The Urban League of Greater Madison and gener8tor announced Tuesday that the second cohort of gBETA founders will host a Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Event on February 8 from 1:00-4:00PM. At the pop-up, these founders and other small companies in the Urban League family will have food, gifts, and self care products for sale with a Valentine’s Day theme, and answer questions about their growing businesses. On February 27 from 6:00-8:00 PM, the five gBETA cohort founders will pitch their companies to investors, community partners, and the public at a showcase event. Both events are happening at the Black Business Hub, 2352 S Park St, Madison.
The five Madison based companies who will be featured at the showcase event include:
- Fuller’s Painting & Restoration, a commercial and residential painting and repair company
- Military Dogs LLC, a military-themed hot dog stand
- Oceans Laugh, a maker of bath kits and self-care products
- Shea Strategy, a marketing and communications firm
- Ms Goodwan’s Goodies, a family-owned bakery
gBETA Urban League is a free seven-week accelerator program designed to set a path for startups to pursue growth and investment opportunities. Startup founders receive intensive concierge coaching and access to gener8tor’s national network of mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. gBETA is operated through a partnership between the Urban League’s Black Business Hub Accelerator Program and national venture capital firm gener8tor.
“I’m thrilled to work with an amazing cohort this year,” Clayton Custer, gBETA Urban League Program Manager, said in a statement. “These founders have decades of experience in a wide variety of business from food service and personal care products to marketing and restoration expertise. This program is a great resource for both our founders, and the Madison small business community.”
“These five companies were selected from an application pool of over 50 diverse businesses,” ULGM CEO Dr. Ruben Anthony said in a statement. “These businesses rose to the top in a competitive application pool, and we are excited to showcase their companies for our first pitch showcase to happen in The Black Business Hub, said Anthony.”Startup companies and founders interested in learning more about gBETA’s programming and resources or applying to a future program can reach out to Clayton Custer at clayton.custer@gener8tor.com or Magugu Davis at mdavis@ulgm.org. Those interested in mentoring these companies or getting involved in other ways are also encouraged to connect.
