Photo caption: Jen Smiley, founder of Wake UP and Read the Labels, participates in the 2023 VILLAGEx Demo Day. Photo courtesy The Idea Village.
The Idea Village is now accepting applications until Nov. 10 for VILLAGEx 2024, a mentor-driven, cohort-based accelerator program for growth-stage startups across the Gulf South that are in a position to raise venture capital, access the resources needed to scale rapidly, and likely raise at least $1 million over the next 24 months. Click here to apply for VILLAGEx.
“VILLAGEx is designed to accelerate the growth of startups in ways that will benefit not just those companies but the entire Gulf Coast region,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village. “Given our regional geography, specific challenges, and strong talent base, we see great potential in the areas of climate, health tech, and culture tech and particularly look forward to seeing applications from entrepreneurs in those industries. Of course, we encourage all growing startups in a position to raise at least $1 million over the next 24 months to apply for the program.”
Startups are selected based on several criteria, including a venture’s ability to rapidly scale or show potential for high growth; serve a new or niche market in an innovative way; incorporate technology to solve a problem or improve upon a process; offer a new or unproven business model with the potential to revolutionize a particular industry; and plan to take on at least $1 million in funding over the next 24 months.
The program, which runs every year from January to May, leverages The Idea Village’s executive-level mentor network of professionals to assist growth-stage startups. Through the program, startup founders are connected and matched with mentors, coaches, and industry-specific experts. In addition, the program includes structured advisory boards, capital development, pitch coaching, desk design, peer networking, among other resources. Founders in the cohort can also participate in Demo Day, a culminating pitch showcase that gathers hundreds of people from the regional startup community.
Since its inception, The Idea Village has supported 16,366 entrepreneurs by serving as a catalyst and developing programs that provide direct support and education to founders and early-stage companies.
“The number of innovative startups being built in New Orleans and beyond is exciting to witness. I am confidently anticipating a competitive VILLAGEx application pool,” said Megan Blach, program director who leads the VILLAGEx program at The Idea Village. “We love to see bold companies solving interesting and sometimes unexpected problems. That is the core of innovation, and The Idea Village exists to help those companies scale.”