Crucible at FORGE
The University of Arizona FORGE now provides an accelerated alternative to its 12-month FORGE Venture Advisors™ Residency program. Crucible At FORGE is an 8-week intensive accelerator program helping new venture founders self-identify the gaps and barriers within their teams and giving them the tools to move to investment readiness quickly. Participating companies are operating businesses, so the focus is on preparing and implementing immediate funding strategies, and honing messaging to promote both product offerings and the business as a whole. As a capstone to the program, participating businesses will both pitch and demonstrate their companies’ offerings to investment groups- to receive feedback and entree for funding.
The eight-week program takes place at FORGE at Roy Place in downtown Tucson, Tuesdays through Thursdays, from Sept. 12 to Nov. 2nd.
The five companies selected for the Fall 2023 Crucible cohort were Better Than Provisions, Marro Technologies Inc., SEEOP Corporation, Suncliffe and Wander Health. These five companies have established themselves as pioneers in a wide variety of industries.
· Better Than Provisions creates nutrient-rich Nut Grain-Free Granola that is low-carb, keto, vegan, gluten-free, and made without added sugar.
· Marro Technologies empowers middle market private equity firms to reduce their portfolio companies' annual software expenses by proactively eliminating underutilized licenses.
· SEEOP develops, manufactures, and delivers robotic aircraft (drones) to commercial and military customers.
· Suncliffe produces a premium terroir-focused gin that draws inspiration from the southwest, catering to conscious consumers nationwide.
· Wander Health, is a medical concierge company connecting American travelers going abroad to a validated network of English-speaking doctors.
Crucible provides a support platform for these companies to swiftly level up. The founders will receive rigorous professional development, expert mentorship, milestone evaluations, pitch practice sessions, investor introductions, and opportunities to highlight their work.
The Crucible accelerator was made possible through the generous sponsorship and support of Flinn Foundation, Pima County Economic Development, UA Venture Capital and Singularity Capital.
Benefits
Upon acceptance into the program, Crucible At FORGE will work with each founder team to prepare for the intensive 8-week program on-site in Tucson. While housing and travel are not provided, Crucible At FORGE is able to offer each team a $1000/week stipend to help defray costs and allow for intensive focus on the program.
Each team will have desk space within FORGE at Roy Place in downtown Tucson, plus access to office and meeting spaces, board rooms, coaches, mentors, and additional programming.
Eligibility
Selected teams need to be present for all sessions of the 8–week program. The majority of programming will take place Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Applicants do not have to be a resident of Tucson or affiliated with the University of Arizona. Applicants should not have a full-time job or another daily, full-time commitment outside of their venture.
Companies applying for the program should have reached at least level 5 on Abaca's Venture Investment Levels. Find more information about your company’s Abaca level here. In other words, the company should have an established sales strategy, growing revenue, strong initial customers, interest from potential larger customers, an understanding of costs and how to approach profitability, and a vision for larger commercial distribution.
