That's A Wrap! - It Takes A Village Graduation Party Recap

After launching the It Takes A Village Pre-Accelerator program one year ago we have continued our intentional efforts of supporting diverse perspective and inclusive work environments by helping 22 amazing startups led by women and people of color get to the next level within the past 12-months.With the success of our first cohort, we relaunched the program giving 11 more diverse startups the opportunity to gain access to community, curriculum, and capital over the span of 6-months. We could talk all day about all the awesome things our 2nd cohort has done but we'll let the numbers speak for themselves:

During 6 months, combined our 11 Pre-Accelerator Startups:

• Raised $45k in seed-funding
• Generated $145k in revenue
• 5 landed corporate pilots
• 1 was accepted into an Accelerator Program

Our vision for this program is to create more sustainable startups that aren’t reliant on investments to grow but instead focus on creating valuable solutions that are unique and get more customers quicker. Outside of their successful numbers, this small group found community amongst one another due to sharing similar struggles as not only an entrepreneur but a minority in startup founder who are misrepresented in the tech world. “Being at Atlanta Tech Village is very inspirational because your working alongside people who are on the same entrepreneurial journey as you are.” - Tiffany Gaines, Laine London https://vimeo.com/314487180

Graduation

Last week we graduated our second cohort where these companies were on full display showcasing their products and pitching to a packed house of influencers, investors, and business leaders in the Atlanta startup community. We have even had a surprise guest join us! Arlan Hamilton, Founder of Backstage Capital - well-known silicon-valley based venture capital firm that specifically invests in people of color, women, and the LGBTQ community stopped by to see Atlanta's next world-changing startups.[gallery type="rectangular" link="none" size="medium" ids="http://atlantatechvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_4181.jpg|,http://atlantatechvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_4191.jpg|,http://atlantatechvillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_4186.jpg|"]

What’s next?

Applications are NOW OPEN for our third cohort starting in Spring ‘19.  If you or someone you know has an awesome startup with Founders who are women or people of color, we want to get to know you.Spread the word or take the leap and APPLY TODAY!