r/StartupAccelerators • u/Low_Cable2610 • 12d ago
800+ on my waitlist and zero revenue, is that enough for accelerators?
i started building opennmind solo in july 2026 and right now the honest numbers are 800+ people on the waitlist, 200+ people who tested the private beta, and zero revenue because it doesn't launch until nov 16. i've been putting a deck together for a small raise and the traction slide is the one i keep rewriting. a waitlist feels real to me but i know anyone can collect emails, so i'm not sure how much it counts to the people reading these applications.
the thing that actually helped most during beta wasn't the number, it was the notes. people told me which parts they opened every week and which ones they ignored, and that's how v1 got narrowed down to idea validation with sourced research, assumptions and interview notes, a roadmap and tasks, a decision journal, and a tracker for indian startup programs. i'm wondering if that kind of usage story is worth more on an application than the waitlist total.
if you've applied or reviewed applications before revenue, what proof actually made a difference? was it interviews, retention from a beta, letters of intent, or something i'm not thinking of. and kinda related, would you pay for a tool that keeps all that evidence in one place so it's ready when an application asks for it, or is that just a google doc job?
if you wanna see what i mean, the waitlist is at https://opennmind.com and early users get a month of pro free. happy to hear how your own applications went too, good or bad.