Upstart Accelerator 2014

Upstart is one of the first mentorship-driven seed-funded accelerators designed specifically for women-led startups.

Through Upstart, not only will your startup emerge with a working business model, but you will emerge with a working knowledge of business. You will also earn an opportunity to pitch for additional funding at a demo day alongside accelerators from different industries across the city.

Who do we invest in?
- Teams led by women, but may have men as co-founders.
- Founders who are passionate, flexible, and execution oriented.
- Unique, high-growth-potential startups; typically these are web-based or other software companies, but we’ll fund companies that don’t quite fit that mold as well.
- Startups that can have national or global reach.
- Specifically, we don’t fund non-profits, companies that require laboratories and FDA approval, restaurants, consultancies, or small service oriented companies.

How is the program structured?
Following an intense pre-acceleration period of personal and professional development, participants embark on a 90-day acceleration program designed to encourage rapid progress and achievement of milestones. Over the course of the program, teams meet with mentors, attend weekly training and business development sessions, participate in cohort reporting sessions and meet individually with advisors. Additionally, prospective angel investors, service providers, influencers, and community leaders are invited to engage our startups. The accelerator culminates with a city-wide Demo Day, during which all Start Co. accelerators across various industries pitch in front of an audience of angels, venture capitalists, and community leaders. Graduated teams join our strong network of alumni and continue to set milestones while receiving post-acceleration support for at least another 3 months.