The Long Beach Accelerator has announced its fourth cohort, with sessions beginning this month, July. Nine company founders and their partners will experience a very special kind of summer school.
The LBA is a tech accelerator created by partners Cal State Long Beach Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the private venture capital firm Sunstone Management and the city of Long Beach. The accelerator brings startup businesses in for an intensive four-month mentoring and training program designed to launch or advance an upscaled and confident company into the market.
Being accepted as a cohort member is an honor. There are bigger benefits, though. Thanks to Sunstone, companies have access to up to $100,000 in capital for a small equity stake. There are experienced advisors along with legal and accounting assistance where necessary.
In the first month, a mentor dedicated to the cohort member company helps founders create a program road map. The month also includes product testing and a product market fit assessment.
Sales and marketing are the focuses of the second month. A marketing plan is developed, along with developing the tools and mindset it takes to complete that plan.
Work continues to develop the product or products throughout, and in month three the business plan solidifies. The idea is to have a solid, callable foundation at the end of 90 days.
Month four is all about going out into the world with the new and stronger company. There are pitch polishing sessions, interacting with potential investors and partners. It all comes down to the LBA Demo Day, where each cohort member presents their dream.
Participants in the next cohort are:
- Apsy, with CEO Tooraj Helmi and senior product designer Paulina Vargas. Apsy uses Artificial Intelligence to “build elegant and affordable apps.”
- Crumbraise Inc., with Kris Gocke, Jeremy Gocke and Steven Chuck. A platform for nonprofits, Crumb enables supporters to send their spare change from everyday purchases to creators, clubs & causes they care about. When they buy their morning coffee, shop for groceries, or dine out, Crumb rounds up their purchases to the next dollar and donates the remainder amounts – called “crumbs” – to a creator, club or cause of choice.
- Educational Vision Technologies Inc., with founder and CEO Monal Parmar. EVT offers A.I.-assisted automated video editing, and creates customized online educational systems.
- Gift Pass App Inc., with Maliha Naeem. This platform is designed to make handling gift cards digitally easy, whether people want to buy, sell, trade or donate cards.
- The Girls Co. LLC with Abby Warner, Taimi Kennerley and Zoia Ali. A women’s health company started in Utah that is currently focused on a solution to alleviate period cramp pain.
- Intellitech Spa Inc. with Vivekananda Badiger and Leslie Nicole Hidalgo Garate, makes the cohort international with its headquarters in Santiago, Chile. The company helps analyze and predict fleet vehicle maintenance needs, driver behaviors and more with a plug and play technology.
- Kwema, with Ali Jabry and Joe Ibaceta. Kwema has created a smart badge reel that allows health care workers to call for security discreetly.
- Pathloom Inc., with Ankit Jain. This website and app helps hikers, campers and other outdoor recreation users discover unique places and more easily plan their outdoor trips.
- Rotender, with Ben Winston and Alec Kanyuck. Rotender, like it sounds, is a robotic bartender/drink mixer. Cocktails mixed in 30 seconds or less.