This week The Idea Village announced the opening of the 2013 “Entrepreneur Season.” In recent years, the New Orleans based non-profit accelerator has based it’s programming around a season that begins with the opening of IDEAxcelerator applications in mid-summer and culminates in New Orleans Entrepreneur Week the following spring.
Applications are open now for the competitive IDEAxcelerator program. To qualify, companies must be for-profit, located in the seven Parish “Greater New Orleans” region, and have less than $1M in annual revenue.
According to the Idea Village, the 2012 Entrepreneur Season impacted 697 local entrepreneurs who received 14,405 strategic consulting hours, $370,250 in seed capital, and 56,940 in-kind resources through 75 innovative events. Companies participating in the programs have included Naked Pizza, iSeatz, ChapterSpot, Cordina, Kickboard, Be Well Nutrition, adverCar, NOLA Brewing Company, Schedulist, SOLarchitect, Classroom Blueprint, NolaCajun, Bioceptive, Tierra Resources, Theodent, and Federated Sample.
Tim Williamson, co-founder and CEO of The Idea Village said, “The Entrepreneur Season is the platform that allows the collaborative network of government, universities, corporations, non-profits, professionals, and investors to strategically and efficiently support New Orleans startups.”
During the 2013 season, the Idea Village aims to increase its impact to 1,000 entrepreneurs and host 90 events in Downtown New Orleans. The core programs of the Idea Village are:
- IDEAinstitute – the entrepreneur education program comprised of entrepreneur training workshops, roundtable discussions, and a keynote speaker series. IDEAinstitute sessions are free and open to all entrepreneurs registered with The Idea Village.
- IDEAxcelerator – the intensive six-month business accelerator program for 15-20 high growth ventures that is customized to each entrepreneur’s needs and includes setting operational goals, providing business strategy, marketing support, and financial guidance. The application process for IDEAxcelerator is highly competitive and is open until 11:59pm CT on Monday, August 27, 2012.
- Capital Village – Idea Village-managed capital access opportunities for equity, grants, and debt.
- IDEAsessions – one-on-one, two hour brainstorms with The Idea Village’s seasoned Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, designed to provide strategic guidance around a specific business challenge or assistance to help entrepreneurs develop, refine, and strengthen their investor pitches.
- IDEAevents – events during the Season that connect and celebrate the entrepreneurial community.
We look forward to tracking the progress of the 2013 season throughout the next year. Check back for more info on available programs, deadlines, and events.