The 2018 Idea Accelerator is well under way. Stay tuned for updates and keep an eye out for the Fall 2018 Demo Day!

Here’s what Warren Collins of Kenite, 3rd place in the Spring 2018 Demo Day, has to say about the program.

I entered the Idea Accelerator in the spring of 2018 with a team that had nothing more than a simple idea. We didn’t have the knowledge to disrupt industries. Nor did we have the capital to launch our idea. All we had was an idea with a small amount of potential. The Idea Accelerator, an eight week “business boot camp” hosted by UGA’s entrepreneurship program, helped prepare us to launch a product like nothing else. We were supplied with successful entrepreneurs who provided guidance on everything from simple information to complex strategies. We were provided with a network of like-minded students that collaborated and helped expand our ideas. And we were surrounded with a competitive and fun atmosphere that encouraged progress.

The UGA Entrepreneurship program states that the goal is to “validate your idea” but the program will do much more that. We were encouraged to identify and pursue what customers really want; smoothing out the rough edges of our value proposition in the process. In my personal experience, this step actually led to us discovering a new, more viable business venture that we pivoted to pursue instead. While working tightly with my team and other competitors in the program, we also learned how to manage our company’s financials, identify advantages and threats in an industry, and how to pitch to investors. My involvement with the Idea Accelerator was exceptionally rewarding, extremely informative, and especially fun. The experience, information, and the friendships that I made from the Idea Accelerator were invaluable to not only my business venture but to myself as well.