PUTNEY — Dynamic Organics, a small business headquartered in Putney, is dedicated to the design, development, and operation of renewable energy and efficiency projects.
When my business partner and I decided to expand beyond consulting and develop a software solution, we were suddenly faced with the challenges of a startup company, including raising startup costs, identifying markets, and accessing capital. So we were thrilled to be chosen as one of eight business startups to join Accel-VT, a business accelerator providing startup support, mentorship, and access to capital for climate economy entrepreneurs.
Over the course of three months, we attended 12 day-long training sessions, where more than 40 mentors provided us with critical input, feedback, and advice on our business plan. We also had substantive meetings with various Vermont companies that are interested in our services.
During the training, we also developed close relationships with the other companies in our cohort and gained invaluable insight of our business model's strengths and weaknesses from these other groups' feedback.
Since meeting at the accelerator, we have also begun collaborating with another company that attended: Introspective Systems of Portland, Maine.
Accel-VT afforded us a foundational understanding of where we are currently as a startup company, and tools for levelling up our company as we go forward. The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund provided an amazing curriculum, instructors, access to stakeholders, and investors, as well as a comfortable environment to refine our business model and value proposition.
We sincerely thank all of our sponsors, and if you run a Vermont startup company, we wholeheartedly recommend that you participate in future accelerators to test your own assumptions about your business.