Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Attention, Asheville entrepreneurs:
Elevate, Venture Asheville’s entrepreneurship development program, is now accepting applications for its third cohort of 15 early-stage, high-growth startups. With 30 local ventures and over 50 mentors currently participating, the program will expand to 45 startups in January 2017.
Elevate enables startup founders to rapidly navigate the daily challenges of building great companies while honing their personal skills as effective leaders and CEOs. The program offers two world-class services: Team Mentoring modeled on MIT’s Venture Mentor Service, adopted by over 50 startup hubs globally; and peer-to-peer group advisory boards offered through a partnership with Vistage International, a global leader in executive coaching.
“The world-class startup and corporate experience our mentors possess makes Elevate uniquely valuable to entrepreneurs in Asheville,” said Josh Dorfman, Director of Entrepreneurship at Venture Asheville. “Of the thirty startups in our program, many are overcoming significant hurdles and rapidly progressing to advance into new markets, hire local talent, and build successful ventures.”
Applications are now open on a rolling basis to startups that meet the following criteria:
Have a high-growth, scalable business model
At least one full-time founder working on the business
Live or work in Asheville-Buncombe County
Preference for startups already in market but will consider earlier stage
Fifteen entrepreneurs will be accepted into Elevate’s January 2017 cohort. Learn more and apply now for Elevate at www.ventureasheville.com/elevate.
Venture Asheville is the high-growth entrepreneurship initiative of the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. Its work centers on catalyzing Asheville’s high-growth entrepreneurial ecosystem and connecting entrepreneurs with startup funding, mentors, and talent to scale their ventures. Venture Asheville offers educational events, unique programming like Elevate, and a job board as critical resources to high-growth startups. Learn more at www.ventureasheville.com.
