Tag: Accelerators / Incubators

Brace for Impact! The AWS Impact Accelerator program got off to a flying start—and it’s only the beginning of what this initiative has to offer. Get an inside look at what Impact Accelerator participants experience, and learn how to apply for the next Impact Accelerator Program.

Female founders receive just a portion of the funding that male founders do. That’s not just bad news for women who want to build a startup—it’s bad news for everybody. Women are the driving force behind a thriving economy. AWS recognizes the immense need for an increase in inclusivity in the startup ecosystem. That’s why we are excited to be launching applications for the second cohort of our Impact Accelerator, exclusively focused on women-led businesses.

AWS has launched a new program for startups in the e-commerce, fintech, logistics, and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED). Called Jungle, this program aims to nurture a total of 30 startups who are developing innovative technologies to help them grow into the next-generation of Korean unicorns (privately held startup companies valued at over USD $1 billion).

Accelerators are a great way to jumpstart a startup, offering technical and business help, a built-in network, and the unrelenting pressure of time to get your MVP ready for demo day. Eamonn Carey from TechStars London walks us through the reasons you might want to apply to an accelerator, and why for some, raising an angel round is the better course.

Spoiler alert: The only thing that matters is building something your customers love. But the trick as a startup CEO is staying close enough to customers to know that.

When thinking of two types of businesses that are at odds, startups versus enterprises would be a pair that quickly comes to mind. But what if you’re a B2B entrepreneur that serves these enterprises as customers? This question and more was what a handful of early-stage entrepreneurs were looking to learn the answers to at a recent event hosted at the AWS San Francisco Loft.

Founded in 2006, Techstars was among the first to prove the multi-month startup accelerator model worked. Since inception, the Boulder, Colorado-born conglomerate has run more than 1,900 companies through its mentorship-driven accelerator programs. 

Housed within Floor28, a purpose-built space by AWS for the Israeli technology community, is Builder Space. Launched in 2018, it is specifically designed to equip early-stage entrepreneurs with the tools and advice they need to be successful.

David Ponraj, Founder of Startup Space, talks about how the platform connects founders with the resources they need to start their business, how his early experiences building a company shaped his vision for the Tampa-based startup, what’s putting it ahead of the curve.

“There’s a burgeoning ecosystem of African entrepreneurs that wants to make products for the community. They want to see upliftment amongst their friends and family,” says Murray Legg, the accelerator director of Founders Factory Africa.