About DreamIt Ventures
Our goal at DreamIt is simple: Help great people build great companies.DreamIt is designed to catapult early stage ventures forward by providing startups all the resources they need to succeed in a compressed period of time. Companies accepted into the program often have little more than an idea. DreamIt provides a stipend, dedicated mentors with domain expertise, donated legal and accounting services from top tier firms, a speaker series & workshops, and communal office space where entrepreneurs are surrounded by other entrepreneurs building their businesses. The program culminates on Demo Day when the companies present their businesses to investors, strategic partners, professionals and other entrepreneurs. In 3 years DreamIt has launched 36 companies including, SeatGeek, Postling, SCVNGR, Notehall, Parse.ly, TidalLabs, GiveLoop, Numote, Easel, MindSnacks, Adaptly, and more. Our 2011 Fall Philadelphia program will run Sept 9th to Dec 16th and will include 15 companies, up to five of which will be part of our Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (see below).
About Comcast Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (MEAP)
DreamIt Fall 2011 in Philadelphia will include a special track, the Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (MEAP) sponsored by Comcast. In order to be eligible to participate in the MEAP, your company must be at least 50% owned by members of your founding entrepreneur team who are African American, Asian American, Latino American or Native American. For more information, visit http://www.dreamitventures.com/about/Comcast-MEAP.php.
Apply as a Company
If you have a startup company or at least a great idea and a great team, you can apply to DreamIt Ventures as a company. We are looking for the following characteristics:
- A potentially BIG idea
- The ability to build a prototype, beta or market-ready product or service within 3 months
- A team whose talents complement each other
- A team where everyone is enthusiastic, bright, and excessively motivated
We are not looking for a detailed business plan — just a clear understanding of what you propose to do and who you are. We provide a stipend of up to $25,000 per company. ($5,000 plus $5,000 for each founding team member (up to four) who will be onsite for the program).
Apply as an Individual
If you are a business person (“Strategist”) or developer or designer (“Hacker”) that is interested in joining a fast-moving startup, you can apply to DreamIt Ventures as an individual to help a DreamIt company build out their business. If we think you are a good fit to round out the team for any of the companies we accept, we will introduce you to one or several companies to see if they want to bring you on board. We provide the company with up to $5,000 in funding for a Strategist or Hacker that we introduce – though it’s up to you to negotiate your employment with the company directly.
Where & When to Apply
Apply on our website: http://www.dreamitventures.com/apply/
Companies
The application deadline for companies for the Fall Philadelphia program for companies is July 8th. We will notify finalists by July 22nd with the goal of choosing the participating companies by early August. Applications are reviewed and accepted on rolling basis, so it’s to your advantage to apply early. If you apply by the Early Decision Deadline of Jun 17th and are accepted, we can start providing mentorship & advice before you arrive onsite to get you moving right away. And we’ll throw in the opportunity to get first dibs on the best desks in the office space (though you’ll still have to fight it out among the other Early Decision candidates!)
Individuals
The application deadline for Individuals is July 22nd. We start matching Individuals to companies in August once we’ve determined the participating companies.
For more information about DreamIt Ventures, visit our website at www.dreamitventures.com.
