Venture Asheville was recently awarded an NC Idea Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Grant to enrich and expand our Elevate mentor program for local entrepreneurs who are building high-growth ventures.
Two years ago, we spent 3 intimidating, yet energizing days on MIT’s campus in Cambridge, MA to undergo immersive training in the MIT way of doing startup mentorship (see MIT VMS). Today, we’re proud of the program we’ve developed, the 55 mentors who make it exceptional, and the 20 local ventures currently advancing through Elevate to rapidly grow their companies. Some you’ll know like French Broad Chocolates and No Evil Foods. Others like dmarcian, LoLo, and Mount Inspiration are making rapid headway. All of them are important to Asheville’s economic vitality and future.
With the grant, Venture Asheville joins ten other ecosystem partners across the state, including local startup veteran and ecosystem builder Tom Ryan and his startup Supportedly.
Read about the NC Idea announcement of Venture Asheville’s award here.
