2023 Spring Supersonic Program Opens Recruitment: Staying True to Our Mission, Growing Against the Headwinds

Looking back at 2022, we navigated a complex and volatile market environment and witnessed founders rising to the challenge. More importantly, the Supersonic Initiative — co-launched by Agora and 5Y Capital — walked alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way.

Over the past year, the Supersonic Initiative, co-launched by Agora and 5Y Capital, provided comprehensive support to more than 40 startups and enterprises in the real-time interaction space, including 104 one-on-one VC consultations and technical product coaching sessions, 142 business development and government/media resource connections, and more. The annual RTE Innovation Competition drew participation from over 30 investment partners, incubators, and industry players, including GGV Capital, MiraclePlus, HTC Vive X, Yangpu Dachuangzhi, Chaoyang ITEC, Audi China, and Xnode.

In 2023, we continue to walk alongside you on the entrepreneurial journey — officially launching the Supersonic Initiative 2023 Spring Cohort recruitment! We welcome founders in the real-time interaction space to apply.

The Supersonic Initiative is a startup acceleration program co-launched by Agora and 5Y Capital. It empowers developers to innovate and build more cost-effectively and efficiently through a founder cohort program, free ecosystem product packages, technical support, investment consulting, and other resources. With a focus on new scenarios in real-time interaction, it brings together top entrepreneurial communities in the field, evaluating candidates based on scenario innovation and long-term value. Through interactive communities and startup competitions, it grows alongside participating companies.

A Leading Startup Ecosystem in Real-Time Interaction

Focus: Every Industry, Every Vertical, All Centered on Real-Time Interaction

Education, AR, pan-entertainment, healthcare, enterprise services, future of work, metaverse... Supersonic founders may come from seemingly disparate industries, but their technology, products, or scenarios all fundamentally rely on real-time interaction — or rather, the Supersonic Initiative has always kept its sights on new scenarios and technologies in this domain. This combination of absolute vertical focus and relative openness gathers partners across the ecosystem, sparking new ideas and inspiration through exchange and collaboration.

Long-Term Partnership: Graduation Is a New Beginning, Every Partner Is Valued

Strictly speaking, each Supersonic cohort isn't long — about three months, with eight sessions and one demo day. But every founder is a permanent member of our community. Whether it's investor introductions, customer connections, or marketing exposure, these resources remain open to all Supersonic alumni. Whatever challenges partners face, whatever resources they need, or even if they just want to play a game together — the Supersonic door is always open.

Addressing Pain Points: The Doraemon for Founders

Supersonic assistant Xiao Yinfu has one goal — to have Doraemon's pocket of gadgets. To that end, we've spent countless hours digging into our partners' needs and communicating across the ecosystem to provide founders with more opportunities and resources.

Riding the tailwind of founders' growing demand to go global, the Supersonic Initiative has steadily expanded its roster of overseas partners and launched an overseas guidebook to provide more comprehensive support. Beyond strategic partnership discounts, there are exclusive consulting sessions covering everything from Southeast Asian market analysis and global trend insights to marketing growth, ad placement, and refined operations — helping founders grow better and faster.

The "Highest" Bar: Winning Together with Founders

The Supersonic Initiative's entry requirements may seem "loose," but our commitment to growing alongside founders is serious — no fees, no equity requirements, not even any obligation to use Agora's products or services. We simply want to walk alongside outstanding founders, discover more innovative real-time interaction scenarios, and advance the industry. To date, each cohort's acceptance rate hovers around just 10%. Once admitted, founders are expected to fully commit to the program, maintain engagement, and provide active feedback to maximize value creation. Genuine commitment is our greatest investment, and what we hope to receive in return.

"The Supersonic Initiative is the Whampoa Military Academy of real-time interaction. It takes 'acceleration' for enterprise development to the extreme and has built an outstanding incubation and partnership ecosystem. We're honored to be part of the Supersonic community, where we've met many fellow founders and participated in so many engaging activities. DeepLight Technology looks forward to deepening our collaboration with Agora and ecosystem partners to jointly explore the application of AR projection technology combined with RTE!"

— DeepLight Technology, permanent partner of the Spring 2022 Supersonic Initiative, Top 3 finalist at the 2nd RTE Innovation Competition 2022

"Joining the Supersonic Initiative felt like meeting your idol in person. The Agora team is genuinely eager to embrace new technologies and actively helped us think through product applications and integration possibilities. In just two months, we received help across technology, product, marketing, and user growth. Not only could we get up close with Tony for B2B iteration strategy advice, but we also found new customers within the Supersonic network. At the Supersonic Initiative, surprises keep coming."

— AntTouch Technology, permanent partner of the Fall 2022 Supersonic Initiative, Top 3 finalist at the 2nd RTE Innovation Competition 2022

The Supersonic Initiative Is Waiting for You!

2023 Spring Cohort Schedule

• Application and screening period: From now until February 25
• Founder cohort program: Early March to late May, including online and offline sessions, salons, resource connections, and internal selection demo day
• RTE Scenario Innovation Competition finals: Late October, featuring winners from the spring and fall internal selection demo days

*Schedule subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances; actual arrangements will prevail.

Four Resource Modules

Selected Supersonic partners receive support across four categories:

Technology and Product

• 1 million free minutes of real-time audio/video calling from Agora, or an equivalent free RTM acceleration package
• RMB 10,000 in free product support from Easemob
• Cloud credits from AWS, Oracle, Microsoft, and Google Cloud
• Free usage, testing, and joint product development opportunities with 50+ partners (hardware such as Rokid, HTC, etc.; software including platform and enablement products)

VC and Incubation

• One-on-one deep-dive sessions with 5Y Capital (co-founder of the Supersonic Initiative), GGV, MiraclePlus, Linear Capital, Shunwei Capital, and other VC partners
• Lifetime alumni community with ongoing technical support, community benefits and events, talent development, referral rewards, and industry insights
• Policy and landing support from incubator partners including Shanghai Yangpu Dachuangzhi, Beijing Chaoyang ITEC, Shenzhen Qianhai, and TusStar (business secretarial, IP, tax and legal services)
• Green channel opportunities for top accelerator interviews and major tech company startup programs

Community and Ecosystem

• Supersonic's unique buddy system — in-depth discussions with buddies who are commercialization, product, and technical leaders in audio/video, networking, AI, and more
• Permanent Supersonic partner status (ongoing technical support, community benefits and events, talent development)
• Connections to global top partners, bringing exclusive global trend insights and innovative playbooks, keeping you one step ahead of the future

Marketing and Brand

• Internal selection demo day opportunity (20 compete for 4 spots)
• RTE Conference startup showcase (speaking, exhibition, business development opportunities)
• RTE Scenario Innovation Competition finals public demo day (top 4 from each cohort)
• Co-marketing media exposure (podcasts, interviews, VC Day)

Additionally, teams reaching the internal demo day top eight or the RTE Scenario Innovation Competition top three receive additional resources including top-tier VC connections, government incubator rewards, and full-channel promotion. Plus Xiao Yinfu's surprise hidden perks!

Partners

How to Apply

FAQ

1. Are there any fees to apply or participate?

There are no fees to apply or participate. Selected teams not based in the offline event city will need to cover their own travel expenses; we provide lunch and snacks during event days.

2. Is my company required to use Agora products and services?

No. The Supersonic Initiative aims to co-define the RTE landscape with early-stage real-time interaction companies and help startups innovate and build efficiently. Whether you use Agora products is not a screening criterion, and no equity is required.

3. What happens after I complete the application?

After submitting your application, the Supersonic Initiative team will reach out (please ensure your contact information is accurate). Screening is rolling, so we encourage interested applicants to apply as soon as possible. Selection consists of online screening and judge scoring. After initial screening, we may invite you to a 30-60 minute video call to better understand your product and support needs.

4. What information do I need to provide? Do I need a pitch deck?

Completing the application form is sufficient to apply, but a pitch deck will be needed later. During the online video interview, applicants should present their pitch deck and give a company and product presentation of no more than 15 minutes. A pitch deck document will also need to be provided before or after the interview for cross-evaluation. We recommend having a developed pitch deck ready at the time of application.

5. How much time and effort is required after selection? Can I participate online?

The Supersonic founder cohort program spans approximately three months in a hybrid online-offline format. There are three core modules conducted offline in Shanghai (or Beijing); these are highly interactive and cannot be attended remotely, typically held on alternate weekends. Additionally, based on specific project needs, one-on-one sessions with industry experts or investors may be scheduled on weekdays.

For any other questions, please contact Supersonic assistant Xiao Yinfu!

5Y Capital seeks out, supports, and inspires lone founders, providing everything from spiritual to operational support. We believe that if the "crazy" you that others see begins to be believed in, the world will become a different place.

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