Applications are now open for Endeavor’s 2022 Scale Up program for entrepreneurs in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. In partnership with EY, Scale Up is a non-dilutive growth accelerator that supports high-potential, fast-growth entrepreneurs by giving access to the resources, successful founders, and mentors in Endeavor’s regional network to scale to the next level. In 2022, Endeavor will select and run two cohorts (from February to June and from August to December) and each cohort will have a maximum of four companies.
About Endeavor’s 2022 Scale Up Program
Through Endeavor’s 5-month Scale Up program, entrepreneurs will receive direct mentorship from current Endeavor Entrepreneurs, Board Members, and Mentors. To kick off the program, entrepreneurs will complete GrowthX’s Product Market Fit Workshop to review and assess their ideal customer profile and product-market fit. Entrepreneurs will also receive an in-depth Financial Review from EY and be able to access the 7 Driver’s of Growth assessment through EY Velocity. The program includes tailored workshops, including a Behind the Scenes VC Pitch with Lightship Capital and Poplar Ventures. Finally, Scale Up Entrepreneurs will pitch at the Scale Up Acceleration Panel to receive tactical, meaningful feedback from a group of top regional mentors.
Leading regional organizations, including Innovatemap (Indianapolis), GrowthX (Nashville), VentureFirst (Louisville & Cincinnati), Fleur de Lis Communications (Louisville), On Plane (Louisville), and more provide mentoring to Scale Up entrepreneurs through the program.
Endeavor launched their regional Scale Up program in 2019. Since then, 21 regional companies including Authenticx (Indianapolis), GoWild (Louisville), EZ Chow (New Albany), Native (Cincinnati), and Costello (Indianapolis) have completed Scale Up. The goal of Scale Up is to accelerate the growth of high-potential entrepreneur-led businesses and further Endeavor’s mission of scaling up, going big, and giving back.
”Scale Up is a must for anyone trying to create a scalable and impactful business in our region. The way Endeavor brings its network to bear and wraps the entrepreneur with services and advice is once in a lifetime. I'm immensely grateful to the entire Endeavor network for this gift; GoodMaps is a better company for it!
Jose GaztambideCEO of GoodMaps
Apply for Scale Up 2022
Applications for Scale Up 2022 are open on a rolling basis. The application deadline for the first cohort will close on Monday, January 17, 2022. Entrepreneurs and founders of high-potential, fast-growth companies across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio are encouraged to apply here.
Endeavor will select companies based on their global selection criteria:
- Entrepreneur: founder(s) willing to listen, learn, and grow from feedback. Entrepreneur(s) committed to both going big, paying it forward, and giving back.
- Business: high-growth companies based in Indiana, Kentucky, or Ohio with the potential to be the next regional scale-up success story with an exponential impact.
- Timing: post-revenue companies across any industry. Seed to Series A stage (for venture-backed companies) with ideally over $1M in annual revenues.
Ideal Scale Up companies also have many of the following indicators:
- First-time founders or founders without a strong personal network seeking to tap into a regional entrepreneurial network
- A team with 5-20 employees, including the founders
- Companies that have raised over $500k in early capital and/or are raising $1M+ in institutional capital
- Annual growth rates of 50-100%+
- Entrepreneurs with a massive vision and bold goals
- Founders who value connection to later-stage entrepreneurs and a strong regional network across Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio (the Endeavor team is located in Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati)
The cost of the program is $3,000 per company (a 501(c)3 deductible donation) and 50% of Scale Up slots are prioritized for companies with a female or minority founder.
”Scale Up is not just a program - it is a family! This is something that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives and hopefully we can give back just like the other Endeavor panelists.
Chad FeinbergCo-Founder & COO of Nymbl Systems
About Endeavor
Endeavor is the world’s leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs. Founded in 1997, Endeavor unlocks the transformational power of entrepreneurship by selecting, supporting, and investing in the world’s top founders of tech-enabled startups to help them achieve large-scale impact. Today, Endeavor’s network spans nearly 40 countries and supports more than 2,000 entrepreneurs, whose companies generate combined revenues of over $28 billion, have created more than 3.9 million jobs, and, in 2020, raised over $4 billion in capital. Endeavor’s unique entrepreneur-first model, peer-to-peer community, and trust-based network provides a platform for founders to dream big, scale up, and pay it forward to the next generation.
