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Inspire. Educate. Accelerate
Personalized, 1:1 Mentorship
Work with dedicated coaches and mentors who will help you and your team grow as leaders and innovators.
Tight-Knit Network
Join a supportive members-only network of Taiwanese American entrepreneurs and leaders dedicated to supporting each other.
Programming Designed for You
Learn from successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who will share approaches, frameworks, and strategies specific to helping your business get to the next level.
Cash Prizes
Win up to $15,000 with no strings attached.
Join our online community to meet this year's mentors
@sparkaccel
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How do I join the program?Applications for the program are open until March 13, 2023. The applications can be found here. In case you'd like a look at the questions at once, you can find them here.
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Who is eligible to apply?SPARK Accel is open to individuals, teams, and companies that fulfill the following criteria: At least one member of the founding team is Taiwanese American or of Taiwanese descent Based in the U.S. with signs of traction (e.g., users, sales, product, partnerships) Early stage company that has not received institutional investor funding
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What are the important dates?March 13, 2023 : Applications are due April 3, 2023: Finalists are selected after application evaluation and interviews April 17, 2023 to May 5, 2023 - 3-week virtual accelerator program May 6, 2023 to May 12, 2023 - Virtual pitch competition and awards
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What is the cost to enter the program?It’s free! Seriously, no strings attached! We just ask that you or a key member of your team fully attend the program.
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What is the time commitment?SPARK Accel is a 4-week program that runs between April 17th - May 12th, 2023. For the first 3 weeks, programming will take Monday through Thursday for 1.5 to 2 hours per day, typically between 5PM and 7PM PST. During the 4th week, it is more flexible as most of that week will be used to prep for your pitch deck and pitch.
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How can I volunteer as a mentor?We’re always looking for excited mentors who would like to pay it forward and contribute to this community. You can fill out a short mentor survey HERE and the team will get back to you.
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What are the mentor's responsibilities?Mentors can participate in some or all of the below depending on capacity: Help finalists refine business goals for the 3 week programming Meet with your selected team at least 1 hour a week to guide them towards their business goals and improving their pitches Speak in a weekly fireside chat about your story, the good, the bad, and everything in between Provide feedback during and after the program
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I'm interested in sponsoring/donating, what are my next steps?"SPARK Accel is completely run by volunteers. All donations will be used to cover operational costs and be used as prize money for applicants. Donations are 100% tax deductible. Check our Donate Page for more details. We greatly appreciate your support!
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I’d like to join the SPARK Accel volunteer team, how can I do that?"We’re always looking for excited and dedicated volunteers to join our team. If you’d like to join, check our Team page for openings or send us a note at spark@tacl.org.
SPARK Accel is an initiative under the Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL). TACL is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of Taiwanese Americans. Its nationwide network of professionals, Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP), is the largest network of young Taiwanese Americans in the country. Find out more at https://tacl.org/.
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