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CIVIC INCUBATOR SPECIFIC
What is the Civic Incubator?
The Civic Incubator supports social entrepreneurs who are launching early stage ventures that engage and leverage people (through their time, talent, voice or money) to help solve the challenges facing our world today. The Civic Incubator sits within Points of Light as an enterprise focused on driving innovation.
Is the Civic Incubator looking for funders?
The Civic Incubator looks for sophisticated and visionary funders who are as inspired as we are by social entrepreneurs and their innovative new ventures. Please contact us if you are a funder or investor and would like to stay connected and be part of our growing ecosystem (civicincubator@pointsoflight.org).
What is a “Civic Venture?”
“Civic Venture” is a term we’ve adopted to help us identify social enterprises that leverage people as a core part of the solution. At Points of Light, we have a deeply held belief that we can make real change happen only by creating opportunities for people to get more involved in their community. We also believe that engagement can come in the form of a person’s time, talent, voice or money. We call this “civic engagement,” and as an extension, the term “civic venture” helps to identify ventures that share and live out our core values. Put simply, a “civic venture” turns people’s good intentions into real action.
How are the Civic Accelerator and Venture in Residence Programs different?
Both the Civic Accelerator and Venture in Residence programs are aimed at helping social entrepreneurs launch and scale their civic venture, but do so in different ways and at different stages. The Civic Accelerator provides mentoring, peer support, entrepreneurial education and seed funding as part of an intensive 12-week program for startups. The Venture in Residence program is a deep, longer-term partnership which allows early-stage ventures (they have gained traction in terms of revenue, customers or partner and are focused on scale and impact) to leverage Points of Light’s strategic and operational services for a period of one to three years. The other difference is that Ventures in Residence pay a fee or portion of their revenue for these services.
What types of startups should consider the Civic Incubator?
We will consider early-stage social enterprises in any market, with any issue focus and any legal structure.