General Information // What We Are

Accelerate Boston is a project of Future Boston. Through our accelerator program, in 2012, we worked with 25 local socially conscience entrepreneurs focused on building a business model from the ground up. Through an intensive six month program, Accelerate Boston developed a business centric curriculum (based heavily on a traditional MBA syllabus) that worked with cutting edge young leaders in molding, creating and executing their business model. Funded solely as a program of Future Boston, in 2013 and 2014, it is our aim to greatly increase those numbers by reaching out to strategic partnerships in Boston. We believe that it is through this collabora-tion that Future Boston has the capacity to grow at a core level a city wide community of young, socially motivated business leaders at the local level.

Our Context Start Ups in the Creative Industry Matter

The mission of Future Boston Alliance is a non-profit organization seeking to revolutionize our city’s creative economy. By advocating for new talent and businesses and holding educational events, we aim to make Bos-ton a hub for collaboration, innovation, and culture. •Massachusetts has over 130,000 firms with less than 99 employees. •In terms of the amount invested in starts ups and businesses via venture capital, Massachusetts ranked No. 2, with more than two billion invested over 350 “deals.” •Ironically, the Commonwealth also ranked as one of the hardest states in which to start a small business, based on friendliness, training and networking programs, zoning, tax codes, licensing, hiring costs and safety and health codes. Source: Boston.com

acceleratebostonStartup accelerator program and application

A Success Story:

Future Boston was essential in getting GHouse to formalize our ideas into a business plan, and learn how to pitch our company to investors. The network of local companies involved with Future Boston has opened countless doors that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise, and the FB team has been incredible advisors. Since the accelerator, we’ve been part of Google’s Boston marketing campaign focused on small businesses in Boston, and have gotten to discuss our business plan with many investors that are helping to en-able the ideas we’ve been working on.

HOW WE WORK:The program is supported by core areas of development:•Strategic Mentorship with business leaders across Boston; In 2012, applicants worked under the tutelage of Devin Hill, Managing Director at JP Morgan Securities, Liana Peterson Krupp, communications consultant and founder of New Brahmin, and Vicky Wu, female pioneer in the gaming industry including Rock Star Games . •Monthly Classes based on a traditional MBA-curriculum; we utilize a process that takes the in classroom knowledge and skill and combines it with first hand (and hands on) application and storytelling to create a one of kind understanding of a truly unlimited experience. •Brown Bag Lunches; in casual, interactive and timely sessions that focus on specifics aspects of building a business, our entrepreneurs learn from experts of industry. The series, in 2012, pulled heavily from the expertise of Daymond John of Shark Tank and founder of FUBU, Bill Warner, founder of Avid Technology and Alec Stern of Constant Contact. •Business Plan Contest; Business plans were judged by Greg Selkoe, CEO of Karmaloop.com, Tina An-drews, Director of the Entrepreneurial Center at Bunker Hill and Mike Frieze former CEO and current Chair of Gordon Brothers.

PurposeFuture Boston believes Boston’s future lies in a thriving creative economy. The Future Boston Accelerator Pro-gram will help twenty-five (25) businesses learn the fundamentals of business. The program will cover how to put a business plan together, seize market opportunity, and highlight their strengths when selling their business. The accelerator program is designed for creative people to learn how to create and launch a successful business. Twenty-five innovators/entrepreneurs will be chosen through an application process to attend this once a month program. The accelerator program will end with a business plan competition.Each class will be taught by experts and practitioners in the creative industries (listed below). The classes will be interactive and allow for one-on-one time with successful business leaders. Childcare can be provided upon request.

The “creative economy” is an evolving concept based on creative assets potentially generating economic growth and development. The United Nations adopts the UNCTAD definition of the cre-ative economy, where… • It can foster income-generation, job creation, and export earnings while promoting social inclu-sion, cultural diversity, and human development.• It embraces economic, cultural, and social as-pects interacting with technology, intellectual prop-erty, and tourism objectives.• It is a set of knowledge-based economic activities with a development dimension and cross-cutting linkages at macro and micro levels to the overall economy.• It is a feasible development option calling for innovative, multidisciplinary policy responses and interministerial action.• At the heart of the creative economy are the creative industries.

Who is eligible?

We are looking to help Bostonians start business in the following industries: Advertising/MarketingFashion/Jewelry DesignFilm, video, photography Radio/televisionSoftware, computer games and electronic publishingFood/restaurant/hospitality

Selection ProcessA committee of Future Boston’s creative class leadership circle is responsible for the selection process. The selection process includes:1) Committee will evaluate all application submissions. The most qualified/interesting ideas will be asked to participate in an interview.2) Emphasis will be placed on identifying Bostonians who demonstrate a working knowledge of their busi-ness idea and a commitment to serving the Greater Boston region.3) You must commit to attending all classes, if you miss a class you will be asked to leave the program.4) Based on an evaluation of the application and interview the top 25 most-qualified applicants will be selected.

Program OverviewFuture Boston will start with twenty-five diverse entrepreneurs. We will include underrepresented commu-nities, especially veterans and the formerly incarcerated. Through an application process, Future Boston stakeholders will choose the first class. Accelerate Boston offers an educational experience that takes our participants through the stages of starting a business. The experience includes classes, peer to peer support and brown bags.The Class every other Sat for four months will be the more traditional knowledge transfer through a lecture and storytelling. Peer to Peer support will include quarterly Accelerate networking events, venture Café and other networking events. Brown bags will be done monthly to bring a host of diverse entrepreneurs to talk to participants and answer their most pressing questions.

The Accelerate Boston program will be broken into stages that reflect the process of starting and institution-alizing businesses.

Know your business: The objective of this stage is to ensure our par-ticipants fully understand what it means to start a business and what they need to know about their business and how to know it. Explore your industry Know your barriers to entry Know your startup cost Explore legal Milestone: Outline for a business planBrown Bag: Greg Selkoe and XXXNetworking event:

Know your Investors:The goal of this stage is to explore the realistic fund-ing opportunities for startup business and what they need to entice investors. Explore who invests in their industriesBootstrappingBanksAngelMilestone: A list of targeted investors and under-standing of what is needed to pitchBrown Bag- Bill Warner and Christina Xu (Awesome foundation)

Create Your Plan: Sponsored by Palo AltoThe goal of this stage is to build a business plan. They will consider every aspect of their business and how that affects their business plan. Components of a business plan Components of a one pager Business EtiquetteMilestone: Business Plan Brown Bag: Alec Stern and Mike Frieze

Pitch!The goal of this stage is to have our participants pitch their plans and be celebrated. Prep for Pitch Pitch and celebrate.