ELEVATE VENTURES
April 23, 2021
Elevate Ventures today announced that over 125 participants graduated on April 16 from the spring cohort of Elevate Origins, a program that helps entrepreneurs as they start and grow their business. Participants came from all over the state including students from the following universities: Butler University, Franklin College, Indiana Tech, Indiana University, Purdue University, Purdue University Northwest, Taylor University, the University of Evansville, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Saint Francis.
“We were encouraged by not only the record number of applicants from across the state but also the quality of startups represented in both the Pre-Seed and Seed categories,” said Landon Young, executive director of university initiatives and entrepreneur-in-residence at Elevate Ventures. “From software to pharmaceutical, to advanced manufacturing, the diversity of startups shows the breadth and depth of Indiana’s startup ecosystem.”
Elevate Origins Pre-Seed and Seed programs provide virtual group learning, one-on-one coaching, and live pitch practice to startups. The Pre-Seed program is for aspiring entrepreneurs and startups that have not yet generated revenue, while the Seed program is reserved for revenue-generating startups and life science companies that have completed pre-clinical trials. Both programs help participants develop investor-ready pitch decks and executive summaries appropriate for their business stage.
“The Elevate Origins program helped me break down many of the troubling questions new entrepreneurs may face, and effectively refine my executive summary and pitch deck,” said Eddie Davis, co-founder of Anytime Sports. “To anyone interested in Origins, I would say it is well worth the application. The training and access to high-quality information, paired with live pitch practice, has pushed me to become a better founder.”
“Elevate Origins helped us clearly define our value proposition and express to potential investors our novel technology,” said Jim Donahue co-founder and CEO of ReproHealth Technologies. “As a team, we learned a lot about ourselves and encourage other startups to consider Elevate Origins. It really helps.”
Since the program launched in 2019, over 300 entrepreneurs have graduated from Elevate Origins, 45 of which have gone on to receive a total of $1.1 million in funding from Elevate Ventures. Some have also won Elevate Nexus Pitch Competitions.
Applications for the spring 2021 Elevate Nexus Regional Pitch Competitions are open through today, April 23. Finalists will be selected on April 27 and invited to compete virtually on the following dates:
- Northern Region: May 18
- Central Region: May 19
- Southern Region: May 20
Elevate Nexus Pitch Competitions are organized into Pre-Seed and Seed classes. Each region will be eligible for three pre-seed ($20,000 investment) and two seed ($80,000 investment) winners.
Details and eligibility requirements can be found here. To apply, go to www.elevateventures.com/apply/ and select Elevate Nexus Pre-Seed and Seed Awards from the topic dropdown. The April 23 deadline is at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
