Techstars for Social Impact Announcement
The inaugural class of Cox Enterprises Social Impact Accelerator powered by Techstars is here! The class includes a diverse mix of entrepreneurs who are harnessing technology to tackle some of the greatest social and environmental challenges of our time.
The 10 for-profit, mission-driven companies chosen to participate are aiming for positive impact in a variety of ways, including promoting physical activities for children, providing in-home STEM education, turning agricultural waste into electricity, and providing shared housing for young innovators.
About the Program
Techstars’ three-month accelerator program will provide the founders with hands-on mentoring and funding while plugging them into Techstars’ global network of entrepreneurs and investors.
Cox is instrumental in helping the entrepreneurs bring their ideas to market. We match them with corporate mentors and other business leaders and experts who can help boost their early-stage businesses.
“The future of business is solving environmental and community challenges that have the potential to make the world a better place,” said Maury Wolfe, senior director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Affairs at Cox Enterprises. “By partnering with entrepreneurs, we help scale their impact, build companies and products that matter and drive innovation that will be a force for good.”
This year’s program culminates April 29 with a Demo Day event, where company founders will pitch their business to a crowd of supporters and potential investors in Atlanta.
- ACT House: A premier co-living incubator enabling young innovators to grow their skills, develop entrepreneurial mindsets and create new products and services.
- BestFit: An app that provides students with the resources and insights to find colleges that are an academic, social and financial fit.
- Blue Studios: Provides STEM classes for kids on their schedules in the convenience of their own homes.
- Civic Dinners: Offers a thoughtfully designed series of conversations on key topics that can help organizations build a more inclusive culture with employees, stakeholders, customers and the greater community.
- Kai XR: Creates inclusive and accessible mixed reality spaces that allow kids to explore, dream and create.
- EnMass Energy: A micro-utility focused on generating baseload electricity using
agricultural waste products, designed to reduce energy poverty and mitigate climate change. - Forefront: A premier training provider helping Fortune 1000 firms and emerging tech companies adapt to the future of work and its diverse workforce.
- Healthy Hip Hop: Encouraging students and teachers to get active through music, movement and a message.
- Invincible: Inspiring families living with health issues through creative approaches to solve old problems.
- Make Music Count: An innovative math curriculum that teaches students how to master fractions, graphing and algebra through popular music on the piano.
The Social Impact Accelerator is the second accelerator in the partnership between Techstars and Cox Enterprises. We also fund and support startups and entrepreneurs through other Atlanta-based partnerships, including Techstars Atlanta, Engage, Endeavor and Startup Runway.
For more information about Cox Enterprises’ involvement in the venture ecosystem, visit www.coxenterprises.com/innovation.
