Accelerator Update: Week 5

Can you believe it's already week five of our accelerator program? Yeah, neither can we. The momentum is picking up. The companies are coming in earlier and staying later as many of them launch their alpha and beta products. Final company branding is being nailed down. Websites are being fleshed out. Each week of the program is focused on a different area of building a startup to help keep everyone working quickly and thoroughly. So far, we’ve completed “Branding for Startups,” “Design and Consumer Understanding,” “Founders’ Advice,” and “Defining and Building Your Product.” This week is focused on “Building Your Business Model.” We bring in experts in each of the fields to share their thoughts, lead workshops, and sit down and talk with each of the companies to try to address their specific needs. As General Manager Mike Bott says, "Each company is a slice of Swiss cheese. We want to help them fill in the holes." Last week, we had professional photographer "Zackariah Cole":http://www.zackariahcole.com/ join us to take some shots of the space, each company, and the Brandery co-founders. He did a phenomenal job. We’re pretty obsessed with his photos. It's always been hard to capture what our space looks like, but Zack nailed it. !/ample_assets/files/thumbs/480x?uid=2013/07/25/15_07_06_833_clientname_130717_D7Z_7692_2655853713_O.jpg()!

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!/ample_assets/files/thumbs/480x?uid=2013/07/25/16_54_08_336_clientname_130717_D7Z_7579_2655858404_O.jpg()! There’s been such terrific progress with all ten companies in such little time. It’s "hard to grasp":http://instagram.com/p/cHiFf3G_k2/ how hard the teams have been working. We want to share the excitement with you. Here are a couple companies that are killing it right now (we’ll update you on a few more next week): *Accrew* is an all-in-one accountant collaboration tool. It enhances your current software to allow clients and their accountants to communicate seamlessly and give feedback through an interactive dashboard. Their team is made up of Craig, Ryan W., and Ryan B. from Columbus, three accountants that started a firm called Upsourced Accounting together. We’re lovin’ on "Accrew’s Modern Accountant Blog":http://blog.accrew.co these days, and they are holding two events at the Brandery in the near future. Come learn more about the co-founders, their business, and the changing accounting landscape. You can find more information and Eventbrite sign up for Accrew’s events in their blog. !/ample_assets/files/thumbs/480x?uid=2013/07/25/16_40_07_304_clientname_130717_D7Z_7639_2655882203_O.jpg()! Craig and Ryan B., two of the three co-founders of Accrew
*Chalky* is a duo of Stanford sophomores that wants to help high school students get into college and help college students succeed in their education and beyond. Operating in stealth mode until now, Chalky has created a peer-to-peer mentoring system for students. They've been crazy busy building out their site and system in the last few weeks and we love what they've accomplished so far. You can sign up for Chalky's private beta "here.":http://www.chalky.co/ !/ample_assets/files/thumbs/480x?uid=2013/07/25/15_07_09_703_clientname_130717_D7Z_7633_2655878052_O.jpg()! Charlie and Isaac, co-founders of Chalky
Looking for updates on our graduates? Don't worry, they're coming soon! Lots of exciting things have been happening for our grads. Did we mention that Brandery alum "FlightCar is coming to the Brandery":http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7448182715 for the August edition of Startup Grind? Don’t miss it! _All images in this post courtesy of Zackariah Cole Photography._