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Release Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Release Number: 15-66
Contact: Miguel Ayala (202) 450-0148
Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today announced the 80 winners of the second annual Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The recipients represent 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Accelerators serve entrepreneurs in a broad set of industries and sectors – from manufacturing and tech start-ups, to farming and biotech – with many focused on creating a diverse and inclusive small business community.
“SBA is continuing to make advances in supporting unique organizations that help the start-up community grow, become commercially viable, and have a real and sustained economic impact,” said SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet. “Through the wide-spread outreach of this competition, we are able to reach entrepreneurial ecosystems across the country. My commitment is to make our resources available to 21st century entrepreneurs where they are, and these accelerators, also known as incubators and innovation hubs, are the gathering place for today’s innovators and disruptors.”
Applications were judged by more than 40 experts with entrepreneurial, investment, startup, economic development, capital formation and academic backgrounds from both the public and private sector. The first panel of judges reviewed over 400 applications and presentations and established a pool of 180 highly qualified finalists. The second panel evaluated the finalists’ presentations and pitch videos and selected the 80 winners.
Each organization will receive a cash prize of $50,000 from the SBA. In accepting these funds, the accelerators will also be committing to quarterly reporting for one year. They will be required to report metrics such as jobs created, funds raised, startups launched and corporate sponsors obtained. This will allow the SBA to continue building upon its database of accelerators and their impact, and to develop long-term relationships with the startups and constituents in these innovative and entrepreneurial communities.
The purpose of the competition was to draw attention and funding to parts of the country where there are gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. While there are entrepreneurial activities occurring nationwide, some are better supported by private sector ecosystems than others. SBA has created connective tissue amongst the nearly 130 winning entrepreneurial ecosystems now
part of the Growth Accelerator Fund. We will continue to explore ways to creatively harness this powerful network and connect startups to each other and Federal government resources. We reported to Congress a baseline of 2014’s fifty winners – made up of about 1,500 companies that have raised $600 million and employ nearly 5,000 people – and with the Class of 2015 the number of entrepreneurs we touch grows significantly.
Additionally, SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs (ONAA) used the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition’s framework to award an additional $400,000 to ecosystems primarily dedicated to Native American entrepreneurs and small businesses. Criteria used for these eight $50,000 prizes were determined by the ONAA, which also managed and judged these eight selections.
The SBA will be discussing the Growth Accelerator program and other SBA programs at the White House Demo Day today. Tune in live at www.whitehouse.gov/live and check out www.sba.gov/accelerators for more details.
The winners are listed below:
City,State
Name of Accelerator
Anchorage, AK
Launch : Alaska
Homer, AK
Alaska Small Business Incubator, LLC
Birmingham, AL
Velocity
Fayetteville, AR
Startup Junkie Consulting, 2.7.0 Accelerator
Phoenix, AZ
CPLC Pickle House
Phoenix, AZ
SEED SPOT
La Jolla, CA
mystartupXX, University of California San Diego
Los Angeles, CA
LACI (Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator)
Oakland, CA
Impact Hub Oakland
San Diego, CA
Hera Labs
San Jose, CA
Manos Accelerator
Alamosa, CO
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition
Boulder, CO
Unreasonable Institute
Boulder, CO
MergeLane
Loveland, CO
The Warehouse Business Accelerator
Hartford, CT
LaunchPad for Impact
Washington, DC
Halcyon Incubator
Washington, DC
Launch Pad
Washington, DC
Mess Hall
Fort Pierce, FL
Pioneer Business Incubator
Orlando, FL
VentureScaleUp
Tampa, FL
FirstWaVE Accelerator
Atlanta, GA
FOCUS Inculator
Rome, GA
Makervillage
Honolulu, HI
XLR8UH
Kahului, HI
Maui Food Innovation Center – Maui Accelerator Program
Kailua-Kona, HI
GVS Transmedia Accelerator
Cedar Rapids, IA
Entrepreneurial Development Center, Inc.
Cedar Rapids, IA
Iowa Startup Accelerator
Champaign, IL
I-Start (EnterpriseWorks at the UIUC Research Park)
Chicago, IL
Fulton-Carroll Center
Chicago, IL
Impact Engine
Park Forest, IL
SouthWorks MakerLab in Park Forest
Anderson, IN
Flagship Accelerator Program
Louisville, KY
XLerateHealth
Louisville, KY
LVL1 Inc.
New Orleans, LA
PowerMoves.NOLA
New Orleans, LA
Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation
New Orleans, LA
The Idea Village
Boston, MA
Fraunhofer TechBridge
Boston, MA
InciteHealth
Somerville, MA
Greentown Labs
Rockville, MD
Relevant Health
Portland, ME
E2Tech – Environmental & Energy Technology Council of Maine
Portland, ME
Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development (MCED)
Battle Creek, MI
Inge’s Place
Detroit, MI
NextEnergy
St. Louis, MO
Prosper Startup Accelerator
Bozeman, MT
406 Labs
Charlotte, NC
RevTech Labs & QC FinTech
Research Triangle Park, NC
First Flight Venture Center
Omaha, NE
Year of the Startup
Keene, NH
Hannah Grimes Center
Ironia, NJ
Great Turning Advisors Social Business Accelerator
Albuquerque, NM
Creative Startups Accelerator
Albuquerque, NM
Native Entrepreneur in Residence Program
Brooklyn, NY
Manufacture New York
Ithaca, NY
Passenger to Pilot: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
Long Island City, NY
Coalition for Queens (C4Q)
New York, NY
KiiLN – Keystone for Incubating Innovation in Life Sciences Network
New York, NY
Minority Venture Partners (MVP) Accelerator
Cincinnati, OH
First Batch
Cleveland, OH
VictoryStart
Medford, OR
Sustainable Valley Technology Group
Portland, OR
Oregon BEST StartSpace
Portland, OR
ONABEN
Philadelphia, PA
University City Science Center Digital Health Accelerator
Reading, PA
IDEA Food Accelerator
San Juan, PR
EnterPRize Accelerator
San Juan, PR
Codetrotters Academy / Accelerator
Providence, RI
Social Enterprise Greenhouse Accelerator
Charleston, SC
Local Works
Greenville, SC
Greenville Chamber Minority Business Accelerator Program
North Charleston, SC
Fresh Future Farm Inc.
Chattanooga,TN
CO.LAB (The Company Lab)
Memphis, TN
ZeroTo510
Memphis, TN
Start Co. Integration Accelerator
Dallas, TX
EMERGE powered by Tech Wildcatters
El Paso, TX
RedSky
San Antonio, TX
Live Work Unit Accelerator
Salt Lake City, UT
Sustainable Startups
Arlington, VA
Eastern Foundry
Hampton, VA
Peninsula Technology Incubator
Richmond, VA
Lighthouse
Vienna, VA
Equita
Spokane, WA
Ignite Northwest
Milwaukee, WI
WERCBench Labs
Beckley, WV
West Virginia Hive
Office of Native American Affairs Special Prizes:
City, State
Name of Accelerator
Anchorage, AK
Launch : Alaska
Fayetteville, AR
Startup Junkie Consulting
Kahului, HI
Maui Food Innovation Center – Maui Accelerator Program
Albuquerque, NM
Native Entrepreneur in Residence Program
Charleston, SC
Fresh Future Farm Inc.
Fort Pierce, FL
Pioneer Business Incubator
Portland, OR
ONABEN
Homer, AK
Alaska Small Business Incubator, LLC
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