The Start.coop Accelerator supports cooperative businesses OR those that will legally incorporate as a cooperative in the next 12 months. This means that the business legally shares a majority of its ownership with workers, consumers, or other non-founder stakeholders.
Donor Name: Start.coop
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Accelerator
Deadline: 01/02/2023
Size of the Grant: $10,000
Details:
Spring 2023 Accelerator is for cooperative businesses that are led by founders 50 years or older and/or will have a majority of worker-owners over 50 years of age. Preference will be given to entrepreneurs who are low-income or from low-resource communities. All applicants must reside in the United States.
- Over the course of 12 weeks, startups will receive:
- Weekly direct instruction via online workshops
- Monthly peer coaching
- Individualized coaching
- Access to a network of experienced mentors
- Recommendations and discounts for vetted service providers
- A $10,000 grant
The Accelerator combines a weekly, live session held via Zoom and asynchronous work between sessions. The weekly time commitment is approximately 4-6 hours.
Funding Information
They provide a $10,000 grant to your co-op to support startup operations.
Eligibility Criteria
Their four baseline criteria for start-ups to be eligible for their Spring 2023 accelerator are:
- Share ownership with their community (workers, users, etc.) or plan to in the next 12 months
- Have a vision for scale with the potential for 250 members and/or $1m in revenue by the end of Year 3 post-accelerator
- Based in the U.S.
- Led by entrepreneurs 50 years or older and/or will have a majority of worker-owners over 50 years of age.
Selection Criteria
Their team uses the following criteria to evaluate applicants:
- Social impact: What is the social impact of the business? Does the business have the potential to create a substantial impact for communities of color?
- Financial viability: Does the business model make sense? Is it viable long-term?
- Scalability: Is it a business concept that has the potential to create market shifts? (i.e. lower prices across a market, increase wages across a sector, introduce a new technology with potential for widespread application)
- Industry Experience: Does the founding team have relevant industry experience?
- Ability to execute: Can the founding team execute on their vision?
- Entrepreneur Passion: Are the founders passionate and dedicated? What skills do they bring?
For more information, visit Start.coop.
