EforAll South Coast chooses finalists for 2018 Winter Business Accelerator Program
Fifteen early stage businesses and nonprofits have been selected to participate in the Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Accelerator Program in New Bedford and Fall River. This is the fifth cohort to go through the program since the organization launched in September 2015. This one year program starts with 12 weeks of workshops twice a week led by area business experts, weekly meeting with a team of 3 mentors, chance to win from a $30,000 cash prize pool and use of coworking spaces in both cities.
Participants applied on the EforAll website and applications were read and scored by local business professionals and then a select amount of applicants were asked to come in for interviews. The program is free for those selected through the interview process and applicants not selected are offered guidance from EforAll staff on other area resources, as well as, tips on applying again.
The finalists include:
Rhys Probyn of Newport and Chris Fitzgerald with Cape and Island Clam Bake, traditional beach side clam bake catering on Cape Cod
Lauren Carberry of Weymouth with Carberry Kitchen, all natural dog treats
Keniesha Mendes of New Bedford with CodeEQUAL, immersive technology based programs for underserved populations
Darlene Sicard of Seekonk with D???s Lectables traditional baker moving from home to commercial kitchen with a focus on catering to specialized dietary requirements
Felicia and Josh DaSilva of Portsmouth, RI with DaSilva Farm, pasture-raised poultry farm expanding into value added products
Samia Walker of New Bedford with Doodles Creative Session, arts and crafts programming for youth
Samuel Swain and Jessica Strandquest of New Bedford with DreamState VRcade, a virtual reality arcade
April Khadijah Innis of Boston with eekMD, helping children communicate health and wellness
Josephine Warden of Bristol, RI with Joyette Studio, handmade snack bags, bibs, and blankets
Katherine Subocz of Dartmouth with Knew Potato Caboose, a french fry focused gluten free food truck
Kervyn Garcia and Vera Carvalho of New Bedford with My Little Youngsters Club, an entertainment company that caters to children???s birthday parties
Angelina Flores of New Bedford with Pio-no-no #1, Puerto Rican cuisine food truck introducing the pio-no-no to the South Coast
Christine Hochkeppel of Barnstable with Salty Broad Studios, wedding and business photography
Lisamarie Pearson of Wareham with Scatterbrain Handmade, plush toys from recycled fabrics
Viennia Booth of Westport with Wheels of Wellness, mobile wellness services
Classes will be held at Groundwork in New Bedford and UMass Dartmouth???s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the next 3 months.
A graduation celebration from the intensive part of the program will be held March 22 and $15,000 will be awarded. The entrepreneurs in the cohort will present their businesses to the public at that time.