The BRIDGE Program is a 3-month acceleration program designed to test and refine both founders and their business ideas. The program provides the challenge, support, and tool-set entrepreneurs and startups need to build viable businesses positioned for growth and potential investment.
BRIDGE Process
Month 1 is dedicated to refining business model, structure, and strategy. Each team is assigned mentors with experience in their field.
Month 2 is spent executing validation, incorporating feedback, and refining approaches.
In Month 3, validation continues as participants firm up their models, product refinements, and marketing strategies. Business plans and pitches are polished with full evaluations and feedback provided from us. Final pitches are readied for Pitch Day to a group of local investors and advisors qualified to provide support and/or capital if the startups make the cut.
Discussion and Office Hours
Through scheduled Office Hours and ongoing online discussion, our mentors help address problems participants encounter and facilitate building resilient, successful entrepreneurs.
Accessing Technical Expertise
The wide experience of our team and community members ensures access to expertise. If we can’t provide it directly our growing community can tap their networks the advice needed to accelerate growth.
“BRIDGE has exceeded my expectations. I don’t think I would be in this position if I didn’t come to the classes and I wouldn’t have been ready for the market. This program pushes you beyond your boundaries, it gives you the tools that you need to in order to launch your business.”
– Michelle Reckley
“I asked myself why to go through another series of business development training, but when I came the first day I was impressed and looked forward to every meeting moving forward. I understand business terminology much better and I’m more familiar with them and I’m more confident when dealing with different aspects of business and those things are easier to understand.”
– Carl Johnson
“This is where I needed to be to sharpen my ideas, lock in and focus on my business. I’ve learned you need to know your product, what you’re selling and who you’re selling to. Learning about what your ideal client looks like brought a lot of clarity. The information, guidelines and the step by step learing sets you in motion. Taling to the team helps you get from point A to point B.”
– Rashawn Rigby
“From the onset of the course, the information that we’ve been provided is very high level but it’s presented in a way that’s digestible. Every week we came in and we learned information within the material but also additional tidbits from the instructors. Prior to the classes, I was a person who spends a lot of time planning, but what the course has taught me is the importance of going out and doing things in order to get things done.”
– Rhandi Elliot
“Truthfully, this program hits all the points you need to hit when you need to prove your concept and what your business really needs to develop. The way the concepts come together and tally up at the end of the program really helps you get from point A to B. All the things that we’ve done changed the perspective on my business and how it should run. These are definitely the people to go to really milk your ideas. You’re going to come in with ideas, but the truth is you’re going to need someone to punch holes through your ideas and these are the guys to do it.”
– Dr. P. Jillian Bethel