What is the Ventures in Residence Program?
The Ventures in Residence program is a one to three year partnership between Points of Light and a team and their early stage social venture or program. The venture is able to leverage Points of Light’s strategic and operational services, such as financial processing, human resources, systems and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to help scale their innovation and impact.
Do you support both for-profit and nonprofits for the Ventures in Residence program?
Yes. We are agnostic to legal structure and instead focus on the mission and impact that a social enterprise can have on the world.
What does the Ventures in Residence program cost?
We negotiate with each venture separately based on their unique needs and circumstances. We are open to both fee-for-service and revenue-share models and have found both to be successful in the past. Our goal through our pricing structure is to create a model that aligns incentives across organizations and gives the start up the best chance for success, while allowing Points of Light to continue providing this service to the early-stage ventures.
How do I apply?
Applications for the Ventures in Residence program will be available soon. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. In general, the steps in the application process are dictated by each unique venture and include a written application, phone screening, series of interview and reference checking.
What factors do you consider in making your decision?
The Ventures in Residence program represents a deep partnership between our two organizations. As such, we take the application and due diligence process extremely seriously and see it as a two-way discussion. At the highest level, we are looking for startups that share our fundamental belief in civic engagement and people-driven solutions. From there, we are looking for a rock-star team of entrepreneurs who have the strategy and finances, a track record or prototype that has been tested, combined with a truly innovative idea that has the potential to be really BIG in terms of its impact and ability to engage and mobilize people.