Starting Strong
Every year, we are amazed by the talent that comes through our doors for the Corporate Accelerator, and this year’s fifth cohort of startups is no different! We just wrapped up the first two weeks of program, where we kept these nine companies busy giving them a taste of the vibrant culture of innovation here in KC. We sat down this week with a few of the companies to see what the highlights of their time so far have been!
“The first two weeks of the program have been like drinking from a firehose!” says T.J. Tavares, Chief Revenue Officer of Keybot. The space has been buzzing with corporate sponsor meetings, where startups have sat down face-to-face with specialized teams from our incredible sponsors. “The Sprint programming has been chock full of quality, including social media marketing, sales strategy, user experience,” says Tavares.
“Having this level of access to the range of talent that DFA has to offer has enabled us to get things done so quickly,” says Michael Moran, founder and CEO of Mopro Nutrition, one of the six companies in this year’s diary segment. “DFA has access to experienced, professional knowledge for every problem you’re dealing with. You just jump on a phone call and figure it out.”
“We are super excited about some of the partnerships we are currently in discussions with through our corporate sponsor, Sprint,” says Richard McCoy, CEO of KC-based startup Luxe, hinting at an announcement coming soon.
Companies from IoT and dairy segments got the chance to tour the new DFA headquarters and the Sprint campus. They also took advantage of our very own Investor Day, including an investor panel and an afternoon packed with one-on-one mentor meetings with investors representing nine regional funds. Tavares tells us these investor “speed dating” meetings were a highlight for him: “We made some awesome connections as we fill our current raise. Even if an investment wasn’t aligned, the mentors were quick to offer up introductions.”
Other highlights from the week included daily pitch practices, as companies begin expanding their elevator pitch for our June 5th Demo Day Presentations, and one-on-one meetings with KC-area mentors. “The resources we were able to take advantage of in the first couple weeks far exceeded expectations,” reports McCoy. A huge thank you to all of the talented mentors who have already invested in these companies and made these exciting connections possible!
Congratulations to the 2018 Cohort on a successful first few weeks of program! Stay tuned as we bring you updates on the nine companies’ growing partnerships with our corporate sponsors.
Come meet the companies in person and enjoy a sundae sponsored by DFA and their brand, Kemps, during our community event on Wednesday, April 18th. RSVP here!
