ABQID INC

ABQID PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS, 2018 - ACTIVATENM (ABQID STARTUP ACCELERATOR) - ACTIVATENM IS A HYBRID INCUBATOR-ACCELERATOR PROGRAM DEVELOPING IN 2018 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WESST ENTERPRISE CENTER. THE PROGRAM BLENDS AN 8-WEEK LEAN STARTUP CURRICULUM WITH ONGOING INCUBATION AND MENTORSHIP, IN AN EFFORT TO HELP EARLY-STAGE NEW MEXICO STARTUPS ACHIEVE KEY GROWTH MILESTONES AND CONTINUE ON A PATHWAY TOWARDS DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS. THE PROGRAM RAN ONCE IN 2018 (OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2018) AND IN COMING YEARS, WILL LIKELY RUN 2-3 TIMES PER YEAR. EACH PROGRAM, 3-5 COMPANIES ARE SELECTED FROM A POOL OF CANDIDATES, AFTER AN APPLICATION AND INTERVIEW PROCESS. ACCEPTED COMPANIES PAY A $100 MONTHLY PARTICIPATION FEE TO BE IN THE PROGRAM AND ABQID NO LONGER PROVIDES STIPENDS, UNLESS A COMPANY IS ACCEPTED WITH FINANCIAL NEED. IN THIS CASE, COMPANIES CAN APPLY TO RECEIVE A $2,000 STIPEND TO HELP THEM MOVE THROUGH THE PROGRAM. IN 2018, 5 COMPANIES PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM. - HYPERSPACE CHALLENGE (NMTECH/AFRL FEDERAL GRANT) - IN 2018, WE WERE AWARDED A 3-YEAR SUBAWARD FROM NMTECH, TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM WITH AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB. HYPERSPACE CHALLENGE WAS THE PROGRAMMATIC RESULT, AND WAS DESIGNED TO CONNECT THE COUNTRY'S MOST TALENTED GEOSPATIAL DATA ANALYTICS STARTUPS WITH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INNOVATORS. THE DESIRED OUTCOMES OF MAKING THESE CONNECTIONS WAS THREE-FOLD: 1) PRESENT NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TO STARTUPS INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT; 2) IDENTIFY EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES AMONG STARTUPS THAT COULD HELP ADDRESS DEFENSE CHALLENGES AND TECHNOLOGICAL NEEDS; AND 3) CREATE MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL COMPANIES (I.E., STARTUPS) AND THE DEFENSE COMMUNITY. HYPERSPACE CHALLENGE WAS DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED DURING AN 7-MONTH PERIOD, MAY - NOVEMBER, AND CULMINATED IN A MULTI-DAY EVENT, HYPER ACCELERATOR WEEK, IN WHICH 10 STARTUPS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY CONVENED IN ALBUQUERQUE WITH MEMBERS OF THE DEFENSE COMMUNITY, IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY HOW STARTUPS' CAPABILITIES COULD ADDRESS DEFENSE CHALLENGES. THIS WEEK FEATURES BREAK-OUT SESSIONS, CONTRACTING WORKSHOPS, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, AND A PITCH COMPETITION FOR STARTUPS, WITH THE TOP COMPANY AWARDED A $15,000 PRIZE TO PURSUE CONTRACTING WITH THE DOD. - STARTUP WEEKEND ALBUQUERQUE - IS A 54-HOUR WEEKEND EVENT, DURING WHICH GROUPS OF DEVELOPERS, BUSINESS MANAGERS, STARTUP ENTHUSIASTS, MARKETING GURUS, GRAPHIC ARTISTS AND MORE PITCH IDEAS FOR NEW STARTUP COMPANIES, FORM TEAMS AROUND THOSE IDEAS, AND WORK TO DEVELOP A WORKING PROTOTYPE, DEMO, OR PRESENTATION BY SUNDAY EVENING. IN 2018, WE SUPPORTED ONE STARTUP WEEKEND WITH WESST INCUBATOR. - WOLVES DEN PITCH COACHING WORKSHOPS - LEARNING TO PROPERLY PITCH A STARTUP IS OFTEN AN ESSENTIAL PART OF AN ENTRPRENEUR'S STARTUP JOURNEY. ABQID STAFF ARE WELL-VERSED IN TRAINING NEW AND EXPERIENCED ENTREPRENEURS HOW TO DEVELOP ENGAGING, EFFECTIVE INVESTOR PITCHES. IN 2018, ABQID TRAVELED TO HIGH SCHOOLS AROUND NEW MEXICO, TRAINING HIGH SCHOOL ENTREPRENEURSHIP STUDENTS IN THE ART OF PITCHING A BUSINESS. THESE WORKSHOPS ENDED WITH THE WOLVES DEN PITCH COMPETITION AT NMTECH IN SOCORRO, WHERE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PITCH THEIR BUSINESSES IN FRONT OF A PUBLIC AUDIENCE. - SANDIA LABS PITCH COMPETITION - ADAPTING OUR PITCH COACHING TO SANDIA LABS EMPLOYEES WITH TECHNOLOGY THEY ARE INTERESTED IN COMMERCIALIZING, WE CONDUCTED THREE WORKSHOPS AND THREE 1ON1 MENTORING SESSIONS LEADING TO A PUBLIC PITCH EVENT IN SEPTEMBER 2018. - BALLOON PITCH - 2018 SAW THE LAUNCH OF THE INAUGUARL BALLOON PITCH COMPETITION, BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF ABQID'S SKI LIFT PITCH COMPETITION. STARTUPS FROM NEW MEXICO AND BEYOND APPLIED TO PITCH IN FRONT OF ESTEEMED INVESTOR JUDGES FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. 10 STARTUPS WERE SELECTED TO PITCH ON OCTOBER 4 IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM. PITCHES TOOK PLACE AT VARA WINERY, ADJACENT TO BALLOON FIESTA PARK. THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER RECEIVED A $10K AWARD, WITH 2ND AND 3RD PLACES ALSO RECEIVING AWARDS OF $2K AND $1K, RESPECTIVELY. THE COMPETITION WAS JUDGED BY A PANEL OF INVESTOR JUDGES AND SPONSORS INCLUDED WELLS FARGO BANK, CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE, FHL BANK DALLAS, AS WELL AS MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS. THE COMPETITION WILL CONTINUE FOR A SECOND YEAR IN 2019. - SKI LIFT PITCH - IN 2018, WE HOSTED ANOTHER ITERATION OF SKI LIFT PITCH AT TAOS SKI VALLEY IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. THIS EVENT BUILT ON THE SUCCESS OF PRIOR YEARS AND SAW MORE THAN 60 APPLICANTS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. COMPETITORS AND INVESTORS CONVENED IN TAOS ON THE EVENING BEFORE THE EVENT FOR NETWORKING. ON THE SECOND DAY, THE EVENT TOOK PLACE ON THE SLOPES AND IN THE MARTINI TREE LOUNGE, WITH STARTUPS PITCHING TO A SELECTION OF INVESTOR JUDGES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WAS AWARDED $10K IN NON-DILUTIVE CAPITAL. - NM STARTUP CEO NETWORK - 2018 SAW ABQID INCREASE EFFORTS TO PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT TO NM-BASED CEOS AND STARTUP FOUNDERS. INSTEAD OF RESERVING ACCESS TO THIS NETWORK TO ABQID AFFILIATED COMPANIES, ABQID EXPANDED INVITATIONS TO ANY AND ALL STARTUP FOUNDERS AND CEOS WHO WERE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE NETWORK. THE NM STARTUP NETWORK PROVIDES FOUNDERS AND CEOS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHER FOUNDERS, ACCESS RESOURCES THAT EXIST THROUGHOUT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL COMMUNITY, AND GENERALLY, REMAIN ACCOUNTABLE AND CONNECTED AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THEIR STARTUP JOURNEY. DURING 2018, ABQID HOSTED A SERIES OF CEO NETWORK DINNERS AS THE CORE MANIFESTATION OF THIS PROGRAM AND IS LOOKING TO EXPAND EVENT AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES IN 2019-2020.