pre-accelerator
APPLICATIONS FOR ITV12 (FALL 2023) HAVE CLOSED
The Mission
It Takes A Village is Atlanta Tech Village’s diversity and inclusion initiative which emphasizes the importance of supporting diverse perspectives and inclusive work environments in technology. We believe an entire community with different skill sets, backgrounds, and cultures is needed to produce the most productive and innovative companies.
Key Takeaways
Mentorship – Gain valuable information and feedback from Atlanta Tech Village’s mentors and advisors on a weekly basis.
Exposure – Give you the opportunity to advance your company by tapping into Atlanta Tech Village’s extensive network.
Validation – Help you find product market fit through a series of Lesson Labs led by startup experts.
Our Pledge
We pledge to have honest and open conversations about how we can work together to support startups and organizations led by women and people of color. From this pledge, our Pre-Accelerator was born.
Our Pre-Accelerator
Atlanta Tech Village’s It Takes A Village Pre-Accelerator Program gives startups led by women and people of color the opportunity to gain direct access to community, education, mentorship, and capital.
This program is a pre-accelerator that will help diverse founders hurdle any obstacles preventing them from getting to the next level by providing space to work with like-minded individuals, advice from seasoned professionals, and educational workshops to strengthen skills.
At the end of this 4-Month Program our goal is to get participating startups a seed investment, pilot with an enterprise company, and/or spot in an accelerator program.
Community Support and Celebration
In conclusion of the program, we celebrate participating Founders who have successfully graduated from the program with pitches in front Atlanta’s startup ecosystem while giving startups the opportunity to demo their products.
Founders will get 4 minutes to pitch and a designated table for attendees to mix and mingle with potential customers, investors, and tech influencers in the southeast. (We also know how to have a good time.)
Fall 2023 Cohort Schedule
Eligibility for this program:
- Woman and/or Person of Color
- Have a functional product: MVP, beta or launched (Past idea stage)
- Raised less than $150K
- Technology focused company with proprietary software
- Work from the Village a minimum of 2 Days a week
- No A$$holes – kind and supportive people only
Benefits
- Community of like-minded entrepreneurs
- Membership at Atlanta Tech Village
- Mentorship and Advisement
- Lesson Labs: Rich curriculum centered around in depth topics relating to growing a sustainable business
- In-Depth Customer Discovery Curriculum
- Amenities: Events, fitness gym, free bi-weekly lunches, 24/7 access to the building
Program Alumni
Check out all the graduates from the Pre-Accelerator. Combined, this group has generated $480K+ in seed investments and generated $1.9M in revenue.
10th Cohort: Alice Thacker – Gatsby, Crystal Osner – ReCo Grocery, Dedren Snead – Games4Grades, Kai Tan – Rev Match, Kristian Latiker – Caped, J. Labron Anderson – NuNeighbor, Patricia Marsh – Show Me Your M.D.
9th Cohort: Sebastian Builes – Arcum, Anthony Joiner – Blooksy, Gerald Carter – Destined AI, Rodeline Joseph – Medsembly, Eddie Legrand-Sawyer – Players Club, Karishma Babu – Upspeed, Elkanah Reed – Workopti
8th Cohort: Christian Ross – Happy Talks, Chris Faison – Blank, Avani Patel – CFO 360, Vincent Johnson – Coupify, Joe Hamilton – Bacchus, Omarie Mann – Rush The Line, Presley Agbure – Fr8bukyn Rekemo Fung-A-Wing – Cartet
7th Cohort: Timothy Fields – BESN, Amy Hollibaugh – Cul De Sac, Eban Bisong – Creative Critique, Dalero Berkley- MaverickIQ, Arsed “Sed” Joseph – StageWing, Marsha Jean-Louis – Stream Suites, Saurav Bhandari – TaxZen, Samuel Austin Evans – Very Individual Protection Services (VIP), Rejoice Jones – Vower
6th Cohort: Ashleigh Esprit The Studio Social, Andy Okala – Tuggo,
Tara Geigh – Romp and Tumble, Joel Nkounkou – ecoText.co, JT Liddell – promenade.ai, Fahim Faisal – MealBrowse
5th Cohort: Cesar Flores – HearthMates, Trellis Usher – Nova Health Labs, Thomas Clifton – Metriqq, Candice Jordan – Love Home, Bobby Gilbert – FundStory, Brandon Winfield – iAccess Life, Ashley Richardson – My Totem
4th Cohort: Baiyana Jihad – Beyond The Classroom, Jibril Sulaiman – Incluzion, Lauren Longo – Talli, Kaitlin Lutz – NewCrew, Edwin Williams – Perserbid, Tori Madison – For Good, Jahari Soward – My eSTEAM Kits, Anthony Colbert – My Study Goals, Chelcie Scott – BuildMe, Kristen Hooper – Relativly
3rd Cohort: Danielle Major – Smart Convos, Inc., Niesha Butler – ScrapSports, Dana James – Construwise, Justina Olatunde Davis – Omode’ Play and Create, Umama Kibria – Sweat Pack, Stefanie Jewett – Activvely, Dumarkus Davis – Musicbuk, Ariam Sium – Click-A-Shift, Connor Ford – Spirit
2nd Cohort: Richard Bailey – GrpFit, DeShawn Stevenson – OurErrands, Carolyn Pitt – Film Connx LLC, Lundyn Carter – Laine London, Tiffany Gaines – Laine London, Jerica Richardson – HackOut Ninja, Daniel Santos – HackOut Ninja, Brandon Evans – Cryptopedia/Renaissance Labs, Cloe Guidry – Hire Ground, Christiannah Oyedeji – Trymyfab, Ifrah Khan – Usit – On Demand Babysitting App, Sheehan Khan – Airlift
1st Cohort: Robert Hatcher – Aurign, Aaron Petty – Mitivate, John Thomas – RedBag Gifts, Ify Ifebi – Vendorspace, Wilkinson Egwu – LawnTap, Glen Williams – LocalCity, Karthik Puvvada – Closing Page, Vishal Kumar – Closing Page, Barbara Jones – Freeing Returns, Jessica Goodwin – MomSquad, David Hailey – Countalytics, Rob McFadden – Countalytics, Lisa Jones – EyeMail
Startup Summer School
Welcome to the crazy ride of entrepreneurship!
Register for each session below
JUNE 3-JULY 28, 12:30-1:30 PM
Have an idea? Do you crave to build something? Join us, each Wednesday this summer, for a semester of Virtual Startup Summer School. Learn from the best in the industry about what it looks like to start your own company and how to do it well.
9 classes taught by the best in the industry. RSVP for all 9 classes here.
INTRO TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
June 3, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Jermaine Brown
Many people think entrepreneurship is glamorous. Truth is, entrepreneurship is hard. Really, really hard. While it can be an incredible experience – the opportunity to build a better future, being in control of who you work with and how you work while experiencing the direct connection between effort and results, you must be prepared for the journey. This class will be all about starting off and what to expect.
CUSTOMER THEORY
June 10, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Rachel Ford
What will take your startup to the next level in terms of acquisition and revenue lie in this very important practice. What your end users want and need are sometimes two very different things. Learn how to focus on what provides immediate value for “Earlyvangelists” of your product or service, and how to make this an ongoing part of your business model.
CREATING AN MVP
June 17, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Don Pottinger
We will explore different agile development methodologies, and how to mold the process for your unique team. We’ll also take a look at building an MVP (minimum viable product) in 2020 — from choosing the technology stack, to leveraging free services, and finally going beyond the minimum.
MARKETING 101
June 24, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Alan Woodruff
Your brand IS your customer’s experience with your company, which is why it’s essential to develop a go-to-market plan that includes customer journeys and empathy mapping before launching. This Branding/Go-To-Market class will introduce you to key concepts and tools that will ensure you are reaching the right people and creating experiences that will drive measurable growth.
SALES 101
July 1, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Kim Wilson
If pursuing sales is something new for you, or maybe you have started to get some traction and don’t know what’s next – this session of Summer School is for you! We will provide concrete steps on how to start the sales process as well as information on what to do once the sales start churning. From establishing processes to talking about wise opportunities we will equip you to build your startup on a firm foundation on facts that will lead to success and a thriving company.
HIRING YOUR FIRST TEAM MEMBER
July 8, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Jill Silman Chapman & Randy Fisher
As a startup grows in the earliest of stages, it will face numerous challenges and opportunities that will include ideation, discovery, pitching, funding, legal, and a human capital strategy. The need to find and retain the right talent will always be a challenge. We will help you to understand the importance of key-position hiring, culture by design, and the right HR strategy to help your company prepare to take its next great leap.
LEGAL 101
July 15, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Wayt King
It is imperative that a company’s legal affairs are in order, particularly for an emerging growth company that is likely to face increasingly intense due diligence in connection with its capital raises and its ultimate exit event. The session will address the key issues facing startups, provide expert advice on how to avoid and troubleshoot the common pitfalls, and discuss best practices for structuring your startup for longevity and profitability.
FUNDING 101
July 22, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Kim Seals
Learn the various forms of investment and the Investor & Entrepreneur perspectives for each, to set a foundation for your capital raise. Learn best practices for conducting a capital raise, everything from pitching tips, to valuation discussions, and key metrics to address in order to get the right partners in your round. Lastly, we’ll de-code “venture speak” and see what types of businesses are best funded through venture, bootstrapping, bank loans, grants & the variety of other forms of funding.
PITCHERS BE PITCHIN’
July 29, 12:30-1:30
Speaker: Jacey Lucus
As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have ample opportunities to tell people about the company you’re building, aka, pitch to them!
In this class we we will cover:
-What is a pitch?
-The importance of defining who to pitch to.
-The importance of the format of your pitch.
-The importance of the delivery of that pitch
-And finally how to make your pitch deck look good!
Whatever stage you’re in, our goal is to help you tell your story in the best way possible.