Applications for the 2023 cohort are being accepted now.
Your participation in CoBuilders starts with a local partner. Scroll down for details about each statewide partner and how to get in touch to participate in a local qualifying pitch event or contact April Dixon at adixon@innovate.ms for more details.
You can also join the Innovate Mississippi newsletter to receive notifications and updates!
CoBuilders Requirements
Companies that will be targeted for Cobuilders MUST:
- Be headquartered in Mississippi.
- Commit to completing the cohort.
Ideal Companies:
- A team of at least 2 founders is preferred.
- Capability to achieve investor-ready status by the end of the 12-week cohort
- Companies likely to target investor funding between $100k and $600k by Pitch Day
- High-growth innovation and technology companies are preferred, but participation is not restricted to high-growth companies.
- Capability to produce a sufficient minimally viable product or product representation within the first few weeks of the cohort for customer validation.
- Able to use limited funding from the cohort to achieve meaningful progress.
- Seeking structured development assistance to overcome technology, market, or financial risk.
Companies that are accepted into CoBuilders will:
- Receive investment ($22k-$45k) in the form of a SAFE Agreement;
for more information on SAFE agreements, please see the y-combinator website ; use this link to read SAFE agreement document.
- Have funding opportunities from local sponsors, MS Seed Fund, and other sources as applicable.
- Participate in 12- week curriculum and receive invaluable coaching and mentorship.
- Have the opportunity to pitch on November 8th to investors.
CoBuilders Starts with a Local Partner
Companies cannot apply for the 12-week CoBuilders cohort directly since they must be selected by a CoBuilders Partner. Cobuilders Partners will then work with each company through a pitch and selection process and support each company they select throughout the 12-week cohort. Each partner has different criteria, interest and experience and applications to apply with the partners are included in each partner’s information below. Companies should apply directly through the partnership links below and mentors and sponsors can indicate specific partners or work statewide.
Why would my company participate?
Benefits for your company begin immediately upon registering for a local partner event and with the assignment of a mentor and the chance to hone your pitch and work alongside a regional partner to build the plan and grow. Just being connected to the startup ecosystem in your region will show benefits, since connections are vital to startup growth, but the real benefits begin if a company is selected by the regional partner to participate in the statewide CoBuilders’ Cohort.
Companies selected by regional partners to participate in the statewide CoBuilders’ Accelerator will join a 10-company cohort. Upon acceptance, companies will participate in a 12-week virtual intensive development program and will receive assistance and capital in various forms.
- Guidance through an intensive curriculum designed to develop companies into investor-ready deals
- Structured interactions with business leaders and investors
- Weekly assistance from experienced mentors to provide guidance and advice
- Assistance from service providers, such as accountants, marketing firms, etc. based on company needs
- Continued assistance and support from the regional partner organization
During the 12-week Cohort:
- Minimum of $20,000/company in investment funds upon signing a SAFE agreement at $1.5M valuation cap.
- Access to the Mississippi Seed Fund Proof-of-Concept Loan Fund for $10,000 if the business qualifies
- Minority and women-owned businesses may have additional capital
- Access to investors for practice pitches and networking
- Regional partners may provide additional direct financial support in some cases.
- Pitch for investment to a large gathering of angel investors and funds from Mississippi and surrounding states
- Access to the Mississippi Seed Fund up to $100k investment if qualified
- Private networking opportunities with investors and fund managers
- Nominal cash awards of $500-$1000 will also be given for various themes and categories
Companies selected for the statewide CoBuilders’ Cohort will join your fellow companies for an in-person kickoff event and a mid-term in-person event. The regular programming of the Accelerator is virtual, with the final Pitch Day as a big in-person event.
If you are a company ready to apply through CoBuilders or you are a mentor ready to lend your expertise, you can see a preview of the steps and processes we’ll be working on through the CoBuilders Accelerator through this recorded webinar.
CoBuilders Partners:
Oxford / Lafayette Economic Development Foundation – Oxford, MS
The Oxford / Lafayette Economic Development Foundation seeks to increase the economic development activity of the region through providing a vibrant business environment in which companies can grow and thrive. As close partners with the University of Mississippi, the EDF also works to assist technology transfer businesses to grow and thrive in the area. As a partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator, the EDF is working with other partners in North Mississippi to assist companies from the region.
Startup Focus: Early-stage companies generally in North Mississippi
Application Process:
Fill out an application by Friday, June 2nd, 2023 (COB).
For further information please contact Allen Kurr (allen@oxfordms.com) or call the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation at 662-234-4651.
Higher Purpose, Co. – Clarksdale, MS
Higher Purpose Co mission is to build community wealth with Black residents in Mississippi by supporting the ownership of financial, cultural, and political power. As a valued partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator, Higher Purpose Co will support black-owned businesses from all over the state of Mississippi. Higher Purpose Business Membership applications are now being accepted. HPC Membership is designed to offer Mississippi entrepreneurs, farmers, and artists, services and support for their existing and growing business that falls within the seven priority sectors which are beauty, food/agriculture, education, healthcare, housing, transportation, and art.
Startup Focus: Black-owned Mississippi Small Businesses
Application Process: Black-owned Mississippi businesses should complete the membership application by April 17th. A pitch event will be held on May 18th.
Mississippi State E-Center
The MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach empowers students and Mississippi residents to plan, launch and grow successful local and global companies based on new ideas or MSU invented technology. Our companies are graded in the real world – by success or failure with actual, paying customers. We use applied learning to strengthen our pipeline of entrepreneurs from K-12 to college students to graduates and have broad involvement of alumni and friends to help mentor, coach and invest in our startups. As a partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator, we join a team that is working to propel Mississippi’s next wave of technology startups.
Startup Focus: Conceptual or early-stage companies located within Mississippi, or abroad with some connection to MSU. (Only Mississippi-based companies can be selected for CoBuilders, but MSU affiliated companies from any location can participate in the Startup Summit.) Applications are only open to MS State students.
Application Process: Applications will be reviewed and counseled by an experienced entrepreneur and present at one of eight divisions. These pitches will be open to the public. A pitch event will be held on March 31st.
JSU / The Bean Path
The Women’s Business Center at Jackson State University (WBC at JSU) is dedicated to promoting economic growth in the City of Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi by providing confidential one-on-one counseling, low-cost training, networking, free workshops, technical assistance, and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics, including business startup, financial reporting, and procurement. The WBC at JSU also assists women businesses seeking federal contracting dollars as Women-Owned Small Businesses, as well as provides valuable support on intellectual property protection and technology commercialization.
As a partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator, the WBC at JSU will collaborate with The Bean Path, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to provide assistance to companies in Jackson and the surrounding areas.
Startup Focus: Early-stage companies in Jackson, Mississippi, and the surrounding areas
Application Process: Companies will begin the process with a consultation session and work with a mentor to prepare for the Pitch Event held on June 24th.
For further information please contact Adia Dightman via email at adia@thebeanpath.org
MSU E-Center Vicksburg
The Mississippi State Entrepreneurship Center in Vicksburg seeks to develop entrepreneurial ventures in the Vicksburg region and to draw particularly from the technology partners and connections associated with ERDC and ERDCWerx. Located in the beautiful MCITy Building in downtown Vicksburg, the MSE E-Center Vicksburg brings all of the resources and experience of MSU’s E-Center to the River City and surrounding areas. As a partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator, the MSU E-Center Vicksburg is working with other partners to assist companies from the region.
Startup Focus: Early-stage companies generally in the Vicksburg region
Application Process: Apply by May 13th. Each applicant will begin the process with a consultation session where they will be connected with local entrepreneurial development resources to help prepare them for the local pitch event scheduled for May 20th.
For further information please contact Ryan Gilbrech rgilbrech@ecenter.msstate.edu or call the MSU E-Center Vicksburg office at 757-784-5947.
Mississippi Polymer Institute
The Mississippi Polymer Institute cultivates business growth and participation in advanced materials markets. As the industrial outreach component of the University of Southern Mississippi’s 500-acre Innovation and Commercialization Park, we collectively provide capabilities and resources relevant to businesses at all stages of maturity. As a partner in the CoBuilders Accelerator and the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MMA-MEP), MPI works with other partners around Mississippi to assist early-stage companies.
Startup Focus: Early-stage companies generally focused on material-based products (preferably), but all area startups are encouraged to sign up.
Application Process: Applications open through May 10th. Once accepted, you will begin the process with a consultation session and work with a mentor to prepare for the Pitch Event held at MPI on May 26. The community is invited to the Pitch Event to hear some of the exciting regional startup initiatives.
The Meeting Place
The Meeting Place seeks to increase the economic development activity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region through providing a vibrant business environment in which companies can grow and thrive. As close partners with the Mississippi Small Business Development Center (MS SBDC), the South Mississippi Contract Procurement Center (SMCPC), the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MSET), Innovate Mississippi, and local Chambers of Commerce, The Meeting Place functions as a business incubator giving startup and even more experienced businesses the best opportunity to grow and thrive on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Startup Focus: Companies with investable products on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Application Process: Companies should submit an application by April 30 to begin the process with a consultation session and will work with a mentor to prepare for our Virtual Pitch Event on June 2, 2023. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Pitch Event will be broadcast virtually and will feature an audience participation vote. Our panel of judges will rank the participants and Audience participation will add points to their score. Participants are competing for cash prizes as well as the opportunity to attend Innovate Mississippi’s Accelerator Cohort and pitch at the state level for Seed Funding and other prizes
For further information please contact Geneva Dummer at info@tmp-ms.com or 228-207-0663.
