Santa Cruz Accelerates Application

6th Cohort
Santa Cruz Accelerates has been the leading accelerator in Santa Cruz County county for over 6 years. Over half of our graduates have received seed funding and/or achieved exits - an accomplishment unparalleled in the US. Check out some successful SCA launches here.

We are now opening applications for our 6th cohort. We are looking for solid entrepreneurs who are ready to make a positive change in the world with their product.

Applicant Requisites
To qualify, you must have a beta or better product, a team (1 other person aside from you working at least part-time), at least 5-10 customers in your pipeline, and a minimum of $25k invested in your startup.

If you have this, you are now in pre-seed stage and ready to get to the next stage to learn how to wow angels and investors to take your rocket into orbit.

Climate, environment, sustainability, clean technology, and AI for good are the main industries we are looking to target, however, we are open to founders and startups with products and solutions that will make the world a better place.

In our program, we will assist you with a market validation study using our Lean Startup/Discovery platform from Innovation Within, navigating IP, becoming a legal entity, pitching, and most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to connect with key mentors and investors. Finalists will compete in November 2024 in person for seed funding.

Admission Fee
If you are accepted into the program, please note that the admission fee is $300. This fee goes directly towards supporting the program and tools you will be utilizing. It also grants you a SCW Membership providing you with tools and discounts for up to 1 year. We will follow up with you once you with a link for payment. If you are unable to afford this fee, please let us know via the Questions/Comments box at the end of the application.

The deadline to apply is NOON Pacific Time on Sunday, July 14, 2024.

First name*

Last name*

Email*

Job title

Mobile phone number*

City*

Your LinkedIn Url*

Company name*

Website URL*

Amount of funding received/invested*

How much have you invested and/or received in funding?

Website URL

If you do not have a website, please leave this blank.

Company Logo

Company Summary*

Please provide a brief paragraph (ideally less than 250 words) sharing your mission, vision, product, what problem your product solves, and briefly about your team. If you are accepted into the program, your company summary will be made public. If there are portions that you would not like to be publicly shared, please indicate that explicitly.

Product Description*

Please provide details on your product/solution. Your product description will be made public. If there are portions that you would not like to be publicly shared, please indicate that explicitly.

Please identify your 3 biggest strengths/accomplishments and 3 biggest challenges you are currently facing with your startup.*

Please list the top 3-5 SPECIFIC things you hope to work on or gain from your time in the accelerator program. This information will only be used to help us help you and to help us make sure the program is relevant to you.*

Have you done customer discovery? If so, please tell us how many interviews you have completed and discuss your process, methods, and insights.*

Are you a paid SCW member? (Individual/Student/etc.)*

Are you or anyone in your startup affiliated with UC Santa Cruz?*

Please mark yes if any of the following apply: attended UC Santa Cruz as a student, worked at UCSC, or were involved in any UCSC programs. (Your response to this question has no impact on whether or not you are accepted into the accelerator program.)

Questions, comments, or other info you'd like to share?

Feel free to share your pitch/deck or short video about your startup, links to social media, etc.

Check the box to agree to the terms of understanding:

Each Participant will hold full responsibility for all decisions related to their plans, products or services. Furthermore, the benefits gained from participating in this Accelerator program are a result of the time, energy and dedication of the individuals involved, and thus are not based on participation in the program alone. I understand that the information shared within the Accelerator between founders, staff, and mentors including but not limited to the Accelerator program content and trade secrets, shall remain confidential and should not be disclosed to others without proper written authorization. I understand and agree to the terms.*