Organization seeking B2B and social innovation startups; teams in Seed Hatchery and Upstart programs to receive $25,000 of investment capital
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Nov. 9, 2015) – Start Co. today announced that it is accepting applications for its Seed Hatchery (enterprise technology), Upstart (women-led technology) and Sky High (social innovation) accelerators. This year the Start Co. Angels and Innova Memphis will continue their partnership to provide $25,000 of investment capital into teams accepted in the Seed Hatchery and Upstart programs. As a Global Accelerator Network (GAN) member, Start Co. teams this year will also be considered by a new venture fund designated for investment exclusively into GAN programs.
“We’re thrilled to continue offering our accelerator teams access to the tools and resources needed to help them grow their valuations and rapidly progress their ideas,” said Eric Mathews, CEO and co-founder of Start Co. “We’re building on success from the previous two years to continue developing our programs to provide the best possible curriculum for our teams.”
Start Co. is looking for B2B technology startup founders who are passionate, flexible, coachable and execution-oriented. Their startups should be unique, have high-growth potential and exhibit a national or global reach. Those interested in applying can find more information and applications at neverstop.co. Applications will close March 1, 2016 and those accepted will begin their entrepreneurial journeys at the Start Lab May 2, 2016.
The three accelerator programs will again run simultaneously over the summer, allowing for streamlined integration of resources and mentorship for all founders and teams participating in the 100-day program. Accelerator programming this year will feature mentorship, weekly training sessions, business development, cohort reporting sessions and actionable milestones. Start Co. business partners and accelerator mentors include American Airlines, Archer Malmo, Baker Donelson, The Marston Group, Mosaik Solutions, Softlayer (an IBM company), Springboard Enterprises and more.
“Our programming is unique in that mentor and investor participation is critical from day one, enabling founders to receive the important feedback needed to build their business models quickly and correctly,” continued Mathews.
After Demo Day in August, graduated teams are expected to continue to build their businesses while receiving post-acceleration support for at least another three months. Select alumni teams are also invited to participate in an annual investor day and technology tour in San Francisco in October; this year’s trip included 11 alumni startups. Additionally, graduate startups DivorceSecure, LendMed and Preteckt have recently been accepted into the 2015-16 class of Launch Tennessee’s “The TENN” virtual post-acceleration program, which began Oct. 21 and is comprised of the best startup companies from Tennessee’s nine startup accelerators.
Since 2011, Start Co. graduates have received investment of over $12.7M. For more information about Start Co. portfolio and client companies, and to apply for accelerator programming, please visit neverstop.co.
About Start Co.
Start Co. is a nationally recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) venture development organization based in Memphis, Tennessee, that relentlessly builds founders and companies, promoting entrepreneurship for everyone with a focus on digital startups. Start Co. is a member of the Global Accelerator Network and aims to advance Memphis’ economic growth through entrepreneurship. The organization is supported by partners including American Airlines, Archer Malmo, Baker Donelson, The Marston Group, Mosaik Solutions and Softlayer (an IBM company). More information can be found at neverstop.co.