Business Accelerator For Mission-Driven Companies

Conscious Venture Lab

Conscious Venture Lab

About the Baltimore-Based Accelerator Program

Conscious Venture Lab (powered by SHIFT Ventures) aims to build "Companies that Matter" and plant the seeds of economic prosperity in the people and places that have been neglected in the past. Our award-winning Business Accelerator Program works with mission-driven companies that aim to change the way we live and work. By focusing on the larger impact, we can ensure great ideas are given the necessary resources to take flight. Our impact will magnify beyond simply profit margins and revenue shares; instead, reaching communities most in need.

When we prioritize business and capitalism as instruments of societal value, we can make our cities more just, joyous, equitable, sustainable, prosperous and profitable for all.

Conscious Venture Lab Baltimore Startup Accelerator Program 2019

Accelerator Program

Always Seeking Mission-Driven Companies

As leaders in Conscious Capitalism®, the incoming Conscious Venture Lab Cohort will continue our focus on urban resilience and smart cities technologies. This 16-week accelerator program will give your mission-driven business the funding, exposure and guidance to thrive; and ultimately, make a difference in the world. Submit your pitch deck today for consideration.

Conscious Venture Lab Baltimore Startup Accelerator
Program Information Sessions

Named a Top Accelerator Program

The Conscious Venture Lab was recently named one of the best startup accelerator programs in the U.S. by Alpha Gamma. This competitive shortlist featured just sixteen accelerator programs serving U.S. startups.

Resilient Cities

Conscious Venture Lab Cohort Five Launches August 2019

The United Nations estimates more than 2.5 billion people will move into urban areas by 2050. As cities grow, aging infrastructure will cost cities more than $300BB per year and 77 million urban residents will be pushed into poverty by 2030, according to a 2018 report by The World Bank.

We can alleviate this impending divide by using business as a conduit for good. As leaders in Conscious Capitalism®, the incoming Conscious Venture Lab cohort will continue building "Companies that Matter" who can solve complex societal problems and add resiliency to our cities.

The 16-week onsite program, located in West Baltimore at the Baltimore City Community College, will begin August 1, 2019 and culminate on December 6, 2019. Selected companies will receive a $100,000 investment, along with mentorship, tools, and other resources to promote growth.

What Accepted Companies Receive

Entrepreneurs/Companies accepted into the Conscious Venture Lab accelerator will receive:

  • The tools and skills needed to build highly sustainable business models and high-performance cultures

  • Advisors, instructors, and mentors devoted to nurturing business ideas and impact-driven efforts as a way to create a more fair and equitable society, starting in our cities

  • An intense curriculum and mentor-driven program that supports companies and leaders who embrace the power of capitalism as a force for good in society

  • A foundation for leadership and business development driven by the power of robust stakeholder relationships and the four tenets of Conscious Capitalism:
    1. Conscious Leadership
    2. Higher Purpose
    3. Conscious Culture
    4. Stakeholder integration

Applicant Requirements

Each cohort will be comprised of companies generating technological and business model advances that address chronic stresses in our cities, including but not limited to: healthcare, high unemployment, overtaxed civic infrastructure, intractable violence, and food and water shortages. 

Ideal Cohort Candidates Are:

  • Companies using technology to increase economic opportunity and create more livable and equitable urban environments

  • Entrepreneurs seeking to use their higher purpose as a competitive advantage

  • Entrepreneurs who wish to be a part of an onsite program at The Conscious Venture Lab co-working space in West Baltimore

  • Early stage or seeded businesses that are focused on a mission to plant the seeds of prosperity where they traditionally haven't been planted

We have a high interest in identifying female and minority founders. All mission-driven entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit a pitch deck for consideration.

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Submit Deck

We are always seeking mission-driven entrepreneurs leading businesses that promise to change society for better. If this is you, submit your pitch deck for consideration.

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