Top Takeaways from the Accelerator, As Told by the 2022 Cohort
If you joined any of our Demo Days, you saw the 2022 Accelerator cohort shine. (Missed it? Check out the Virtual Demo Day recording for 48 inspirational minutes you won’t regret). The pitches you hear at Demo Day encapsulate 12 weeks of growth during the Accelerator. After spending this time together, we can confidently say that these founders are nothing short of human sponges. They soaked it all in – from content sessions, to micro-mentoring meetings, to (a lot) of pitch practices. Amidst this influx of knowledge, we wanted to know: what stuck most?
So, we asked! Presenting: the top takeaways from the Accelerator, as told by this year’s batch of founders.
1. How to talk about what you do – and get people to care
Across the board, the founders said the Accelerator taught them how to effectively communicate their work. Nathan Mallipeddi, founder of Myspeech, helpfully defined pitching as he understands it now:
“Pitching = showing people that the problem you’re tackling is a big problem, and getting them emotionally invested in your story. You don't need to talk about all the numbers and details.”
- Nathan Mallipeddi, Founder, Myspeech
Our two cents: trust Nathan’s definition. His Demo Day pitch stood out for the thoughtful, honest way he tied his personal story to his impact with Myspeech. Watch it here.
Another effective way to talk about your tech nonprofit’s work? The one-liner, says Dr. Steven Davenport, co-founder of Center for New Data:
“I realized the transformative power of an eight-word one-liner. Pre-accelerator, I struggled tremendously to communicate to others what my organization did. Post-accelerator, when someone asks what we do, I say the one-liner and then I stop talking. It works every time. People respond with extreme enthusiasm. They ask follow-up questions and often talk about how they could support our work.”
- Dr. Steven Davenport, Co-founder, Center for New Data
2. Focus on building your team from the get-go
We tell early-stage founders that hiring a strong team is critical, especially technical team members. Michael Edmonson, co-founder of Worthy Mentoring, heard us. His top learning:
“As a tech nonprofit, our technology is the foundation we need to achieve our mission and impact. Hiring a tech team is paramount. Through the Accelerator, I got the training and resources I needed to recruit, hire, and foster an impactful tech team.”
- Michael Edmonson, Co-founder, Worth Mentoring
3. It all comes down to relationships
Black SiS founder Diana Wilson’s biggest takeaway? Invest in relationships. We give a resounding plus one to that. Strong relationships are key to securing partnerships, building a peer network, and meeting fundraising goals. (In fact, we wrote a whole chapter in our Tech Nonprofit Playbook on how to center relationships in your fundraising strategy). In the words of Diana:
“This learning has changed everything I do at Black SiS: to approach every person with the goal of building a relationship, whether it be a corporate partner, philanthropist, or cohort member. I know it’s these connections that will drive people to show up for Black SiS.”
- Diana Wilson, Founder, Black SiS
4. Lean on the ecosystem of support for tech nonprofits
The 2022 entrepreneurs bonded over how lonely the tech nonprofit founder journey can be. Through the Accelerator, they learned that they’re not alone. A key reason why? The many micro-mentoring sessions the cohort had with employee volunteers from our partner companies (shoutout to our amazing partners for making this possible!). Here’s what Gramhal’s co-founder Achint Sanghi discovered about the power of partnering with companies and employees:
“The Accelerator opened my eyes to this huge ecosystem of tech companies that support organizations like ours. We also met employee volunteers who were truly interested in our work. Not only did we gain these mentors’ expertise on everything from product development to hiring strategy, but we built relationships that will last.”
- Achint Sanghi, Co-founder, Gramhal
5. Community empowers and endures
Year in and year out, we hear that the community of peers is the highlight of the Accelerator. Empowr co-founder Adrian Devezin shared a heart-warming reflection about the power of community:
“I learned how to rely on others. Before the Accelerator, I was used to doing things by myself. The program required me to trust the Fast Forward team. It reminded me how important it is to lean on others who are here to help you.”
- Adrian Devezin, Co-founder, Empowr
Hear, hear! From Zoom sessions to in-person bonding at NYC and SF Demo Days, it was special to see the way the 2022 cohort leaned on one another. Unlocked Labs co-founder Chris Santillan chimed in:
“The most profound aspect of the whole accelerator program is that it fosters a true sense of community. To have such an extraordinary assemblage of people come together is no small thing. We’re all ready to make our impact. Now, we can with confidence - because confidence is instilled by community.”
- Chris Santillan, Co-founder, Unlocked Labs
We’re brimming with gratitude for the opportunity to be in community with these entrepreneurs. As they scale their impact, keep up with their journeys by watching them at Demo Day, subscribing to our newsletter, and following us on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our partners for making the Accelerator and Demo Day possible:
