Applications are open for the next cohort of the TiE XL Bootcamp, a program from TiE Oregon designed to help founders get started or grow.
Founders can apply online and the application period will remain open until the cohort is filled, likely by the end of September. Twelve to 15 founders will be selected and the program begins around Oct. 3.
The program consists of 10 three-hour workshops, with meetings twice a week for the duration. Workshops are led by entrepreneurs who have grown their businesses. They cover topics such as articulating the problem a product solves, competitive positioning, startup financials, fundraising and marketing.
There is a cost to the program but scholarship options are available, according to organizers. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic the program has been remote.
Startups that are in the concept phase or early-stage companies that don’t yet have product market fit are ideal for the program, said TiE Oregon Executive Director Kari Naone. Companies that are looking for first round of funding also benefit from participating, she added.
Participants are selected based on several factors including feasibility of the company, whether the founder is coachable and if its product or service is in the traded-sector.
TiE Oregon is one of several organizations in town that supports entrepreneurship. The group runs education programs such as the bootcamp, pitch events and pitch coaching and it has an angel network or member investors.
Last year, 22 founders participated in the bootcamp. The bootcamp is one of several educational and network building programs that founders tap into. The program also aims to help founders from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds find the support they need.
In 2021, 73% of TiE XL participants were women, 21% were Black, 16% were Asian and 5% were Latinx, according to the group. Since the program’s inception 226 founders have participated with 64% identifying as Black, Indigenous or people of color and 58% women.
This is just the latest resource to open up a new cohort. Applications are also open for the Beaverton Startup Challenge, which is run by the Oregon Startup Center.
