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VELOCITY
[About Velocity]
Welcome to the Velocity Creative Accelerator

The Center for Creative Economy has hosted a creative accelerator annually since 2016. Velocity is a 9-week street smart accelerator for creative entrepreneurs. CCE builds upon the groundwork established by founders, and layers business skills and functional expertise in collaboration with mentors and industry experts.

There is no cost to apply. If selected, the fee for participants is $995. The fee will cover the cost of the course, books, access to mentors, meals and accommodations for Kick-off Weekend and Velocity Week in Winston-Salem, NC.

FAQ
[Frequently Asked Questions]
Popular Questions

Velocity is designed to help businesses develop the high impact business skills necessary to launch and grow a creative venture.

In 2019, CCE partnered with Chris Mumford of Kenan Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University. Chris is a serial entrepreneur with years of experience supporting startups.

Who Should Apply?

The Successful Velocity applicant:

  • Is a creative team of one or more
  • Is talking with customers and “discovering” your unique value
  • Has a creative business that solves a problem or creates a unique user experience
  • Is building a prototype or is ready to launch
  • May already have a product on the market, but needs a reboot to make it soar
  • Is ready to scale their business

Why Velocity?

Teams will learn how to:

  • Focus and refine their creative business model
  • Research and analyze the market, competition and industry your business is in
  • Prepare financial forecasts and budgets
  • Construct your marketing, operations and launch plans
  • Build the right team
  • Develop a pitch for seed stage capital from investors

The Curriculum

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

In collaboration with Chris Mumford, founder of the Joe Startup Entrepreneurial Curriculum and Velocity guest faculty, content and workshops have been tailored to accelerate your creative business.

The curriculum covers 24 business modules that are organized around the themes, “Think, Create, Tell, and Run.”  You will learn via video, a customized workbook, and a weekly workshop led by creative industry professionals. Each startup team will regularly connect with mentors to flesh out the concepts presented in the workshops, and put them into practice.

[5 Days]
Velocity Week
  • Workshops
  • One-on-one Mentoring
  • Demo Night
WINSTON
[The City Of Arts and Innovation]
Why Winston-Salem?

Winston-Salem is home to a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, that welcomes creativity and innovation. The Center for Creative Economy partners with Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, Venture Cafe Winston-Salem, Winston Starts, Flywheel, Kenan Institute for the Arts, and Creative Community Lab. There’s a growing synergy throughout Winston-Salem that embraces creative entrepreneurs as part of the robust economy.

FOCUS
[Creative Industries]
A Creative Focus

There is a special focus on Art and Health, Culinary, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Design, and Education Tech. However, all creative companies in the industries below are encouraged to apply:

  • Advertising
  • Art & Health
  • Animation
  • Animatronics
  • Apps (creative industries)
  • Architecture
  • Augmented & Virtual Reality
  • Crafts & Artisan
  • Creative Health Tech
  • Culinary
  • Digital Design
  • Education Tech
  • Fashion
  • Film
  • Graphic Design
  • Industrial Design
  • Museum Tech
  • Music
  • Performing Arts
  • Photography
  • Product Design
  • Publishing
  • Software (creative industries)
  • Studio & Fine Arts
  • 3D Printing (creative products)
  • Toys & Games
  • TV & Radio
  • Video Games
  • Planning/Design
  • Data Visualization
Accelerate
With a robust curriculum designed specifically for creative entrepreneurs, startups will develop skills to accelerate and scale their growth.
Mentoring
Velocity is mentor-driven. With 35+ mentors from all over North Carolina, the country, and worldwide, you and your startup can be easily matched with mentors in your industry and to meet your biggest needs.
Coffee Breaks + Networking
It's hard to learn things on an empty stomach. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and unlimited tea and coffee are all part of the ticket price. Breaks offer a great opportunity to further connect with other startups and mentors.
Sponsors
[Sponsors & Partners]
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Velocity’s content and events are powered by CCE and these generous sponsors and partners.