JumpStart provides similar levels of funding as YC or Techstars. They also provided me with three mentors (one lead and two others). This was the first year for JumpStart and it was done on a rolling basis (one company funded per month). A side effect of that was that there was no programming or much interaction between the startups. JumpStart is going to work differently in 2011 and I believe is now part of the TechStars affiliate network.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center has the mission of "connecting entrepreneurs with critical resources to accelerate business creation and growth." That is exactly what they have provided for us. There are 6-12 companies at the EC on any given day. There are mentors here regularly available for meetings and advice. The local investment community has started coming by the space regularly and watching and learning about the companies.
The combination of JumpStart and the Entrepreneur Center has taken Bizen from conception to a viable startup within the span of about 5 months. We are closing enough funding to operate for a year and are starting to hire.
JumpStart provides similar levels of funding as YC or Techstars. They also provided me with three mentors (one lead and two others). This was the first year for JumpStart and it was done on a rolling basis (one company funded per month). A side effect of that was that there was no programming or much interaction between the startups. JumpStart is going to work differently in 2011 and I believe is now part of the TechStars affiliate network.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center has the mission of "connecting entrepreneurs with critical resources to accelerate business creation and growth." That is exactly what they have provided for us. There are 6-12 companies at the EC on any given day. There are mentors here regularly available for meetings and advice. The local investment community has started coming by the space regularly and watching and learning about the companies.
The combination of JumpStart and the Entrepreneur Center has taken Bizen from conception to a viable startup within the span of about 5 months. We are closing enough funding to operate for a year and are starting to hire.
It has been a great experience.