On Monday, April 9th, the Spring 2018 cohort of the UGA Idea Accelerator will complete an 8-week program with a pitch competition in front of a panel of local judges at 5:30pm at The Foundry at The Graduate Inn in downtown Athens. Finalists will pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges in hopes of winning $5,000, while past and current Idea Accelerator participants will be on hand to talk about their entrepreneurial ventures, including previous winners Nedza’s Waffles and more!

Sponsored by the Advanced Technology Development Center, the UGA Entrepreneurship Program, Athens Clarke County Economic Development, and Fulcrum Equity Partners, the eighth cohort of the Idea Accelerator program began in February with 55 original teams from UGA and the local Athens community. Over the course of the 8-week curriculum designed by ATDC, the initial teams were whittled down to a final cohort  based on key startup success areas such as Customer Discovery, Financial Literacy, and Investor Readiness. In the final pitch competition, judges will assess each idea’s business viability, the problem being solved, whether the solution actually solves the problem, and how suited the team members are to the task. The panel of judges will include Joe Nedza, Jan Kozak, Jesse Lindsley, and other local entrepreneurs.

The Idea Accelerator is operated by local economic development nonprofit Four Athens in partnership with the program’s sponsors, and representatives from each sponsoring organizations serve as subject matter experts, mentors, and guides for the participating teams. Applications to join the Fall 2018 cohort will open May 1st at fourathens.com/accelerator.

Since its first round three years ago, the Idea Accelerator has awarded $35,000 to seven winning business teams, including the winners of the Fall 2017 class Uzo.  Other participants, such as Fee Favor and Reservoir, have gone on to generate significant revenue, hire initial employees, and raise rounds of funding. Other previous winners include Puppyfax, a platform for dog breeders, and the first cohort winner, Athens-based adventure sharing platform Vestigo.