Entrepreneurship Fellowship Established

OBERLIN, OH — FlashStarts, Inc., a new, innovative accelerator for software startups, today announced a partnership with Oberlin College.

The partnership connects the Oberlin Entrepreneurship Fellowship program to the FlashStarts Accelerator, providing one team of graduating Oberlin entrepreneurs or apprentices a slot in the FlashStarts business accelerator Summer 2013 program.

FlashStarts is launching 10 new software startups with its Summer Accelerator program. Each team receives up to $20,000, mentoring, office space, and a wide array of services and support in exchange for equity.

“A recent Gallup poll indicated that 45 percent of U.S. high school students planned to be entrepreneurs after college. Last decade, colleges attracted students with elaborate athletic facilities. Today’s students are attracted to schools with great entrepreneurship programs,” said Charles Stack, FlashStarts founder and CEO.
“Startup Accelerators can be the capstone of university entrepreneurship programs, but they require critical mass that only the largest universities can achieve,” said Stack. “FlashStarts is partnering with top northeast Ohio universities to provide a world-class startup accelerator for their recent graduates. We are thrilled that Oberlin’s superb ground-breaking entrepreneurship program will be our first partner.”

FlashStarts partners Charles Stack and Jennifer Neundorfer will work with Oberlin’s existing entrepreneur program throughout the year to provide additional guidance and mentoring to students. At the end of the program, one team will be selected for the Oberlin Entrepreneurship Fellowship at the FlashStarts Accelerator.

“Our Creativity and Leadership (C&L) Fellowship program, now in its sixth year, provides students with venture funding upon graduation. The additional mentoring and financial resources that FlashStarts provides will prove invaluable to our graduates and dramatically increase the likelihood that our Oberlin Fellowship graduates will build great, sustainable businesses during their fellowship year,” said Andrea Kalyn, Associate Dean and C&L Program Director.

FlashStarts’ relationship with Oberlin entrepreneurs dates back to 2009 when Charles Stack invested in Oberlin Fellowship winner Skritter — a highly successful Chinese/Japanese writing educational application. “Successful entrepreneurs are necessarily out-of-the-box, multi-disciplinary thinkers who are also able to ‘get-stuff-done’. I think that description applies equally well to Oberlin students and explains in no small part why Oberlin generates more than its fair share of successful entrepreneurs,” added Stack.

About FlashStarts

FlashStarts is a Cleveland-based business startup accelerator and consultancy focused on unique and innovative uses of software and technology. FlashStarts aims to accelerate the growth of the IT ecosystem in northeast Ohio by providing the resources, capital and guidance necessary to support the earliest stage entrepreneurs in the area. We have deep expertise in startups, Enterprise and Healthcare IT, mobile, digital publishing and media, and high-bandwidth applications. Our model relies on rapid cycles of feedback and iteration, customized guidance from dedicated coaches, and an extensive network of top-tier, experienced mentors. We are continuously seeking like-minded entrepreneurs, technologists, mentors, and investors. Our Summer 2013 Accelerator program starts June 3, 2013 and will be limited to ten startups with truly unique, breakthrough ideas with the potential to change the world. For more information, visit www.flashstarts.com.