26 Startup Incubators & Accelerators Outside New York and San Francisco
America’s startup scene is getting bigger by the day. Hundreds of incubators and accelerators are helping businesses around the country, with many of the biggest programs centered in New York or the San Francisco Bay Area. But that doesn’t mean you have to go to the coasts to get your business started. Plus, taking your business to a smaller city means a cheaper cost of living for you and your team and cities on the up-and-up often offer tax incentives for new businesses as well. What’s the difference between incubators and accelerators? Generally speaking, incubators work with just-formed companies and accelerators work with existing businesses, offering mentorship, training, professional services and capital funding in exchange for equity. The programs are competitive and can last anywhere from a few months to more than a year. (This list excludes accelerator-esque programs that are membership-based campuses, such as 1776 in DC. You can find more incubators and accelerators around the U.S. and around the world on F6S.com and atGan.co.) Here’s a list of 26 accelerators and incubators outside of NYC or San Francisco organized by region with cost-of-living information from Forbes’ Best Places for Business and Careers so you can find the place that’s right for your company. For comparison, the cost of living is 54.3 percent above the national average in San Francisco and 29.8 percent above the national average in New York City. The average home price is $742,500 in San Francisco and $442,600 in New York. View the full article
From Start to Neverstop
The cubicle is where it all started for me. A small confined space with high walls and no decor. Equipped with a few drawers with missing lock keys, a noisy computer, and a chair. At least the chair could spin. Lack of feng shui aside, it was my home away from home, and I found myself conforming to the rules laid before me by society. It was a time when I believed in the importance of my college degree, and embraced things like “job security.” Three years later I would find myself laid off from one of the most secure jobs possible, unable to pay rent, and unable to get a new job in the same field. As Ron Burgundy might call it, I was “stuck in a glass case of emotion.” I spent the next few months discovering my own self by asking open ended questions. I asked myself what I wanted to do in life, what I wanted to get out of life, and what I wanted to be remembered for when I die. Certainly did not want to be stuck in a cubicle again, nor did I want to be bored, and at the end of days I better not be getting any anchovies on my tombstone. My answers made me aware of the burning desire to break away from the structured path which closely paralleled “The Truman Show”. Suddenly, I realized I already found my exit door. Being laid off gave me the freedom to do
Memphis ranks as one of top 10 cities to start a business
(WMC) – Did you know that Memphis could be one of the best places to start up a business? According to CNN Money, it ranks as one of the top 10 cities in the country. Start Co. is a company, located in Downtown Memphis, that makes it their job to help get new businesses off the ground. This summer, it is taking on 18 teams and preparing them for a demo day that could end with investors for entrepreneurs with good ideas. Maggie Owsley is not from Memphis, and she never thought she would end up here until she started her own company called Play-tag. “Play-tag is a wearable device for dogs,” said Owsley. “It’s a dog tag that goes on your dog’s existing collar, and it communicates with your mobile app.” Read the rest of the article at Action 5 News
Digital ‘Buy Local’ Platform MadeIn Set to Launch
Next week, a venture called MadeIn is launching a new shopping platform in Memphis to connect people to a website where they can buy and sell local goods. The venture is a digital platform that will act as a kind of local version of Amazon, and MadeIn creator Jennifer Sadler said her startup also will sell curated gift boxes that include an assortment of local products. Sadler has been working with Start Co. over the summer to launch MadeIn, which she hopes raises awareness of the many sides of Memphis that get obscured in the shadow of things such as Elvis and barbecue. And to help get the word out about the platform, MadeIn is throwing a party. Continue Reading at The Daily News
MadeIn: a new online marketplace to buy, sell local
Memphians know that blues and barbecue aren’t the only things made in Memphis. Now, the startup online marketplace MadeIn brings locally made products to visitors and natives alike. The website’s platform offers a selection of items for individual sale and curated boxes. Founder and CEO Jennifer Sadler got her start with making City Boxes, a package that sampled the best art, food, music, and gifts that Memphis had to offer. Transitioning to an online gallery was done with the help of Start Co., a development organization for Memphis startups. View the full article at Memphis Business Journal
Wantrepreneur – A Webinar with Al Pickett and the NUL
Curious about what it takes to launch a company and be successful? Al Pickett, VP of Diversity at Start Co., has been selected by the National Urban League (NUL) to host a webinar about starting a company the smart way. The webinar, called “Wantrepreneur: Are you ready to be your own boss?” is part of the Digital Career Success Webinar Series. Already, 300 people have registered for this webinar – more than twice the average number of registrants. Whether you are in an organization or starting your own business, the ability to think innovatively is invaluable. During the discussion, listeners will hear real strategies to get real results using entrepreneurial skill sets and principles. The discussion will provide a roadmap for turning an idea into reality and will touch on idea validation, monetizing your ideas, and how to avoid the common pitfalls of starting up. Check out the webinar from the live discussion on July 9, 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB9gJb8yJBg&list=PL9C0AC90344544112&index=10 Al Pickett is the VP of Diversity at Start Co. Follow him on Twitter @MrAlPickett. #NUL #NeverStop
Start Co. Welcomes Logistadvise to the Sparkgap Accelerator
Start. Co is thrilled to add Logistadvise as the 19th startup to the Summer of Acceleration. Founded by Eric Spearin and Radek Duda, Logistadvise is a database that connects freight transportation providers with thousands of transportation carriers in North America. Logistadvise revolutionizes the transportation industry with its algorithm based system and large volume of available data on every for-hire company in the industry. The Logistadvise team sought out Start Co. and Memphis because of the strength of the network of mentors, logistics industry experts, fellow entrepreneurs, and potential investors. Logistadvise will join the Sparkgap Accelerator and work toward pitching investors at Demo Day. Start Co. will support Logistadvise as they work alongside the other 18 startups in the Summer of Acceleration. Hailing from Canada, Spearin and Duda started work on Logistadvise in September 2013; today, Spearin and Duda are finalizing the company’s business model, having moved to Memphis to work with Start Co.. They designed and launched their platform in February of 2014 in private beta and plan to officially launch the platform in early August of 2014. Today, the users on Logistadvise’s beta test website search through over 65 million shipping options to find the best fit for their needs. Join us in welcoming Logistadvise to Memphis. If you’re interested in learning more about Logistadivse, visit http://www.logistadvise.com. If you’d like to attend the culminating experience of the Start Co. Summer of Acceleration, where Logistadvise and the 18 other emerging startups will pitch to investors, reserve your seat here: http://neverstop.co/demoday/.
Innovation District Promised As Maker Movement Gets a Close-Up
Memphis makers got the spotlight last week as city officials announced they’d joined the White House’s “Mayors’ Maker Challenge,” and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton promised more resources to aid the city’s already hot start-up community. Makers make things. They’re inventors, tinkerers, builders, craftsman, and more. Five-In-One Social Club is an example of crafty makers in Memphis. The Broad Avenue storefront offers classes on sewing, working with paper, or making rubber stamps. The more high-tech Mid-South Makers group whips up giant LED clocks, micro-controlled robots, drones, and more at its Memphis workshop. View the full article at Memphis Flyer
Start Co. Helps Entrepreneurs Bring Ideas to Life
DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, Tenn. (FOX13) –They’ve relocated from all across the country to work and create right here in Memphis. They are entrepreneurs working to build their businesses from the ground up, and they’ve got 90 days to do it. The company that is helping them is called Start Co., a start-up incubator that works with entrepreneurs to take their ideas from business plan to prototype. Many of these innovators moved here from cities like San Francisco and New York City to work with StartCo in Downtown Memphis. “They give us this beautiful office space, mentors, funding, and overall support and encouragement,” said Maggie Owsley, founder of a company called Playtag. StartCo helps them build their ideas into products that can be manufactured and sold. They’ve got 90 days to complete their ideas; so many teams have been working day and night. View the full article at My Fox Memphis
Memphis Tech Industry Remembers Dave Barger
For the better part of the week, local Memphis tech industry insiders have been posting memories of Dave Barger, founder and CEO of LunaWeb, who died last weekend in a kayak accident on the Wolf River near Shelby Farms Park. Most of the memories came via Twitter under #rememberdave, while some people who knew Barger posted blogs about their experiences with him, including Start Co. founder Eric Mathews and LunaWeb’s vice president, Steve Phipps. View the full article at Memphis Business Journal