Weekly Roundup

The Velocity Accelerator is off to the races! We are less than two months away from our application deadline, and there’s a lot to do before then. There’s even more, of course, before the program starts in January. So, what’s on our minds?

1. APPLICANTS. We can’t have an accelerator without startups! So we want as many as possible to apply, giving us a huge, high-quality pool from which to pluck the next great tech startups of the South. We’re offering a lot to these companies: $50,000, a prestigious group of mentors, thousands of dollars worth of resources, free rent in our incredible space at the Innovation Depot (one of the largest incubators in the country, mind you)…and the list goes on. We want to attract startups from all over with this set of incentives, which brings us to the next point.
2. We need to get a buzz going! Marketing yourself is one thing, but we want to encourage an entire startup culture here in Birmingham — getting people here and elsewhere excited about companies going for gold. We’ll be hosting events in our space, talking about Velocity on social media, and working with other companies to amp up the entrepreneurial energy in the city. We are SO excited for this program to start, to increase the potential of smart, driven entrepreneurs, and to change the future of the city, and we want everyone in Birmingham on board. It’s going to be a fun ride!
3. Planning, planning, planning. From events surrounding startups, to mentor-and-founder speed dating, to Whiskey Wednesdays for startup founders, we are in the trenches of brainstorming the best way to run this 12-week accelerator program. The goal, of course, is for companies to make a year (or more) of progress in 3 short months. That means a lot of long days and coffee. But it also means introductions to Birmingham’s most successful business people, lessons in starting a company from people who’ve been there, and a sense of camaraderie with other early-stage entrepreneurs. It’ll be tiring. It’ll be hard. But we’re here to make sure that it’s also FUN, worthwhile, and as smooth as possible.

So, if you have a great idea, and you need the resources and capital to flesh it out, consider applying. You can find the application at https://www.f6s.com/birminghamvelocity/apply.

If you have advice for us, let us know in the comments! This is the first startup accelerator in Alabama, and we want to learn everything we can about how we can make this the best program possible.