Three entrepreneurs with Delaware roots have been picked for the first round of the DEDO partnership with One Million by One Million.
One Million by One Million is a a global virtual accelerator that aims to nurture a million entrepreneurs to reach a million dollars each in annual revenue and beyond, thereby creating a trillion dollars in global GDP and ten million jobs by 2020.
“Creative entrepreneurs are vital to Delaware’s economy and we are always looking for pioneering ways to encourage and help them build viable, sustainable businesses. That is why we are proud to partner with 1M/1M to offer this unique opportunity to leverage our entrepreneurship ecosystem,” commented DEDO Director Bernice Whaley. “By providing these businesses with access to the top-notch resources provided by 1M/1M we are not just helping them to grow and succeed, but we are investing in jobs for tomorrow.”
The three firms selected for the program during the November 2015 selection process were:
- Michael Niman, Thank Tank, LLC
Thank Tank provides software as a service product that aims to revolutionize the way nonprofits thank and engage their donors. The self-service web-based application allows users to configure unique and custom donor correspondence in ways that are not currently available today.
- Jelani McCoy, Watchful Eye Security, LLC
Watchful Eye Security is a real time response system designed to capture trigger event signals, transmit the alerts, GPS locations, live video feeds and DVR images to first responders to help ensure they get to the right place with the right information.
- Matthew Meyer, VituMob, LLC
An e-commerce solution serving East Africa, VituMob enables no-credit card customer purchases and provides home delivery of products from American retailers ranging from Amazon to Macy’s to Forever 21.
The businesses have met the requirements for the program laid out by DEDO and have been given access to the 1M/1M Premium program. They will commence a year-long program of mentorship, online education, access to private roundtable brainstorming and consultation from One Million by One Million founder Sramana Mitra.
“It is our hope that this unique accelerator mentoring program will help these businesses to be better businesses, and ultimately create sustainable, profitable entities, creating jobs and opportunities in the State of Delaware,” says Ken Anderson, Director for Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support, DEDO and Project Manager for the DEDO-1M/1M Initiative.
DEDO is using funds designated for entrepreneurial initiatives to cover the $1,000 premium program membership fee for 10 entrepreneurs from the area. It is a rolling application process with applications being reviewed quarterly. Selectees will be required to invest at least 50-100 hours on the core curriculum and project elective, participate in private roundtables and master other online educational resources.
The next review of applications will be in mid-January 2016.
Applications can be obtained at http://de.gov/59e and must be submitted by January 9, 2016 for consideration in the next round. For more information regarding DEDO’s partnership with One Million by One Million.
contact Ken Anderson at (302) 577-8496 or Kenneth.R.Anderson@state.de.us.
