City of Austin

The City of Austin Small Business Program, a division of the Economic Development Department, is investing in the growth of Austin’s local entrepreneurs by offering a Small Business Accelerator training program to selected businesses. The Small Business Accelerator program is designed to help small businesses headquartered in Austin that seek new markets and enhanced value for their enterprise. The program combines online learning platform, Coursera, alongside in-person sessions to deliver a detailed accredited curriculum focused on growing a small business.

Participants will be trained in growing as a leader and manager to increase small business capacity. In addition to online learning, participants will regularly meet in-person for enriching supplemental lectures, activities, and peer-to-peer coaching sessions. Altogether, this program offers over 35 hours of online and in-person training held weekly beginning September 26, 2019 to December 12, 2019, with final presentations on January 16, 2020.

The Small Business Accelerator Program is designed for businesses that are already generating revenue and are poised for growth. To determine selection of applicants, we will take into consideration the following:

1. The number of months that the business has been in operation
2. Average annual revenue
3. Total number of part-time and full-time employees
4. Likelihood that the business will hire new employees in the next 12 months

Up to 20 individual businesses will be selected from the application process. Upon acceptance, participants will be required to pay a non-refundable $200 tuition. Classroom in-person sessions will be held on Thursday evenings at the Entrepreneur Center of Austin, 4029 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78704.

Small Business Accelerator Timeline

Application Period: July 1 – August 9, 2019 | 5 PM CST

Final Participant Selection: August 16, 2019

Fees Due to City of Austin: August 30, 2019

Weekly Classes Begin: September 26, 2019

Final Presentations & Reception: January 16, 2020

Participating businesses agree to participate in periodic post-program surveys that will measure the Small Business Accelerator program’s impact on their business. All individual business data collected will be treated confidentially and only aggregate, program-level data will be made public (e.g., number of jobs created by all business participants, total increases in sales revenue by all business participants, etc.).

Interested entrepreneurs can contact the City of Austin Small Business Program at 512.974.7800 for additional information.

Applications must be submitted no later than August 9, 2019. Learn more about the program and application.

About the City of Austin Small Business Program

The Small Business Program, a division of the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department, offers one-on-one business coaching plus entrepreneur training, incentives and resources to help small businesses prosper in a competitive business environment. For more information visit www.SmallBizAustin.org and connect on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.