venture the fuel it needs — all for a 6% equity stake. They’re focused on building real, sustainable businesses with the potential to scale. Their philosophy is simple — great companies can stand on their own two feet. If this sound interesting to you, they’d love to hear from you — you can apply now or contact us.

They’re looking for talented teams with bright ideas in large, growing markets where access to the right resources can make a huge difference in a few months’ time. Although they’re targeting technology-based ventures, they know that scalable businesses come in all shapes and sizes. So if you’re tech, bring it on. If you’re the next great thing in web, bring it on. If you have a fantastic consumer product concept, bring it on! Don’t know if you fit? Reach out to us — they’d love to hear your idea.

You must be coachable, committed, and willing to take on “co-pilots” for the duration of the program. You must also be willing to relocate to the Columbia, SC area for the 3-6 month program and dedicate 100% of your time to launching your venture. Why? Because that’s your skin in the game. There’s no commitment to staying in South Carolina at the end, but they think you’re going to like what you see.

Columbia’s “Famously Hot” slogan doesn’t just talk about the weather. In the past 10 years, Columbia has fostered an environment for successful startup companies. Don’t just take their word for it, Kiplinger named Columbia the 5th best place to live in the US. As a capital city and home of the University of South Carolina, the state’s flagship university, Columbia has an abundance of resources dedicated to increasing entrepreneurial support.

Various groups focus on entrepreneurial networking, programming, and resource management including a cowork, incubator, and nonprofit organizations. In 2013, Inc Magazine named their incubator one of the “Top Three College-Town Incubators to Watch.” It caters to over 50 affiliated companies and graduates.

Startup communities gain a fillip from existing large enterprises providing the backbone and support. The large insurance sector led by BlueCross-BlueShield, Colonial Life, and several specialized companies are in the forefront. Prysmian Group, the world’s largest fibre optic manufacture is headquartered in the area. Unitrends, Digital Smiths, Collexis, DMI, Ometric and several successful technology companies in the recent years have laid a strong foundation to the startup story in the area.

Expanding the knowledge economy, larger companies share their experiences and support fledgling innovators who aspire to mirror their success. Companies such as IDV (Speedtree), who develop SFX in motion pictures and games (8 major motion pictures including Avatar), and Bridge to Life, whose technology significantly enhances the lifespan of organs during transplant process, encourage others with their success. Several of Inc’s 500/5000 listed company leaders from the area have actively participated in helping the startup community.

A unique mix of historical and modern create the rich history of Columbia. Through infusing southern hospitality with innovative technology, entrepreneurs in Columbia utilize the resources available to them to create a thriving, and growing, startup community.