In June, Skail crossed the finish line of BETA.MN’s Spring 2025 cohort – thirteen Wednesdays that felt a lot like cramming a semester of “Startup Survival 101” into a single quarter. For founder Matt Osborn, the program was less about collecting another logo for the website and more about compressing hard-earned lessons into a rapid learning loop that refined Skail’s product, strategy, and story.
A quick primer on BETA
BETA is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) that twice a year invites early-stage tech founders into a free, non-dilutive, five-month accelerator focused on customer discovery, business fundamentals, and investor readiness. The Spring 2025 cohort included 13 startups covering everything from medical tech to AI, all meeting in person every Wednesday from late March to mid-June. In exchange for the time commitment, founders receive curriculum, mentorship, media exposure, and—most importantly—a peer group that understands the roller-coaster of building from scratch.
Why Skail applied
Skail began as Matt’s internal side project to automate the “least fun” parts of B2B marketing—writing cold emails and social post engagement. Early results convinced him the idea had legs, so he entered BETA looking for three things: structured feedback, disciplined customer interviews, and a network that could open doors to early adopters skail.ai.
“I wanted a space where tough questions were encouraged and everyone in the room was wrestling with the same zero-to-one challenges,” Matt recalls. “BETA delivered that in spades.”
What’s next
Skail will spend the summer validating ROI metrics with its pilot customers, integrating with additional CRMs, and refining its “voice-cloning” accuracy, especially for employees who communicate mostly in emojis.
If you lead marketing at a B2B company and wrestle with “How do I get employees to share content that doesn’t sound like corporate copy-paste?”—reach out. Skail is offering limited pilot slots at discounted pricing for feedback-driven partners.
Gratitude, minus the confetti cannons
To the BETA staff, mentors, and fellow founders: thank you for turning lonely problems into shared milestones. Your feedback tightened our roadmap, your questions sharpened our pitch, and your camaraderie reminded us why Minnesota’s tech scene keeps punching above its weight.
And to anyone considering BETA: if you’re ready for honest critique, structured learning, and a community that will cheer your wins and challenge your half-baked assumptions, submit that application. You’ll leave with more than a fancy certificate—you’ll gain the clarity and connections every early-stage founder needs.
Onward.
