Could America’s national pastime provide a blueprint for its entrepreneurial future?
Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation Executive Director Dr. Jon Wensveen—perhaps unsurprisingly—believes it very well could be.
“Most incubators and accelerators try to figure out how to get you to first base,” Wensveen told the audience of mentors and mentees gathered last Tuesday for the Center’s Accelerate Pitch Night. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. [But] we reverse engineer the lifecycle of what you must go through by defining your success at the beginning of the journey—regardless of which stage you’re in—starting at third base and then bringing the entire process under this purpose-built 54,000 square foot space.”
The event marked the end of the inaugural 12-week Accelerator Cohort program, of which OZ served as the title sponsor.
Representatives of the program’s success were five out of the seven “graduating” entrepreneurs with varying revenue goals, raised capital, and industries due to deliver an exchange of passionate pitches in with feedback from judges.
“I’m telling you, the difference in quality and caliber of their presentations is remarkable,” OZ Chief Revenue Officer Doug Cohen, who worked directly with the cohort, said. “My colleagues and I are grateful we’ve had the chance to work with these entrepreneurs and innovators.”
And with certificates in hand, what are the next steps for these world-changing Florida locals?
The four-phase lifecycle approach to the founder’s journey begins with Ideate, then Incubate and Accelerate, and finally ends with the aptly named post-Accelerate program. Moving forward, graduates with proven profitability get the opportunity to expand to a global enterprise level.
From connections leveraged through initiatives like Country Desk, founders can access exclusive meetings, international resources, and the knowledge necessary to achieve IPO.
From ideation to co-creation and application development, OZ has empowered innovators across South Florida for over 25 years. To begin or rev up your own digital transformation journey contact us.