Seed Sumo’s goal is to make Bryan/College Station the nation’s fastest growing startup community within the next 10 years.  It’s a lofty goal, we know, but we think with the right infrastructure, organization, and local entrepreneurs all willing to help we can make it a reality. Partnering with the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) is the 1st step and will help connect Bryan/College Station with the global startup community.

GAN is the global champion of the seed-stage, mentorship-driven accelerator model and includes over 50 of the most respected accelerators from 6 continents around the world. Their goal is simple: support the top accelerators that grow top companies. Because of the strength and connections of GAN members, mentors, investors, founders, and strategic partners… well, the results speak for themselves.

Alongside the White House’s Startup America Initiative, they align top accelerators and create a standardized model for success.

What does this mean for startups/entrepreneurs that are selected for the program?   

• You are going to have access to some of the best mentors in the United States.  Yes, we take 6%, but we increase the value of the company significantly more than any dilution you’ll take.
• The acceleration program you will go thru has been fine tuned by some of the most brilliant business minds of our time (Brad Feld, David Cohen, Capital Factory, TechStars, to name a few).
• Getting into Seed Sumo means you matter.  Investors, the media, and even potential clients will pay more attention to you because of the Seed Sumo vote of confidence.  Acceptance into our program will create a ripple effect across the entire startup community worldwide.

Once a startup has finished our program, you will know that they have undergone an extreme amount of mentoring from some of the best business minds around.  The business model has been tested, tweaked, and proven dozens of times over.  It means buzz.  It means confidence.

What makes a great mentor?

In talking with hundreds of companies that have been thru accelerators, here’s a list of what makes a mentor great.  We look for these types of mentors for our accelerator program:

• Quality of input - most often comes from extensive domain expertise
• Deep Experience in starting and running successful companies
• The Socratic Approach - They don’t force an opinion onto a company.  They ask thoughtful questions and let them get there on their own.
• Diving Deep - A mentor that will dive deep with a company, get down and dirty with the product, the business, the customers, and the financials.
• Doesn’t ask for anything in return.  A great mentor isn’t going to say “Sure, I’ll make that intro for you, but I want x% of the sale.”  This kind of approach is okay, AFTER the program ends.  But during the program, a mentor should be willing to spend time without expectation of any return.

Applications open January 1st 2014.  Please feel free to contact us with any inquires at [email protected]