New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center has a new accelerator program open to all types of export-based businesses that are located in New Mexico. BizSprint is the latest in a series of Arrowhead Accelerator programs being provided by Arrowhead Center, NMSU’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub, through funding from New Mexico Gas Company, an Emera Company.
“Export-based businesses are critical for developing New Mexico’s economy,” said Kramer Winingham, director of Aggie I-Corps, NMSU’s National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Site at Arrowhead Center. “They promote local economic growth by bringing jobs and income into the local economy, and experts estimate that each job created by an export-based business in New Mexico supports the creation of another three to four jobs in the local service industry.”
BizSprint is a four-week, cohort-based accelerator program designed to support growth-driven companies through education, mentorship and financing, modeled on the Aggie I-Corps program. Teams do not need a prior NMSU affiliation to be considered, and selected businesses can participate in the program’s curriculum and its weekly workshops virtually or in-person.
Each team will include an entrepreneurial lead based in New Mexico, a technical lead and a business mentor. Teams will conduct market research and those that successfully complete the curriculum will receive $2,000 to further advance the business. Each team will also receive access to additional follow-on funding through Arrowhead Innovation Fund and mentorship through Arrowhead Innovation Network Ventures.
Any businesses that are based in a science, technology, engineering or technology field may also be granted eligibility to apply for NSF’s National I-Corps program, which includes a $50,000 award.
Applications for the summer cohort of BizSprint are open through May 31 at arrowheadcenter.nmsu.edu/bizsprint. The cohort will meet Friday mornings July 14 to Aug. 4. For additional information, contact Studio G at studiog@nmsu.edu.
