Center for Regional Food Systems

Start-up accelerators provide support through small amounts of seed capital, and offer services like mentoring, training, and events for a finite period—usually 3 to 4 months—in exchange for single-digit chunks of equity. Also known as seed accelerators, these funding sources are unique because they can lead to mentorships with business experts willing to share their knowledge. Unlike most funding sources, accelerators have the added benefit of creating mentor partnerships with business experts willing to share their knowledge. Funding is not necessarily guaranteed, though businesses are exposed to already established networks of investors, thus giving them access to larger potential funders.