MEET with J+FA Manager, Yuko Oaku
The startup process is messy and unpredictable—licensing intellectual property, producing a manufacture-ready prototype, lining up customers, raising money—all are critical and daunting. The Jones + Foster Accelerator program aims to accelerate growth of early-stage, student-led companies through those decisive steps.
The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship helps grow startups coming out of student work through the Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge, Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge, Dempsey Startup Competition, or UW’s entrepreneurship coursework.
The Jones + Foster Accelerator program is supported by generous donors and sponsors. We do not take equity in our participating companies.
Jones + Foster Accelerator companies receive:
- Mentoring from a committee of entrepreneurs and investors
- Guidance creating a list of measurable milestones
- Workshops on a variety of topics relevant to the companies in the program (raising money, developing customers, strategic thinking/planning, business sustainability, etc.)
- Access to a new fund to assist with early-stage expenses (up to $1,000 per startup team)
- Connections to the Seattle entrepreneurial community
- Up to $25,000 in follow-on funding (if milestones are met)
If you’re serious about starting your company, and willing to devote the time and energy needed to get your startup off the ground, the Jones + Foster Accelerator may be for you!
Questions? Contact Yuko Oaku at [email protected].
Application + Selection
The Jones + Foster Accelerator is a 6-month program that runs annually from July through January.
Applications are reviewed by the core committee of Accelerator mentors. 10–12 companies will be invited for an interview. The companies will be notified within 24 hours after their interview if they have been accepted into the program.
The program will kick off with a series of business workshops. At least one team member must attend each workshop, though full participation from the entire team is preferred. These workshops are mandatory. Additional workshops may be offered monthly through the duration of the program.
Teams will deliver their final presentations in early February, and awards of up-to-$25,000 are made in mid-February to teams that complete the program requirements.
Teams also sign a Memo of Understanding (MOU), which outlines the milestones and key dates agreed upon by the team and the Buerk Center director. The MOU also contains an “understanding” that the company, if successful, will at some future date make a “pay it forward” gift to the Foster Accelerator fund to support future start-up teams.
Coaching and Mentoring
Each team is assigned a committee of four or five experienced mentors who will work with them for the duration of the program. Accelerator teams will meet with their mentors monthly to review the progress towards their milestones, ask advice, request introductions, receive guidance, etc. The role of the committee is to keep fledgling companies moving forward.
McAleer Early Start Fund
The Jones + Foster Accelerator offers the McAleer Early Start Fund to provide small awards to teams (up to $1,000) to help with on-demand expenses, e.g., patent filing fees, payment for initial inventory, web development fees, etc.
This fund is not for personal expenses. All receipts must be tracked by the team and submitted at the end of the program for reconciliation. Teams will also submit a statement on how they used the funds which will be provided to the donor. For more on the McAleer Early Start Fund, click here.
Award Information
Teams have six months to accomplish their milestones. Each company will present its accomplishments to the full group of mentors and the Accelerator core committee. The core committee will recommend a February payout for the teams that have accomplished their milestones, or no payout for the teams that have for one reason or another failed to make progress.
Awards range between $10,000 and $25,000 per start-up. Teams that accomplish their milestones, make the most progress, and seem the most capable of going forward receive higher awards.
Please note: Each company must have three months of operating funds in the bank at the end of January to receive the award (i.e., if a company meets its milestones, but is out of money, an award will not be made).
Awards are paid to companies, not individuals. The purpose of the award is to provide additional funding for the start-up and is not for personal use.
Teams must be based in Washington state and intend to launch their business in Washington.
Teams who entered the Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge, Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge or Dempsey Startup Competition are eligible apply, provided that their home university or college is based in Washington. We also welcome applications from students who are involved in entrepreneurship activities at the University of Washington, including:
- Entrepreneurial coursework such the health, environmental or business plan practicum courses;
- Major or Minor in Entrepreneurship;
- Extracurricular programs such as the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program.
Teams must have students or recent graduates in key leadership roles. To be considered a “recent graduate,” the student must have graduated in summer quarter 2023 or later to be considered. Recent graduates and/or current students must be in good standing in their most recent quarter of instruction at an accredited college or university program.
Teams must also be prepared to commit to the six-month program beginning with the Welcome Week. Committee meetings will take place the third week of each month, August through January (See SCHEDULE below for this year’s dates).
Teams with a single member may apply but are discouraged from doing so unless the entrepreneur has a serious plan for expanding the team appropriately.
Teams that participate in the Jones + Foster Accelerator will not be eligible to compete in any of the Buerk Center competitions, including the HIC, EIC, and Dempsey Startup following the completion of the JFA. Therefore, teams with students enrolled in the 2024-5 academic year should seriously consider whether the timing is right for them to participate fully in the Accelerator, or if they would benefit from the feedback, mentorship and advice that is gained by going through the competition season (January–May) and applying for the Accelerator in 2025.
For all eligibility questions, please contact Yuko Oaku at [email protected]
Each company will submit the following information:
- J+FA Accelerator Program Application
- A 12-15-slides pitch deck
- The guidelines for what should be in your pitch deck can be found here under the question, “What should be in my investor pitch deck?”
- Include a slide explaining why your team would be a great fit for the program.
- A 5-7-page executive summary
- Examples of executive summaries can be found on the Dempsey Startup Competition website under “SUBMISSION RESOURCES.”
- You may include a cover page for a maximum of 8 pages.
- Teams that applied to the Dempsey Startup Competition should update their original competition submission to reflect their current status.
- A draft of the 7–10 milestones that your company plans to accomplish during the six-month program, in addition to the three required milestones (see Milestones section below).
- Click here to download the Milestone Template document to submit your proposed milestones.
Questions about your eligibility or the process? Contact Yuko Oaku at [email protected]
In the Accelerator, teams develop 7–10 reasonable, but measurable milestones they need to accomplish during the six month program. Since the Jones + Foster Accelerator is designed for teams who are committed to launching their company as a business, we expect the bulk of your milestones to be under Business Development. Possible milestones include:
- negotiating a license with UW CoMotion (UW tech transfer office);
- applying for and receiving additional research grant funding;
- producing a manufacture-ready prototype;
- collecting proof of concept data;
- launching a public beta model of the product/service;
- getting letters of intent from prospective customers;
- raising seed funding from investors, etc.
Milestones are not tasks! Milestones are major markers in your company’s development that indicates progress. While each milestone may have a series of associated tasks, you will be measured on your progress towards the milestones, rather than the completion of your to-do list.
There are three required milestones for all teams:
- Submit a draft 12-month finance + operations plan in September
- Submit a final 12-month finance + operations plan in January
- Fundraising: this can take a variety of forms from revenue, grants, or actually starting the process to raise capital. All teams must have 3-months operating funds in the bank by the end of the program.
Click here to download the Milestone Template document to submit your proposed milestones.
Click here to see an example of milestones from previous teams.
Note: We will assist you with refining and completing your projected milestones before you begin the program.
2024 Timeline
Date & Time | Event |
---|---|
Wednesday, June 5 | Virtual Information Session |
Friday, June 7 | Applications Open |
Monday, June 24 | Application Deadline (11:59pm) |
Wednesday, July 3 | Teams will be notified by 3:00 pm if they’re invited to interview. |
Week of July 8 | Interviews of the top 10-12 teams. Teams notified by end of day if they’ve been admitted into the 2024 cohort. |
Week of July 22 | Welcome Week + Workshops – at least one team member per team must attend each workshop. |
Week of August 5 | Teams meet with Buerk Center Staff to review milestones |
Week of August 12 | First team/committee meetings (13th, 14th, 15th, In person). |
Week of September 16 | Team/committee meetings (17th, 18th, or 19th, Virtual). |
Week of October 14 | Team/committee meetings (15th, 16th, or 17th, In person). |
Week of November 11 | Team/committee meetings (12th, 13th or 14th, Virtual). |
Week of December 9 | Team/committee meetings (10th, 11th, or 12th, Virtual). |
Week of January 13 | Final team/committee meetings (14th, 15th, or 16th, In person). |
Thursday, February 6, 2025 | Final presentation to the full Accelerator mentor committee. |
The coaches/mentors for the Jones + Foster Accelerator program are a dynamic group of entrepreneurs, investors and service providers from the Seattle entrepreneurial community. We have a committed group of mentors on the Accelerator advisory committee who have worked with the program since its inception. New mentors are added each year depending on the expertise needed for each start-up team.
Accelerator Core Committee
The core committee works with the Buerk Center staff to select the teams to participate each year. The core committee consists of:
- Brian Glaister, Axon
- Geoff Entress, Pioneer Square Labs
- Jesse Proudman, Betterment
- Ken Horenstein, Pack VC
- Lisa Hjorten, Pacific Edge Properties
- Liz Callahan, Limeade
- Troy Cichos, Madrona Venture Group
2024 Accelerator Mentors
- Adam Matherly
Karr Tuttle Campbell - Alejandro Estrada Catorce Ventures
- Alex Day Grid Partners
- Andrina Bigelow Fran’s Chocolates
- Andy Boyer
- Ben Straughan Perkins Coie
- Bill Bromfield Fenwick + West
- Brian Glaister Axon
- Brianna McDonald Keiretsu Forum
- Chris Howard Medical Sensor Systems
- Dan deWolff Luto Vhum
- Dan Smith Recipe 33
- Dani Cone Cone & Steiner General
- David Smukowski
- David Coven Scholar Fund
- Elizabeth Webber Madrona Venture Labs
- Erik Baserman Ackley Capital Corporation
- Geoff Entress Pioneer Square Labs
- Greg Newbloom Membrion
- Jamie Johnson Perkins Coie
- Jesse Proudman Betterment
- Jilyne Jarvis Zgirls
- Jonathan Shallow Miller Nash
- Kathryn Gardow Gardow Consulting
- Ken Horenstein Pack Ventures
- Kerra Melvin DLA Piper
- Kirk Van Alstyne Evolution Capital Advisers
- Lisa Hjorten Pacific Edge Properties
- Liz Callahan Liz Callahan Consulting
- Loretta Little WRF
- Mark Hamachek Acclaro Growth Partners
- Marty Roberts Brightcove
- Melanie Asher Omicle
- Scott Kushino
- Sean MacLeod FenoLogica Biosciences Inc.
- Steve Ruby McKinstry
- Suki Mulberg Altamirano Lexington Public Relations
- Troy Hartzell Evolution Capital Advisors
- Troy Cichos Madrona Venture Group
- Volha Hrechka Innovyz USA
- Yves Mizrahi
In addition to private donors who provide seed funding to the companies that successfully complete the program, the following have provided sponsorship for further program development:
-
- Herbert B. Jones Foundation provides seed funding awards for teams completing the program.
- Bill McAleer of Voyager Capital provides funding for the McAleer Early Start Fund.
- The AWS Activate program provides $5,000 in AWS Credits (valid for 2 years).
- The University of Washington is an approved HubSpot for Startups partner. Eligible teams can apply to receive startup-friendly pricing to HubSpot’s growth stack software package and their education portals.
- Startup Hall provides drop-in coworking access for Jones + Foster Accelerator teams.
Inside the Accelerator
The Herbert B. Jones Foundation makes the Jones + Foster Accelerator possible at the UW Foster School’s Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship.
Voyager Capital partner Bill McAleer and his wife Colleen are difference makers for student startups in the Buerk Center’s Jones + Foster Accelerator.
Read the Jones + Foster Accelerator blog
Inside the Accelerator: The Jones Foundation
- Michael Bauer is a tall man with a wide, infectious smile, and a huge capacity for giving. As the senior member of the board of the Herbert B. Jones Foundation, he helps decide where large grants of money will go to support small business entrepreneurship education.
- Read more here.
Inside the Accelerator: The McAleer Early Start Fund
- Voyager Capital partner Bill McAleer and his wife Colleen are such difference makers. They decided to make a gift to the program to help J+FA teams with early expenses.
- Read more here.
Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge Breaks New Ground
- The start of the 2024 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge (EIC) showed a previously unmatched determination from college students to bring forward innovative solutions to environmental problem.
- Read more here.