Just six months after graduating from 757 Accelerate’s 12-week program, five local start-ups are showing major success in Coastal Virginia. According to the nonprofit’s 2018 Impact Report, the inaugural cohort has raised over $1.8 million of investment capital since last November.
757 Accelerate launched its first mentor-driven startup program last August and helped the handful of start-ups grow from budding concepts to thriving businesses. Over 90 mentors across 20 industries volunteered their time to assist with the start-ups’ business development. “757 Accelerate was like getting a master’s degree in 12 weeks,” says Co-Founder of Dippy and accelerator participant Mike McCabe. “The program and the mentors helped us get real traction selling to B2B enterprise customers and through channel partners.”
In addition to their rise in investment capital, the cohort celebrates a consistent increase in revenue and surge of social media presence. “We at 757 Accelerate are excited about what our inaugural cohort founders have accomplished and we cannot wait to see what we can build together with cohort [number two],” says Evans McMillion, executive director of 757 Accelerate.