Inno Guides are designed to serve as an onboarding tool for anyone that's new to the city's ecosystem, as well as a refresher for those looking to learn more about Atlanta's startup and tech communities and the resources available to them. If you think we're missing anything, email us at AtlantaInfo@AmericanInno.com. (For a guide to the city's incubators, go here)
Accelerator programs are a useful tool to help established startups ramp up their operations, refine their product and gain access to mentors and investors. Typically fixed-term, intensive programs, accelerators have become more and more prevalent in recent years to match the rise of startup activity throughout the United States.
Atlanta is no exception when it comes to startup hubs with a wide variety of accelerator programs. While some are aimed at specific industry areas, many are open to any promising early-stage companies. We’ve put together a list below of Atlanta’s most prominent accelerator programs with available information on their criteria, backers, cohort length and equity taken.
- BridgeCommunity - BridgeCommunity runs a seven month startup accelerator focused on early or growth stage companies in IoT, Fintech and Engagement/Retail. The organization is backed by large Atlanta corporates looking to scout out innovative young companies, and startup participants gain valuable access through the program to companies such as Coca-Cola, Cox, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Suntrust.
Now in its third year, the April-October program doesn’t offer investment, but BridgeCommunity doesn’t take any equity either. Some past benefits to companies beyond the core value of training, mentoring and connections to BridgeCommunity’s network include free office space at The Garage at Tech Square for companies who need it, $15,000 in AWS credits and $20,000 in Google Cloud credits.
- Cyberlaunch - Cyberlaunch is open to startups in the cybersecurity and machine learning space. The intensive 90 day program runs twice a year and promises to maximize business value and give access to deep expertise and growth capital. Cyberlaunch provides startups with $20,000-$100,000 (depending on stage of the company) in exchange for roughly 7% equity.
- Emory Entrepreneurial Excellerator - as the name suggests, the Emory Entrepreneurial Excellerator is housed within Emory University and is exclusively for current Emory students. The 10 week program accepts eight teams per year and coaches them through company ideation, customer discovery, prototyping and growth. While no investment is offered, companies will pitch to a group of angel and venture capital investors during the final demo day.
- Engage - Engage is a new venture fund and accelerator program backed by a who’s-who of Atlanta corporate powerhouses: AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power Foundation, Inc., Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Invesco Ltd., The Home Depot and UPS. Engage selects portfolio companies to participate in a Fall (Aug-Oct) or Spring (Feb-May) cohort and promises significant corporate engagement and coaching in go-to-market strategy.
The program is aimed at relatively developed early-stage companies, citing a typical incoming company as having $1 million in revenue run rate and approximately $2 million in funding raised. Engage invests $75,000 in portfolio companies, mainly to cover increased operating expenses as they ramp up business, and typically co-invests $250,000 to $1 million in subsequent financing rounds. Terms are individually assessed based on run rate and revenue.
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- Flashpoint - Flashpoint is an accelerator program that spun out of Georgia Tech and is led by Merrick Furst, an entrepreneur and GT professor. Approximately a dozen startups are accepted into each cohort and receive $20,000 of investment from Flashpoint’s associated fund in exchange for equity. Cohorts are four months long and run twice a year, with companies working out of Flashpoint’s space in Tech Square. Flashpoint prides itself on it’s “Startup Engineering” curriculum, “a program and framework for finding genuine unmet demand and building scalable companies to satisfy it.”
- GoodieNation - GoodieNation is a social enterprise “pre-accelerator” program for entrepreneurs or companies focused on tech-enabled solutions for under-served communities. Each year’s four month cohort is focused on one specific topic area, such as gentrification or violence. Roughly ten founders are selected and guided through an entrepreneurial course from ideation through prototyping and presentation.
GoodieNation takes no equity but also does not provide investment to participants. However, companies that participate in the accelerator receive an estimated $30,000 in in-kind services and benefits. The program is designed as part-time to accommodate students or those with other jobs.
- NeuroLaunch - NeuroLaunch is an accelerator focused on neuroscience and neurotechnology. Operating since 2014, NeuroLaunch has invested in or facilitated growth for over 60 companies related to neuro and brain technology. The accelerator provides $20,000-$100,000 in investment in exchange for 2-7% equity depending on stage of the venture. Each cohort is 90 days, with startups working out of the NeuroLaunch coworking space in Tech Square.
- Points of Light Civic Accelerator - the Points of Light Civic Accelerator or CivicX is an accelerator and venture fund focused on civic ventures, non-profit and for-profit alike. CivicX is a 10 week program that includes 10-15 teams in each cohort. At the end of the program, two of the teams will be awarded $50,000 investments, with the entrepreneurs themselves deciding who receives the awards. There are slightly different investment stipulations depending on whether the ventures are non-profit or for-profit. The Spring 2018 cohort, focused on bridging the digital divide in America, will be the organization’s eleventh to date.
- Start:ME Atlanta - Start:ME is a 14-week accelerator program backed by Emory’s Goizueta Business School serving entrepreneurs with a strong tie to three metro Atlanta communities–Clarkston, East Lake/Kirkwood and the Southside. The program is open to small businesses in all industries, and specializes in working with businesses with four or less employees. Start:ME selects 15-18 businesses to participate in each 14-week (Jan-Apr) cohort and the program is free of charge for the participating small businesses.
- Techstars Atlanta - The Atlanta iteration of the national accelerator program Techstars, this 90-day program is run in partnership with Cox Enterprises. Each participating company (there were 10 in the 2017 cohort) receives $20,000 to cover expenses during the program and is offered a $100,000 convertible note in exchange for 6% equity. Techstars boasts a worldwide network “including more than 10,000 mentors; 2,700 investors; 1,200 alumni companies and 180 staff members.”
- The Farm - A new accelerator backed by Comcast/NBC Universal, The Farm plans to run two 12-week cohorts per year with ten companies participating in each. The Farm offers $20,000 of investment in exchange for 6% equity and claims to offer an additional $1.3 million in other perks including free office space, hosting services and software discounts.
