A pair of Miami University alums are giving a financial boost to the school's in-house accelerator program.
Jeffrey and Sarah Kadlic have committed $50,000 to start the Sarah and Jeffrey Kadlic Entrepreneurial Growth Fund to benefit the RedHawk Launch Accelerator, the Oxford university announced Monday.
The program, based in Over-the-Rhine's Union Hall, is a seed stage startup accelerator for all Miami University student-led startups with high growth potential. Participating startup receive:
- One-on-one mentoring from Miami’s pool of more than 700 startup and business professionals across the U.S.
- A $2,500 grant to fund operations and customer acquisition
- The opportunity to make at least one investor pitch to more than 100 accelerator directors, angel investors and VCs from 20-plus states during the Altman Institute’s RedHawk Venture pitch competition
Collectively, RedHawk Launch Accelerator graduates have raised more than $15 million in follow-on funding since 2015. The accelerator announced its sixth cohort in February.
“This gift is a catalyst to launch new businesses and create new jobs," Mark Lacker, the John W. Altman professor of entrepreneurship who leads the accelerator, said in a statement. "Our student founders are building prototypes, testing designs and attracting paying customers through the funding provided by Sarah and Jeffrey Kadlic."
Jeffrey Kadlic is a founding partner of Evolution Capital Partners in Cleveland, while Sarah Kadlic is owner of Courtland Jewels. Both are 1993 graduates of Miami University.
