding our technical leadership and analytical capabilities.
These were pivotal strategic decisions, and with the unparalleled support of our mentors, we gained the clarity and confidence to proactively implement the changes necessary for our next phase of growth. This led to a major breakthrough with the help of our technical mentor, in terms of developing new AI architecture and making a different decision in AI that was not familiar to us before.
Clarity, confidence, and courage
The Challenger program also gave us a new lens on our product and strategy. Through peer-to-peer sessions, mentor check-ins, and structured goal tracking, we became more intentional about what we build and how we build it.
Victoria Abed shared:
“If you’re still hesitant about joining an accelerator – don’t be. You think you already know a lot from your past jobs, but you don’t know what you don’t know.”
“You get answers to questions you didn’t know you had. You connect with peers and realize you’re not alone. You get structured. You move faster.”
This wasn’t theoretical learning – it led to faster development, clearer product milestones, and tighter team alignment. That sense of connection – realizing other startups were facing the same challenges and chaos – was one of the most valuable outcomes.
Demo Day
Our journey culminated at Challenger AI Demo Day, where 14 selected AI startups pitched their progress to an expert jury.
Victoria Abed represented Pitch Avatar – and her presentation was chosen as one of the winning pitches, earning us tickets to The Next Web Conference in Amsterdam.
It was a proud moment that symbolized how far we’d come – from internal misalignment to public recognition.
The value of the Challenger network
The program’s value wasn’t only in mentorship and structure – it was also in the strong peer community. Weekly calls, shared resources, and active Slack discussions created a real sense of mutual support among early-stage founders facing similar problems.
As Victoria Abed put it:
“Even if you think you’re already doing great – trust me, you’re not up to date. The right accelerator can give you free, high-value mentorship you’d rarely get otherwise.”
We’re grateful to the entire Challenger team – Iurii Blavt, Olena Shershun, Daryna Prydka, Yevheniia Skoryna – for the energy and precision they brought to every detail. They created an environment where growth was inevitable.
We were proud to grow alongside other promising AI startups: theCoRD, Extra-Vision, HowCow, Salesdep.ai, Content Loop, WHAT IF spaces, Object Control, IF.TEAM, Cenzor OÜ, InTempo, Josti, Connective One – each with a unique story and bold vision.
Together, we formed a learning ecosystem we hope will continue beyond the program.
What other startups can learn
If you’re a startup founder wondering whether an accelerator is worth the time, here’s what we learned:
- Don’t assume you’ve already learned everything. No matter your background, there’s always room to grow.
- The right structure and mentorship can dramatically increase your speed.
- Team alignment is critical. Real breakthroughs happen when everyone is focused.
- You’re not alone. Sharing pain points with other founders is not just comforting – it’s valuable.
Final thoughts
For us, Challenger AI 3.0 was a turning point.
We became faster, clearer, and more confident. We hired the right people, restructured our goals, made key decisions, and earned recognition – all within five months.
If you’re an early-stage AI founder considering an accelerator, we’ll leave you with Victoria’s advice:
“Do it. Don’t waste time.”
This is just the beginning.
Let’s keep building. Let’s keep growing.
