2021 Theme: Equity In Motion
As North Texas’s premier accelerator program for under-estimated women and founders of color, Impact Ventures wraps up its fourth cohort with a unique focus on three entrepreneur archetypes: Traditional Small Business Owners, Social Entrepreneurs, and Tech-driven entrepreneurs, with an effort to create a pipeline to its recently announced Dallas Inclusive Capital Fund and increase overall funding being allocated to groups historically excluded from building wealth through entrepreneurship. The program is supported by Truist Bank, Santander, Communities Foundation of Texas W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund, Capital One, Deloitte, Husch Blackwell, Simmons Bank, among others.
After successfully pivoting to an all-virtual model, Impact Ventures has named the new members of its Spring 2021 Accelerator cohort. In addition to the all-virtual model, Impact Ventures launched a new Local Enterprise Accelerator Program (LEAP) Track with place-based focus on traditional small business owners located in North Texas with emphasis on South and Southern Dallas Zip-codes looking to grow through access to flexible debt capital, such as revenue based financing and lines of credit. Ran concurrently, Impact Ventures also new Inclusive Innovation Program Track focuses on high-growth tech or tech-enabled enterprises that are finding product market fit and/or seeking pre-seed and seed stage equity capital.
With the support of over 130 mentor network Impact Ventures has created a high-touch high-impact model that addresses the individual needs of each founder through capital readiness assessments, milestone-driven growth plans, curated subject matter experts, business perks and resources, guest speakers, and dedicated lead advisors. Cohort 4 shifted its model a bit to focus more on providing founder group lab time after getting input from previous cohorts that there was an appetite for more time to problem solve and implement the things they had been learning through the program. The Cohort had a collective $900 in revenue with a 10% growth in monthly income over the course of the program. The founders also collectively raised $470,000, created 53 jobs, and had 14 patents/copyrights filed or obtained. See more details of the Cohort 4 impact Report HERE.
Impact Ventures has assembled over $100,00 of business perks, services, and startup resources. Partnering with companies like Jabian Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm with offices in Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas celebrating its 15-year anniversary by providing mentorship and grant capital for select Impact Ventures LEAP track participants. Also, Husch Blackwell, a national law firm kicked off its ‘Communities for Change’ initiative as a means to leverage the firms resources and human capital to address areas of racial equity. Husch Blackwell attorneys provide pro-bono legal support to Impact Ventures Spring 2021 Program Fellows.
“We’ve really built the program around the entrepreneurs needs,” Vann said. “For us, it’s about going deep with our founders and producing real outcomes that drive change in our communities.”
Meet the members of the Spring 2021 cohort below.
Local Entrepreneur Accelerator Program Track:
- The Copy Haus – is a subscription based boutique content marketing and copywriting agency for mission-focused, service-based businesses. https://www.thecopyhaus.com/
- Mama Love – makes plant-based protein for badass mothers who want to maximize workout gains without sacrificing healthy breast milk supply. https://mamalove.us/
- PEG The Portable Stove – is a handheld stove that hears or cooks pr-packaged food through induction. https://www.pegstove.com/
- Scent & Fire Candle Co. – is a certified green manufacturer of all-natural wax and wicks made with domestically sourced raw and recycled material. Its products are paired with a mobile app that offers digital wellness, music playlists, and a safe community for those who suffer from anxiety and depression. www.scentandfire.com
- BlackLit – is a monthly subscription box that highlights Black authors and entrepreneurs in efforts to close the literacy gap and increase representation. https://iamblacklit.com/
- The QueenDOM Beauty Bar – The Queendom Beauty Bar, LLC is luxury, self-care company that provides beauty services and products to “women on the go”. Our lavish, mobile, beauty bus includes services such as hair care, nail care, facials, massages ,and makeup artistry, while our subscription beauty box provides women an opportunity to partake in self care from the comfort of their home! www.thequeendombeautybus.com
- 2TRQ – is a managed IT company that offers blocked IT hours of service by certified professionals remote and desk side. www.2trq.com
- Funky Mello –makes dairy-free marshmallow cream in multiple flavors that are also gluten-free, allergen-free, & carrageenan-free. https://www.funkymello.com/
- Tahauya Talks Consulting – is a Personal Development Firm that specializes in emotional intelligence training and stress management solutions for Women. www.tahauyajackson.com
Inclusive Innovation track:
- HBCU Hub – The world’s first app to connect students to admissions recruiters at HBCUs. www.hbcuhub.us
- CEENIC – is an Amazon review for people but in real time. We are an app, a platform and a community. https://www.ceenic.net/
- DOVO – is an ecosystem of digital tools that make it easier for consumers to find businesses that align with their personal values. https://www.dovo.tech/
- College Mode Academy – We are a premier college access organization that helps families secure college funding through financial aid and scholarships. www.CollegeModeAcademy.com
- Noirbnb – is an online community where hosts can list their spaces, Adventures, and Events and make them available to our growing, global travel community. https://noirbnb.com
- ROOG – is a web and mobile platform that allows shoppers to select the affinity or minority groups that they want to support. https://roog.co
