The Accelerator for Tech Nonprofits

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The Fast Forward invites applications for the 2023 Accelerator Program to support and scale tech nonprofits. Tech innovations may include agri-tech or clean energy, among others.

Eligible Applicants

  • The Accelerator is built exclusively for early-stage tech nonprofits.

Accelerator’s Details

Fast Forward’s program is designed to address the unique needs of tech nonprofits:

  • CAPITAL – offers different fundraising strategies (including tactics and sources of capital)
  • CONTENT- offers knowledge in board development, governance, leveraging volunteers, and other issues specific to nonprofits.
  • CUSTOMER- Because of their focus on impact over profit, nonprofits often chase the least profitable customer, which impacts go-to-market strategy and customer life cycle in a way that’s different from for-profits.
  • COHORT- offers platform for sharing a set of challenges unique to this intersection, and they’re excited to go through a program with others like them as well as provide each other ongoing support as their organizations grow.
  • COMMUNITY- offers collaborative philanthropy that is quite different from for-profit accelerators, which don’t need to invest heavily in community building due to the nature of venture investing.

Selection Criteria for the Accelerator

Fast Forward’s program is designed to address the unique needs of tech nonprofits:

  • LEADERSHIP. Tech nonprofits face everything that is hard for a tech startup and everything that’s hard for a nonprofit. To pull it off, the leaders must have steadfast vision and incredible gumption.
  • LIVED IN EXPIERENCE WITH THE PROBLEM. People solve problems in front of them. We want to empower people to solve the problems they see and experience.
  • TECH TALENT. The tech vision should be the driving force of the organization and not an auxiliary program. To successfully execute that vision, tech talent must be in a leadership role.
  • POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT. Impact is a thorny subject. To get to the heart of an organization’s potential, we ask questions like: Who is the organization primarily serving? If successful, how many lives will be positively influenced? How deeply will the organization impact those lives?
  • SCALIBILITY. Software scales incredibly well. We support organizations with a vision for change that is matched only by the potential for scale.
  • ALIGNEMENT. Fast Forward is a small organization. As such, we choose organizations who we are best poised to help scale.

Duration of the Accelerator

The Accelerator application will be open from August 2022-October 2022. The program will run from mid-February 2023 to mid-June 2023. Demo Days will happen in early June.

For more questions about the Accelerator and application: https://www.ffwd.org/accelerator/

Applications open until September 30, 2022.

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