So you want to be a founder?
Chase Witzansky<cwitzansky29@cmc.edu>
To: Future 5C founders
Hi all,
My name is Chase Witzansky and, alongside Melanie Haro, I will be serving as Co-President of the Claremont Accelerator this year.
Some of you may know what CA does for founders, but for those who don’t, I will keep it brief: we provide 5C-student-founded companies with money (equity-free, up to $15k), mentorship, and manpower (internship program). In our short three-year history, we’ve sent two companies to YC, one to a16z, and many more to other great firms like Afore, 1517, etc.
It is part of our mission to ensure that all of you who are interested in these classic accelerators have every possible connection and advantage. Yes, this includes referrals. For those interested in other funding paths, including bootstrapping, we will also provide you with all of the advantages our network opens up.
To put it simply: if you’re interested in building a startup during your time at the 5Cs, this is the right place to do it.
Our application process is simple:
- a short, informal chat with me, Melanie, or another CA leadership team member
- a longer meeting with Melanie and me, including a demo
- feedback on the spot
- a final decision around the first week of October
If you’re thinking about building now, please email me ASAP with your name, graduation year, and a brief overview of what you’re building/where you’re at in the process. Please make the subject line “I’m interested in being a CA founder”
One of the most important parts of building is receiving feedback and iterating on it. If we aren’t quite convinced of your idea after the first demo, that doesn’t mean you’ve been rejected! This is the perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate the quality and speed of your iteration process. We will take as many repeat meetings as we can until September 30th.
Since you are all clever, you probably realize that this creates an incentive to meet sooner rather than later (as this gives you more “chances” to join the cohort). You are correct, and all of you should reach out for your preliminary chat as soon as possible.
As for the size of our cohort: we are planning to support around four startups this year, but this is subject to increase depending on the quality of applications and the needs of the cohort, so do not let this discourage you from “shooting your shot.”
I am so excited for an amazing year with you all. Let’s do some cool shit!
Best,
Chase Witzansky