FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Erin Bombard, Director of Communications and Business Development
Lake Champlain Chamber
60 Main Street, Suite 100, Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 863-3489 x221 [email protected]
Vermont Business Magazine LaunchVT, a division of the Lake Champlain Chamber, is now accepting applications for its 2022 Accelerator. The selected startups will be the tenth cohort to come through LaunchVT’s flagship acceleration program. Over the past nine years, LaunchVT has provided business development support, strategic coaching, and over $859,000 in cash and services to accelerate 60 Vermont startups statewide.
Entrepreneurs selected for the cohort will work with a dedicated business coach and strategic advisors to address their startup’s most pressing needs. They will also participate in peer sessions, office hours with business advisors, and workshops with content experts over the ten-week program, which begins in mid-April.
The program will culminate with a Demo Night in June, when the cohort of founders will pitch their businesses to investors and the public. Each entrepreneur will leave the program with a refined and polished pitch deck, a Launch Report, and extensive connections to advisors, investors, service providers, and other local founders.
Last year’s LaunchVT participants include AuthorPods, DroneLynk, Gio, Lost Lantern, Mona, Shikiwrap, Wylo Biosciences, and Zion Growers. At the Demo Night, Lost Lantern took home the audience choice award, while Zion Growers received the $15,000 grand prize.
“The course far exceeded even the highest of expectations we had,” says Brandon McFarlane of Zion Growers. “Our company benefited tremendously from developing a more succinct and refined business plan rather than just a concept or idea.”
Applicants will be selected for the LaunchVT cohort based on viability, scalability, and impact:
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Viability - quality of the product, business model, and team;
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Scalability - market opportunity and revenue growth potential;
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Impact - job creation and positive economic impact on Vermont.
“It’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur in Vermont,” says Lauren Bass, director of LaunchVT. “With investment opportunities presenting themselves on a regular basis, LaunchVT will play a key role to accelerate and provide outstanding visibility to our most innovative and promising startups in 2022. The sky’s the limit.”
Applications will close on March 18, 2022. To learn more about LaunchVT, or to apply, visit launchvt.com. Contact Director of LaunchVT Lauren Bass with questions at [email protected].
LaunchVT is a division of the Lake Champlain Chamber, Vermont’s largest business advocacy organization. The Lake Champlain Chamber powers prosperity in the Lake Champlain region through five distinct points: seeking economic opportunity for all; celebrating business ownership and entrepreneurship; promoting a robust, diversified visitor economy; cultivating community leadership; and nurturing emerging talent.
To learn more about the Lake Champlain Chamber, visit lccvermont.org
Burlington, Vt. (February 18, 2022) – LaunchVT