Join a Cohort

A new accelerator model where founding teams learn, work, and grow together.

What is a Cohort?

The BETA Cohort is a FREE, non-dilutive, five-month accelerator where founding teams learn, work, and grow together. The experience includes training around topics that ensure a company is being built upon a firm foundation while preparing founders for the next stage of growth.

It also includes access to the resources and relationships required to achieve major milestones like securing the first 10 customers, raising the first round of investment, and making your first hire.

ALUMNI GROWTH METRICS (as of 11/21):

206 Startups

$616M Funds Raised

2,223 Employees

Here's How it Works

COHORT TRAINING

Weeks 1-12

A weekly training regime includes:

One afternoon-per-week of 2-to-3 educational sessions
Plus an optional workshop to apply what you are learning with your peers

Session topics may include:

Lessons learned from fellow founders
Cap table/investing considerations
How to conduct customer research
How to protect your company
How to get your first 10 customers
Marketing on a shoestring budget
Preparing your pitch for the media
How to fundraise faster
Mental health considerations …and much more!

APPLICATION

Months 4 & 5

Following the training sessions, you will use the remainder of your time with us to complete the following deliverables:

A business model canvas
A functioning cap table
A financial model
A functioning CRM
An active sales pipeline
A media pitch
An investor pitch (for non-bootstrapped cos.)

BETA.MN Join a cohort application

Additional Benefits Include

One of the best parts of joining the BETA network is access to peers. Founders will work alongside fellow founders, chat with each other on the private founder Slack channel, and troubleshoot any key issues with peers and the BETA team.

BETA Showcase Demo a product or service to 500+ attendees - including the media, investors, potential customers, and general tech enthusiasts.

BETA Space Accepted founding teams will be invited to work out of the BETA Space for the duration of the BETA Cohort at no cost.

Press Share quarterly updates with the BETA team who will work with local reporters to help you share your story via a variety of mediums.

Peer-to-peer Support Join the bi-weekly check-ins to share learnings and troubleshoot critical issues facing the business.

Cohort members also have access to discounts from our network of technology services looking to partner with early stage startups.

Receive Priority Status

Alumni of the BETA Cohort receives priority status for the following programs:

Is Your Company the Right Fit?

There are no hard and fast rules for what type of startup we accept into the program, but here are some common traits that have proven to lead to a positive experience:

Criteria For Success

First-time founders
Working full time on their startup
Based in Minnesota
With a scalable tech-enabled product or service
That is in market or able to be sold
Either bootstrapping or preparing for Pre-Seed or Seed Stage financing

Expectations of Our Founders

BETA expects participation in programs, workshops, training, and networking events (but not too much of your time)
Plan to block 4-6 hours for educational programming per week
Actively engage with your fellow founders and our network of experts
Show respect to everyone involved

“The lasting impact of BETA is connecting you with people. A lot of the value is the relationships you make with the founders."

- Sean, BetterYou

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about Cohorts through our most commonly asked questions.