Mass Challenge
I know about the Mass Challenge because one of the women, Reem Yared, who I wrote about on Mondays got to the semi-finals in this challenge. It set her business of in a completely different direction.
Here is the info:
is the largest-ever start-up accelerator, and the first to support
high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs with no strings attached.
Benefits for startups include:
- 4 month accelerator program – world-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, media and more.
- $1.2 million in cash awards – $10+ million in in-kind support.
- Open to all – any startup can enter, from anywhere in the world, in any industry.
- No strings attached – no equity taken and no restrictions applied.
MassChallenge connects entrepreneurs with
the resources they need to succeed immediately with no strings attached. It's
the world's largest startup accelerator and is looking for the 125
highest-impact startups from any industry for its 2013 program.
Benefits for startups include world-class mentorship &
training, a driven community of fellow entrepreneurs, $10M+ in in-kind
deals and $1M+ in grants with no equity taken.
All
applicants receive written feedback & scores from the expert judges
that evaluate them, regardless of whether they advance to the next
round. The application fee is $199, but this is the only fee
MassChallenge ever takes from entrepreneurs (never taking equity), and
refunds can be found by searching #MCRefunds on twitter.
Applications are due by April
3 – Apply at MassChallenge.org/apply!
Comments (Archived):
Impressive program. I just checked it out.Congrats to @reemky!
I love MassChallenge! We were in it in 2011 and again last year as alumni in residence. I’m going to be pretty heartbroken when we move out. They’re such an incredible non-profit and the MC staff has been like an extension of our team.If any GG readers out there are hesitant about the money, I can give you a refund code, just ping Vsnap on Twitter. 🙂
Did you and your team move to Boston for four months?
We’re based in Boston but people do move here for the accelerator. There are a few housing options if you want to ping me. The note about requiring a physical presence is because you don’t get as much out of it if you aren’t in the space. Like, people will randomly drop by… politicians, big media, VCs, etc. They also hold mentor hours, bring in some pretty big partners to work with, and have tons and tons of events to network with the startup community, investors, and peers. Not sure if you can send another team member to be in the space, but that could work as well. Part of it is free office space in an AMAZING building which is in Boston’s Innovation District and next to the new (opening soon) Boston Innovation Center.
Thank you for sharing this. I was very excited to apply but It “requires physical presence and engagement in the Mass Challenge Boston office from June 25 through October 30”. That makes it very tough for anyone living anywhere outside of Mass, specially women with children, like myself! 🙁