Capacity Business Accelerator Program

In affiliation with Morris County Economic Development Corporation

About the program

The Capacity Business Accelerator is a concentrated accelerator program designed to launch startup companies or accelerate early stage businesses within 12 weeks. The program is offered in partnership with, and is typically located at, your local economic development agency. 5 entrepreneurs will be accepted into the course out of dozens of applications, and we will concentrate on those entrepreneurs to help ensure their success. Those businesses that are accepted will commit to this program for 3 months. During that period, we will do extensive work to articulate and hone the business concept, refine your operational plan, create a marketing strategy, generate initial sales, launch the company and pitch to investors or banks if needed. The program culminates in a show day when the entrepreneurs present their companies to a carefully selected, invite-only audience. Following this program, our network and alumni will continue to help entrepreneurs for the life of their company.

Who Should Apply

Serious entrepreneurs with a startup or early stage business looking for structured education and support to launch or accelerate their business.

Why Do You Need It

If you are truly ready to do what it takes to have a successful business, this program was made for you. The Capacity Business Accelerator was designed after the most successful accelerator and college programs in existence. When we say “successful”, we mean more than 80% of the businesses are thriving 3 to 5 years after the program. In researching these programs, we identified three key features:

A curriculum that includes the features of a feasibility study including market research, sales and promotional plan, operational planning, and financial projecting combined with soft skills such as sales, marketing, and management.
Unlimited ongoing support from instructors and alumni after the program ends.
Accountability and buy in. There is a fee to the participants as studies show that without it, success rate drops significantly.

This is boots on ground, real life training from people who have started companies.

Why Are We Doing This

There are dozens of local co-work accelerator’s, entrepreneurial 101 programs, pitch events, tech meetups, mentor programs, etc. that are great to help entrepreneurs get their feet wet, network, learn how to create a business plan, and get moral support. But few are designed for those entrepreneurs dedicated to launching their business NOW. The idea was born of passion, and from seeing what truly works. Capacity is bringing that to a local level and opening it to all types of businesses.

Date

Program starts Wednesday June 12, 2019 and runs for 12 weeks

Place

Morris County Economic Development Corporation 325 Columbia Turnpike #101, Florham Park, NJ 07932

Application

$25, applications due to by May 10, 2019

Program Fee

ONLY 5 entrepreneur/teams will be chosen and must be prepared to pay $1,500 per month for the 3-month program ($4,500 total). Payments are due the 1st of each month. There is no fee for ongoing access after the program.

Apply Now

Agenda

Week 1 - 8

3hr Class each Wednesday from 4PM to 7PM

Entrepreneurship & Feasibility https://mixergy.com/listen-to-dane-maxwell-call-a-prospect-and-hear-how-he-extracts-a-profitable-business-idea/
Company Background & Products/Services
Industry, Market, & Competition
Sales & Marketing Strategy
Operating Plan, Management, Organization, & Ownership
Financials 101 & Budgeting
Financial Projections
Financing, Valuations, & Investors

Dinners every other Thursday 4PM to 7PM (as needed).

Each dinner we’ll invite an expert in some aspect of startups to speak. Topics include:
- Mindset
- Leadership
- Sales
- Branding
You are encouraged to invite your team, friends, family, colleagues, and other entrepreneurs.
Each dinner will be at a different venue or pizza at our meeting place.

Week 11

Show Day – All startups present to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

Week 9 – 12

Open office – We are available for scheduled one-on-one talks about what your building, executing your plan, get advice on dealing with lenders, investors, etc.

After the 3 month program, you have access to advice and introductions for as long as you need from us, the people you met, and the network of alumni.

Apply for the program

Please fill out the form below to submit your application for consideration. The application deadline is May 10, 2019. There will be a $25.00 fee due upon submission.

First Name*
Last Name*
Email Address*
Your Address*
City*
ZIP Code*
Company Name*
Company Location (planned)*
Website (if any)
Bios for all team members including education, work, and social links*
What is your company going to make or do?*
Is it in the idea stage or have you started it? If started, what have you done to date? Do you have any sales? Are you profitable yet?*
List one achievement (other than this startup) for each team member.*
Write a sentence or two about a time you hacked or pulled something off (like a free place stay or free intelligence).*
Write a few sentences about a project you did with one or more of your team members (other than this startup).*
How long has the team know each other and what is the story behind your meeting?*
Why did you pick this idea to work on? How do you know people need what you're making?*
What's new about what you're doing? What substitutes do people resort to because it doesn't exist yet (or they don't know it exists yet)?*
Who are your competitors and/or who do you think could become a competitor?*
What do you understand about your business that other companies in the space just don't get?*
How do you plan to get customers?*
How will you make money? How much do you estimate making?*
Are you able to make a 10 hour per week commitment to this program and if so, which team members are committing?*
What is something interesting you have discovered recently?*
Please list any other business ideas you might have considered.*
Are you willing to keep this business in the same county as our partnering economic development agency?*
Are you prepared to pay the accelerator fees?*
Are you willing to push your comfort zone to be successful (like do research, make cold calls, work long hours)?*
Is there any reason you couldn’t start selling immediately following the accelerator?*
Program Cost
Price:
Total
$0.00

Faq

If I have a partner/s or a team, can they come too?

Yes, partners and/or a team in one business are considered one applicant for the program and payment. However, Open Office counselling and after program counseling is limited to ONE leader.

Is this just for startups or can existing businesses apply?

An existing business can apply but it must be scalable. This means you must have the intent and ability to grow.

How are applications judged?

The application has over 20 questions and many are open ended, so there no “formula”. A few deal breakers are:

You and/or your planned business must be in the county where the program is held.
It must create more than 1 job.
The entrepreneur must be serious and have ample time to commit.