Bend-based FoundersPad wrapped up its session 3.0 with six companies completing the accelerator program in July. During the session, eleven co-founders from Portland, San Francisco and the local area met twice a week for nine weeks attending lean startup sessions with hands-on workshops, individual coaching and ongoing mentoring.
The goal of the program was to help these companies and their founders develop target customers and design a minimal viable product that is scalable and fundable. Upon completion, founding teams delivered their company pitch to a group of investors, mentors, EDCO representatives, community supporters, alumni from previous sessions and special guests from Silicon Valley.
Participating companies include locally headquartered Droplr, GeoReads, Instant Mobile Solutions, PCC Headquarters, Solstice Supply and Nouvola which will be based in Portland. The Nouvola co-founders traveled from Portland and San Francisco to participate in the program.
“We solicit feedback from program participants and continue to receive high marks. In fact, everyone participating in Session 3.0 ranked the program as a valuable experience and we heard that that content and topics were on target and mentors provided incredible guidance,” said FoundersPad Program Manager Molly Mount.
“By focusing on developing a new generation of entrepreneurs – most of whom have ties to the local area – FoundersPad is helping to build companies that will create jobs and spark economic growth in the region for years to come. And because this program provides a targeted business assistance to young firms at their earliest stages of development – when they’re most vulnerable – business accelerators help support new ventures that have a greater-than-average chance of success.”
Justin Clapick, co-founder of SolsticeSupply added, “Tapping into the FoundersPad program catapulted us into a new wave of thinking about our business.”
Paola Moretto, co-founder of Nouvola, formerly with Intel said, “We accomplished more in the last two months attending the FoundersPad accelerator, than we have in the last eight. The learning experience and the quality of the mentorship were exceptional.”In less than two years, FoundersPad has graduated 22 co-founders, who have established 14 companies, creating 41 jobs and attracting over $2.4 million in capital – an impressive set of metrics for such a young entity. The next accelerator is scheduled for January 2014.FoundersPad is a startup accelerator in Bend, Oregon that works with bright, passionate entrepreneurs from the perspective that matters most – the experience of founders that have walked in your shoes. Whether you are concept, launch or growth stage, we invest time, expertise and capital in innovative business ideas – and help spirited founding teams bring them to market. Info: Molly Mount, Program Manager at molly@founderspad.com.
