Where are they now?
As we reflect on the journey of our inaugural accelerator cohort, it’s thrilling to witness the remarkable strides made by these ambitious ventures. Let’s take a closer look at where they are now and the milestones they’ve achieved.
- Bottle Titan:
- Team Structure: New team in place with a software engineer, logistics engineer, patent writer, electrical engineer, and a previous professor at Clemson with expertise in patent writing.
- Collaboration: Undertook a project with another cohort grad
- Custom Donations:
- Strategic Partnership: Established a joint venture with another company in their space
- Next Steps: Ongoing progress and updates are expected, making it worthwhile to stay tuned for further developments
- New Look: Worked with local company, Designli, a connection from the Accelerator program, to redesign product
- RAAMP:
- Sales Impact: Showcased tangible sales improvements directly attributed to the accelerator program
- Team Development: Expanded their team to support increased business demands
- Support: Joined the VMS mentor program
- Ruffian Software (TechID Manager):
- Investment: Received investment from SCRA and engaged in discussions with other potential investors
- Team Expansion: Made strategic hires to fuel the company’s growth
- Growth: Continued with the VMS mentor program
- TestedHQ:
- Funding: Secured $300,000 from SCRA
- Strategic Shift: Maintained headcount stability while strategically altering their revenue model. The focus is shifting towards a majority subscription-based model next year, emphasizing recurring revenue
- Operational Enhancements: Dedicated efforts to improve internal efficiency, establishing repeatable and scalable processes
- Mentorship: Joined the VMS mentor program
- Pixlmob:
- Strategic Focus: Transitioned towards a more focused product approach, with an emphasis on a specific niche within the industry
- Talent Acquisition: Added two new hires and currently seeking additional talent
- Funding News: Received funding from Founderville; gave impressive report to investors at end of the year 2023 holiday party
- skillsgapp:
- Recognition: Participated in Furman University Hill Institute Bootcamp; and was named one of the 10 Most Exciting Startups in the region at the #StartupGVL Night at the Drive
- Future Prospects: Currently exploring additional accelerator programs and funding opportunities
- Suite Stuff: Actively adding more games to their suite of games
- Fun news: Co-founder, Tina Zwolinski traveled to Ireland in the fall of 2023 to speak on a panel at Saastock
- Check out Tina’s full founder feature!
- Vicinity:
- Team Growth: Welcomed a new co-founder, a strong market leader, reinforcing the leadership team
- Support: Participated in the Furman University Hill Institute Bootcamp, assigned a team of students to complete a project
- Funding news: SCRA and Founderville funding announced; and announced updates at the Founderville holiday party, updating investors
- Good PR: Trueline case study was a tangible example of what they do by helping another business come onto the landscape
- WAVS Custom:
- Progress: Successfully closed a funding round, including a significant contribution of $200,000 from SCRA
- Growth: Expanded their team with two new hires, reinforcing their commitment to advancing WAVS’s innovative vision
- Fun news: Recently exhibited at CES in Las Vegas and looking forward to launching new products (currently top secret – keep an eye out for the news); and gave inspiring update to investors at Founderville holiday social
- Homerun: Was named one of the 10 Most Exciting Startups in the region at the #StartupGVL Night at the Drive
- Read more about founder Ric Hoke
Update 2/13/2024 – we’re excited to announce that Mapsheet.com has sold! This is exciting news for founder, Willz Tolbert. We know it was a lot of hard work getting the company to this point.
The accomplishments of our first accelerator cohort are a testament to the dedication, innovation, and resilience of these ventures. We eagerly anticipate witnessing their continued growth and success in the evolving landscape of entrepreneurship. Stay tuned for more updates on their remarkable journeys!
