I’d like to throw Telluride, Colorado into the mix for you all. Not only is it just as beautiful as the rest of ski-worthy Colorado, it’s home to the Telluride Venture Accelerator, a program that’s nestled inside a ski resort in the mountainous town. As it just so happens, TVA has opened applications for their 2016 cohort and will close them on October 15 at 7pm MST. It’ll be their fourth class of entrepreneurs to date – the session runs from February through June, which is considered prime skiing season by most enthusiasts. Each team that gets accepted will receive a $30,000 investment in exchange for a 5 percent equity stake in the company. Additionally, over $100,000 in perks are available via TVA’s relationship with the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) and their affiliate partners. A program of the Telluride Foundation, TVA looks to invest both their human and financial capital into innovative enterprises that are focused on building and strengthening the entrepreneurial community in the Telluride region. Everything TVA does is to build a self-sustaining ecosystem that in turn spawns innovation, jobs, ideas, and a renewed dynamism. Over the five-month program, each company will complete over 1,000 hours of mentor time, build and test business models, develop their operational plan, and ultimately prepare for fundraising. Everything will culminate in a Demo Day and roadshows through Boulder, Denver, and San Francisco. For the 2016 cohort, TVA will be focusing on entrepreneurs that have high-growth business ideas in the outdoor recreation, travel and touring, health and wellness, and natural resource management sectors. Specifically they’ll prioritize technological products and services – like SaaS, mobile apps, and hardware. Perhaps the greatest strength for TVA lies in their growing community of over 85 mentors. Each of them brings an enormous network and invaluable perspective on starting and growing a business. Here are some key results they’ve seen from previous classes:
As of 2015, TVA graduated 15 companies and supports three local, high growth partner companiesTVA has a track record of prioritizing female-led businesses: one third of the first three TVA cohort are women-owned companiesGraduated companies have raised a collective $8.5 million in three yearsTVA’s 2013 and 2014 cohort of companies far exceeded the GAN benchmark – 30 percent of companies raised over $300,000 within their first year and 60 percent raised raising in excess of $300,000TVA companies received $580,000, on average, in investment capital within 1 year of graduation.Two TVA companies from 2014 and 2 from 2015 were fully funded within weeks of the TVA Demo DayAs a result of TVA, six new, high-growth companies are now permanently based in Telluride.
If you think it sounds too good to be true, trust that it’s not – TVA is a top of the line accelerator program. In fact, the only real difference between TVA and other programs across the US is that they prioritize helping entrepreneurs relax and unplug so that they might innovate better. If that means spending a few days a week hitting the slopes and living in a resort for five months, how bad a time could you honestly have? Just be sure to bring a big coat! Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
