CUPERTINO, CA (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 01 , 2022 - StartupWind, Inc completed the 2nd cohort of our flagship Global Accelerator Program to help start-ups and small businesses scale faster and get ready for funding. We are pleased that Proof Alcohol Ice Cream, Validide, and EdyBites are the winners selected by Draper University’s Hero Program Scholarship.

The finalists of this cohort were Proof Alcohol Ice Cream, Validide, EdyBites, Numly, and iMixedTapes. The finalists were presented to Daniela Quintero from Draper University, Sanjit Singh Dang, chairman of UFirstCapital, and Bill King, Managing Partner of Movi Partners.

The finalists also presented to Iris Quan, partner at TSV Capital, Professor Robert Wolcott (Northwestern Kellogg & Chicago Booth), Ido Sarig (former VC & former executive at Intel), Dr. Dirk Brown, Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina, and dozens of Silicon Valley angel investors.

The finalists went through an intensive 8-week program that was focused on :

• Getting them ready for funding
• Getting them ready to drive traction and scale their businesses

Structure of the program :

• Weekly LIVE Instructions divided into 8 weeks, the program covers basics of the Business Model Canvas, Effective Marketing Plan, Zero Dollar Marketing, Understanding VC & Building an Effective Pitch Deck, and the Entrepreneur’s Guide to Effective Fundraising.
• Weekly Mentoring sessions: The startups, collectively connected with over 50 one-on-one mentoring sessions with Silicon Valley investors and experts and got their guidance. StartupWind’s Speed Mentoring capabilities allowed mentors and mentees to meet multiple people in short 2-hour events. The in-built one-click video call feature enabled entrepreneurs to connect with mentors from across the globe.
• Supplemental Online Courses: The startups collectively enrolled for more than 40 video-based courses that are developed by StartupWind in collaboration with Draper University. The courses help entrepreneurs acquire business skills at every step of their journey. These self-paced courses equip entrepreneurs with complete know-how of the Business Model Canvas, Entrepreneur’s Guide to Fundraising, Effecting Pitching, Building a Solid Marketing Plan, Zero Dollar Marketing, and Digital Marketing.
• StartupWind Tools & Frameworks to guide the entrepreneurs in creating business plans, business model canvases, Speed Mentoring, and collaboration tools to work with their mentors and peers.

Daniela Quintero from Draper University & Judge for StartupWind Global Accelerator said :
"It was my pleasure to be a judge for StartupWind Global Accelerator program and evaluate the pitches. The finalists were well-prepared and well-coached. Draper University selected 3 startups for our Hero Training Program Scholarship. We are excited about our partnership with StartupWind and the fact that thousands of startups are accessing the courses jointly developed by Draper University and StartupWind."

Jennifer Randall, CEO of Proof Alcohol Ice Cream, winner of Draper University Scholarship & finalist of StartupWind Global Accelerator said :
"After recently completing the StartupWind Global Accelerator program, I came away with not just new skills to assist me as a CEO, but much more importantly I received real-world life experience from successful founders and executives who live, breathe, and sleep the same journey I am on day to day. The education, the courses, the well-structured curriculum, the Speed Mentoring program, and more importantly wisdom and experience StartupWind and their mentors bring to the table is unmatched in the industry. I would strongly recommend StartupWind to not just grow your business but also to sit elbow to elbow with Naren and StartupWind mentors who have been executing successfully in the business world for decades."

Dr. Gordon Jones, CEO of Validide Corporation, winner of Draper University Scholarship & finalist of StartupWind Global Accelerator said :
"As a co-founder team of Validide Corporation, we have been practically growing with StartupWind participating in two programs - StartupWind incubator and StartupWind Global Accelerator. I am thrilled that we graduated from the StartupWind Accelerator Program and were selected by the prestigious Draper University Hero Training program. Through the accelerator program and with my active participation in all the courses, mentor sessions, and taking on the tasks to complete myself as CEO, we have really gotten Validide and the Thrivacy Portfolio App ready for market from a product-market-fit and pitch standpoint.
We would not be here and ready for investment if it weren't for the StartupWind team, the mentors, and the investors who graciously gave their time and expertise. We even met our COO and now co-founder, Nicole Spracale, through StartupWind. I feel confident that we are ready to take the leap now!” I would highly recommend StartupWind Platform and Accelerator to any small business entrepreneur."

Rupesh Sanghavi, CEO of EdyBites, winner of Draper University Scholarship & finalist of StartupWind Global Accelerator said :
"StartupWind Global Accelerator gave me the skills that would have taken forever to acquire organically. The quality, breadth, and depth of StartupWind courses are second to none as the courses span across the lifecycle of the entrepreneur. The platform tools for business model canvas, business planning, and collaboration helped in applying the skills learned. StartupWind’s world-class mentors, then, allowed us to tap into their wealth of experience. The mentoring is taken to a different level with the Speed Mentoring events that are unique with multiple mentor meetings in a short span of 1-2 hours to get feedback from a wide range of mentors. Overall, StartupWind helped us put Edybites on the map and propelled us on a path to success.”

Talking about the Global Accelerator Program Naren Patil, the Founder & CEO of StartupWind said :
“Lack of business skills is the number one reason why startups and Small Businesses fair and struggle. StartupWind platform, coupled with our Global Accelerator programs and our extensive mentor network helps startups to scale and get ready for funding. Getting 3 out of our 5 finalists selected by the prestigious Draper University Hero Program Scholarship speaks volume of the rigor of the curriculum, the quality of our instructors, the dedication of our mentors, and the care we take in each and every startup in our program!”

About StartupWind, Inc

Headquartered in Cupertino, California, StartupWind is the AI-powered Innovation & Mentoring platform designed for 30 million small businesses in the US. StartupWind unveils a new way to connect, incubate, mentor, and scale startups and SMBs (Small Businesses). StartupWind works with University, State, and SBDC programs to help them build a powerful digital innovation engine for their regions. It enables them to assist a large number of startups and small businesses to run their businesses profitably and avoid costly business closures.
StartupWind has been impacting about 30,000 innovators & mentors and 10,000 startups & small businesses affiliated with over 100 universities in the world. Using StartupWind platform, these small businesses and startups have created over 5,000 ideas, 4,000 Business Model Canvases, and thousands of business plans using StartupWind’s tools, frameworks & courses and have access to thousands of mentors on the platform.

Please visit www.startupwind.com for more information.