How do you take a great idea to an IPO? If you’re lucky, you put your company through The Heritage Group Accelerator Powered by Techstars mentorship-driven accelerator. Wildnote and ten other startups recently completed the three-month intensive program based in Indianapolis.
Designed to support selected entrepreneurs, Techstars invests $120K and provides hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars Network – for life. With its history of guiding 75% of participants to become active companies and another 10% all the way to acquisition, it’s a pretty sweet deal. But wait, there’s more!
Techstars is designed to help entrepreneurs and innovative startups disrupt legacy industries like industrial production, transportation infrastructure, environmental services and safety, and others. Participating in the prestigious program is both an opportunity and a commitment that comes with high-level rewards and expectations. As of 2020, Techstars has mentored 1,900 companies to obtain $7.6BN in funding with a combined market capitalization of $22.1BN USD. That may sound like a lot, but fewer than 1% of applicants are accepted, making it harder to get into than the top universities in the world.
As difficult as it is, getting in is the easy part! Once accepted, Wildnote founder and CEO Kristen Hazard had to relocate to The Heritage Group’s ‘The Center’ in Indianapolis for three months and keep her San Luis Obispo California based company running at the same time. The program starts off with an intense round of “speed dating for mentors” to find the right match for a fruitful long-term relationship. Like all successful matches, both parties must agree. Meghan Hunt, Director of Marketing for Heritage Environmental, a Heritage Group company that boasts 50 years of environmental leadership, hit it off with Kristen right away.