About ACCESS

TiE Atlanta Angels is excited to kick off its 2022 ACCESS program, the entrepreneurship program that is bridging the mentoring and investment gap for underrepresented founders.

While women- and minority-owned companies are trailblazing the entrepreneurship scene, access to capital, mentoring, and the right network remain as barriers. ACCESS aims to set the stage for founders to present their product or service to established angel investors from TiE chapters.

Additionally, ACCESS awards female and/or minority founders whose ventures deliver measurable positive change(s) that address a pressing social challenge/need with one-time non-dilutive Social Impact Grants.

If you’d like to be involved with ACCESS as a sponsor, mentor or investor, complete this form and the TiE ACCESS team will be in touch.

Timeline

March 1: Applications are closed.

April 11 – Info Session #2 – 5 PM (Virtual)

May 23 – Applications Close

May: Semi-Finalists Chosen; Request for Additional Due Diligence (rolling acceptance)

June 14: Finalist Companies & Mentors Announced

June 30: Social Impact Grants Applications Close

August 11: ACCESS Happy Hour

August 13: TiE ACCESS Investor Showcase

Qualifications to Apply

To qualify, companies must meet the following criteria:

  • Early stage, Seed, Seed+
  • At least one (1) female or minority founder/cofounder (Asian American, African American, Hispanic, Latinx)
  • Post Revenue (desired min annual revenue of $100K or recent monthly run rate of $10K during the last three months)
  • Raising equity and can submit a “roughly right” term sheet by 4/30/22
  • Must be able to provide proformas, financials, and full company data upon request
  • Written Business Plan summary and term sheet will be qualifiers for all finalists
  • Location preferred: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
  • One time non-dilutive grants to multiple female and/or minority founders whose ventures deliver measurable positive change(s) that address a pressing social challenge/need.

Investments

Investments – subject to invest-ability due diligence to be finalized post the showcase event

FIRST PLACE – Up to $150,000 & opportunity to present at TiECON Atlanta 2022

SECOND PLACE – Up to $100,000

THIRD PLACE – Up to $75,000

All finalist companies will receive: Three (3) months’ of mentorship from two experienced entrepreneurs or executives;  Two (2) tickets to TiECON Atlanta 2022 on September 30, 2022; One (1) year of TiE Atlanta membership for up to 2 co-founders.

The top investment will get a chance to pitch at Venture Atlanta, the investment conference held between October 19-20, 2022 at The Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall.

The top female-led company will also be offered a slot to represent TiE Atlanta at the TiE Women’s global pitch competition at the GITEX Northstar conference in Dubai in mid-October 2022.

Disclaimer: TiE ACCESS reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to alter any aspect of the program guidelines in keeping with the mission to foster entrepreneurship.

How You Can Get Involved

There are many ways individuals and organizations can get involved with ACCESS.

  1. Mentor – Provide your expertise to our founders as they get ready for the investor showcase.
  2. Invest – For equity, dollar options in the form (with an additional option to donate)
  3. Promote – Be an ambassador of ACCESS! Share our content, make warm intros, and spread the word!
  4. Sponsor – Strengthen our ecosystem and the investment pool for the ACCESS program.

Get involved by completing the ACCESS Interest Form • Questions, email angels@tie-atlanta.org.

FINALISTS

Meet the 2022 ACCESS finalists! These startups have applied and met the following criteria to be a part of the 2022 ACCESS cohort!

Now, these founders will go through mentoring for two months with assigned business leaders who will help them prepare from the ACCESS Investor Showcase on August 13, 2022. The founders will vie for investments and social grants towards their businesses.

The Diversity Movement

The Diversity Movement has “productized” the DE&I journey and built years of consulting expertise into its product platform. After gathering insights from over 100 clients, The Diversity Movement has incorporated key learnings into the creation of platform components needed to foster employee engagement and build inclusive culture. Its platform is designed to help organizations and individuals establish foundational learning with ongoing reinforcement to create behavior change.

Inclusivv

Inclusivv is an engagement platform designed to help companies, universities, and communities increase awareness, understanding and collective action around important and challenging topics. Inclusivv provides the content and technology to bring people together for conversations that matter in a way that mitigates risk, saves time and resources, captures valuable insights, and creates a more inclusive culture.

MedTrans Go

MedTrans Go is a B2B healthcare appointment optimization marketplace solving the $150B problem of medical appointment cancellations in the US. Our tech-enabled portal provides healthcare facilities and others coordinating patient care access to a customizable suite of services to address the root causes of their cancellations in one easy-to-use, integrated digital platform. 

Talley & Twine Watch Company

Talley & Twine was created after realizing that most watch companies just emulate the most popular brands. We create quality, detailed, attention-grabbing timepieces that speak to a market that has been ignored by mainstream companies. We like to operate outside of the “norms” and away from the long-standing gatekeepers of the watch industry.

MENTORS

ACCESS’ power is through its mentors. Each finalist company has assigned mentors to help them get ready to pitch for the Investor Showcase.

PARTNERS

The following corporations, municipalities, and organizations are also partnering with ACCESS to provide more opportunities and access to resources to founders.

  • City Partner: City of Dunwoody – The city has sponsored TiE Atlanta’s ACCESS program in a strategic partnership with TiE Atlanta to grow its entrepreneurship strategy.
  • Venture Partner: Drive Capital – Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Drive Capital is a venture capital firm in Columbus that invests in founders building the next generation of market-defining companies. Drive is partnering with TiE ACCESS to increase its pipeline for Early Stage and Seed companies.
  • Ecosystem Partner: Venture Atlanta – The top investment of the 2022 ACCESS program will get a slot in the Venture Atlanta conference held in October this year.
  • Corporate Partner: TowerPoint – The telecommunications infrastructure and real estate investment company, headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, will provide mentoring in investments and finance to ACCESS finalists.
  • Community Partner: Serendipity Labs will provide three months of co-working space to all finalists as they grow and scale their venture. 
  • Program PartnerLaunchPad2X and Zane Ventures are providing resources and thought leadership to enhance the TiE ACCESS program.