Venture For America’s vision is to create an accessible and inclusive future of entrepreneurship in America. Becoming a full-time founder poses a financial burden and risk that many early-stage founders are unable to take. Our Accelerator is an opportunity for Fellow Founders to more comfortably take big leaps towards launching and growing their businesses. Ultimately, this program provides the capital, connections, and coaching to equip Founders to solve their most pressing venture problems.
Fellow Founders can join the Accelerator after they’ve completed our two-year Fellowship and participated in programming: ideation sessions to identify problems and brainstorm solutions; validation challenges to validate their product or idea; and pitch opportunities to further validate their business in the market.
What is the Accelerator?
For three months, Venture For America offers a zero-equity program that provides a $2,500 monthly business stipend, access to a network of peers, mentors, subject matter experts, and investors, and a chance to win up to $10,000 in prize money at an in-person Demo Day in Baltimore.
The Accelerator focuses on providing participants with the networks and resources to remove a key barrier in one to two of these primary areas: product, growth, operations, legal, and finance. With the assistance of an entrepreneur-in-residence and advisor, Fellow Founders will be able to identify areas of growth, develop an actionable plan to address issues, and leverage the VFA network when needed. Each of the 12 weeks allows for flexibility, but holds a rough structure that requires between two to four hours of programmed time and weekly 1:1s with an EIR, and time with an advisor as needed.
At its core, the Accelerator is how the Venture Growth department at VFA looks at supporting all Fellow Founders. Venture Growth’s aim is to respond to the following question, “what does it look like for VFA to serve as the friends and family round for those that do not have one?” This is done by ensuring an equitable and inclusive allocation of financial, social, and intellectual capital. This is done through our pillars: Capital, Connections, and Coaching. By investing directly, providing venture support, and direct coaching we work to make sure every Founder is equipped to build their next venture.
This Year’s Cohort
After receiving an unprecedented number of applications, and an intensive selection process, we’re excited to announce our 2023 cohort of six companies:
Carbon Compost | Louis Mennel ‘19, Pittsburgh – Carbon Compost makes it easy for environmentally conscious people to recycle food waste without the hassle of managing their own backyard pile.
PoGo | Arabia Simeon ‘21, Detroit – PoGo’s mission is to empower the next generation of voters to make informed voting decisions.
Cozy Cabbage | Claire Kim ‘21, St. Louis – Kimchi for everyone. Healthy made Tasty.
RE: LINK | Mamadou Ndiaye Jr. ‘18, Philadelphia – RE: LINK helps creatives build communities of collectors and profit from the resale of their works through Timbuktoo, a collectibles marketplace..
Pangu | Sara Chen ‘20, Detroit – Apparel that celebrates women of color in outdoor spaces by bridging the gap between aesthetics and function.
The Clothing Library | Milagros de Souza ‘21, Birmingham – The Clothing Library provides high-quality, sustainable clothing rental on a localized model helping people save money, the environment, and space in their closets.
Stay Connected
Stay tuned to Venture For America’s social channels for more information and updates on this year’s Accelerator cohort, and for more info about Demo Day on Friday, Oct. 6 from Baltimore.
