Launch Pad Ignition Accelerates Funding for Startups

After a successful inaugural year, Launch Pad Ignition is back and will begin accepting applications for its accelerator program tomorrow, December 15, 2011 through January 15, 2012.

With a mission to incubate the best tech startups in the country, this New Orleans-based TechStars partner accelerator program leverages the expertise of its mentorship community to improve the odds of startup success.“Startups are hard,” notes co-founder Chris Schultz. “The biggest way to improve the success of building a company is to collaborate with other entrepreneurs who are doing the same thing, and to learn from people who have done it before.”

The 12-week program will kickoff in New Orleans on Februrary 13, 2012 with 6-10 companies accepted into the program. Participants agree to a 3% warrant grant, have a balanced management team, and all founders must relocate to New Orleans for the program.

This year, Launch Pad Igintion is stage agnostic and will emphasize a focus on traction over funding, stressing that “through a relentless focus on building your business and getting customer traction with your product you’ll better position your company to raise capital or grow organically.”

Ben Lavender, Dydra co-founder and member of the 2011 Ignition class, points out: “There’s a lot of access to capital. If that’s what important to you, they’re a great help.” Launch Pad Ignition has developed a nationwide network of investors with contacts at Lerer Ventures, AOL Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Battery Ventures and more. The Ignition team is committed to facilitating connections and preparing companies to seek capital.

“Nobody in New Orleans is doing what Ignition does,” states Lavender. “When we went to TechCrunch [Disrupt]–now officially part of the program–we were so much better prepared than other startups there pitching. I felt bad for some of those startups; I felt like they had brought a knife to a gunfight. You’ve only got three sentences sometimes to get a potential contact, customer, or investor interested, and Ignition will help you know which three sentences are important for anyone.”

The application process is a competitive evaluation with rolling acceptances. High-growth startups with an ability to demonstrate traction during the program are encouraged to apply. Improve your chances by submitting ASAP.

Visit the Launch Pad Ignition website to learn more.