Where Creatives Find [2022 Applications OPEN] Direction & Speed Cohort Based | Mentor Focused | High Impact Learn More
Velocity
[10 Week Creative Business Accelerator]
Turn your creative passion into a thriving business

Hit the gas on your startup! 

The Velocity business accelerator helps entrepreneurs develop viable businesses rooted in creativity. This 10-week, cohort-based program includes a robust curriculum (with in-person and remote options), skilled facilitators, and a customized mentor team of subject matter experts from every business discipline. Master business basics, solidify your positioning, and refine your pitch for a chance to win a $25k interest-free loan with no equity taken.  

FREE to apply, applications are now open and program scholarships are available for female founders and BIPOC entrepreneurs. The fee to participate is $995 and covers: 

  • Materials
  • Workshops
  • Mentor Access
  • Meals
  • Tech
  • & Accommodations!

2022 Applications DUE

Agenda
[The Velocity Timeline]
You could call it The Roadmap to Success

The virtual and in-person accelerator begins onboarding August 27th, with a robust curriculum and 24 modules that are organized around the themes, “Think, Create, Tell, Sell, and Run.”

Up to 10 teams are selected to intensely focus on their business.

CCE hosts Velocity Kick-Off Weekend in Winston Salem, NC, September 8-11 for cohort members to begin workshops, meet mentors and build their network prior to the intensive. 

The accelerator ends with Velocity Week, Oct 30 – Nov 4, working on-site to refine your business models and gearing up for Demo Day – an opportunity to pitch to investors!

***In person gatherings will be dependent on the current COVID-19 policies at the time of the accelerator. CCE follows the State of NC and CDC guidelines. Residential components of the program will be changed to online delivery as needed.

Week 1: Cohort Onboarding

It all begins!

Week 2: Kick Off Weekend

Get to know your fellow cohort members and mentors!

Week 3: Think

Customer Experience, Value Chain & Teamwork

Week 4: Create

Creative Mindset & Innovation Process

Week 5: Create

Development & Process Map

Week 6: Tell

Customer Profile, Positioning & Messaging

Week 7: Sell

Marketing Materials & Story

Week 8: Run

Leadership

Week 9: Run

Sales Cycle, Sales Force, Budget & Fund Raising

Week 10: Velocity Week

Join the entire cohort and mentors back in Winston-Salem for investor pitches and Demo Day
Mentors
[24 Modules]
Business Skill Development

 The online accelerator begins August 27, with a robust curriculum with 24 modules that are organized around the themes, “Think, Create, Tell, Sell and Run.”

Up to 10 teams are selected to intensively focus on their business.

Think
Understand and analyze your market and industry.
Create
Define and develop your product and create a plan to go to market.
Tell
Develop your story, messaging, and marketing materials to position your product in the market.
Run
Understand how you will make revenue and make sure it makes sense for your business.
Demo Night
Win Equity Free Seed Funding

Velocity will take place at 500 W. 5th St., 3rd Floor in Winston-Salem, NC.

Funding
[Equity Free Seed Funding]
Winners Split

Velocity Week includes a public Demo Day with interactive community feedback and a Pitch Competition where the top three teams split a pool of $50k through 0% interest loans, which are equity-free.

Sponsors
[Sponsors & Partners]
Powered by

Velocity’s content and events are powered by CCE and these generous sponsors and partners.

They Say
[Testimonials]
What do attendees say?

Velocity brings together a great curriculum, industry expertise, and mentors to develop the best version of your business and get traction in the market.

EduMotion
As a creative company moving into the Ed Tech space, the accelerator provided the strategic advice we needed to launch a digital product and begin to scale nationally. The program prepared us to be competitive for grant opportunities, such as our recent success in the NewSchools Venture Fund Ed Tech challenge.
Margot Toppen

Margot Toppen

[Accelerator Alum]
Point Motion
The accelerator has impacted our business by preparing me, the CEO, to effectively communicate, and develop a clear vision. Without that clarity, I could never convince these mega contributors to come on board.
Kevin Clark

Kevin Clark

[Accelerator Alum]
Jenni Earle
Always a person with ideas and a will to create, the Accelerator was the foundation for me to build a successful creative business. I now live the life I only dreamed about before.
Jenni Earle Hopkins

Jenni Earle Hopkins

[Accelerator Alum]
Natalie Rebecca Design
The people I met through the accelerator have provided incredible insight and support as I continue to grow my business. The mentors and other participants make the accelerator a top-notch program. I am confident that I will look back on this experience in 5, 10, 20 years and know that it was one of the defining experiences in my career as an entrepreneur.
Natalie Holm

Natalie Holm

[Accelerator Alum]
56
Creative Businesses Launched
83%
Are Still In Business And Thriving
$10mm
Million In Revenue Earned By Cohorts
$13mm
In Investments Raised by cohorts
News
[Our Blog]
What's New?

Stay up to date with news about Velocity, cohort members, and other resources.