About the program

With support from Capital One’s Impact Initiative and funded (in part) through a grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration 2Gether-International (2GI) is launching an accelerator focused on DMV founders with disabilities of early-stage startups in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia (DMV). 

Throughout the program, participants are given tools and guidance to develop and strengthen their pitch with the program ultimately culminating in a pitch competition where entrepreneurs can earn funding for their business. This opportunity takes a strengths-based approach to helping participants significantly improve their pitch and business model, as well as help them to perceive their own disability as a competitive advantage rather than a weakness. Throughout the duration of the program 12-15 disabled founders will be competing for $5K seed funding in addition to having access to the following services:

• A series of business workshops, tailored to the unique experiences of people with disabilities, during which entrepreneurs learn business skills, including the basics of the Lean Startup Methodology.
• Peer-to-peer discussion groups, which allow entrepreneurs to crowdsource their business ideas and receive feedback from each other as well as connect with guest speakers.
• Access to one-on-one coaching services where entrepreneurs can make progress towards their business goals.

The program will run from June 13th - July 26th

The application deadline is Monday, May 9nd, 2022 at 11:59pm ET. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and finalists will be announced by April 11th.

What can the selected startup expect?

• A series of startup workshops tailored to the unique experiences of people with disabilities.
• Access to custom one-on-one coaching from accredited leadership coaches. 
• Peer-to-peer founder discussion and networking groups.
• World-class speakers and mentors in the entrepreneurship and/or disability sector.
• Connections to investors and support fundraising both during and post-program.

*Since launched in 2020, graduates of other 2GI Accelerator cohorts have collectively raised over one million dollars in funding and revenue.

What startups are we looking for?

• The startup must be led by at least one founder in the DMV area with a disability. See how we define disability here.
• Must be working on a high-growth business.
• Must have a product that's in the market - an MVP is okay.
• Must have available to meet and attend: classes, peer-to-peer sessions, speaker series, and coaching sessions (tentative schedule below).
• *Note that startups do not need to be working on accessibility technology to apply.

Tentative Schedule

• Accelerator Bootcamp Sessions: Tuesdays from 11:00AM-1:00PM EST
• Speaker Series: Wednesdays from 1PM-3PM EST
• Coaching sessions- As determined with your coach (at least once a week, for 6 weeks)
• Week of July 26th Pitch Competition.

Questions? Please email keevin@2gether-international.org