Local leadership, advisory board, and ScaleUp program announced; Applications open until April 10
(Birmingham, AL, March 9, 2020) Global entrepreneurship nonprofit Endeavor is pleased to announce expanded support of the Birmingham market in connection with Endeavor’s Atlanta regional hub. The organization today announced plans to select and support more growth stage founders and plans to accelerate the path to Endeavor for the city’s fastest-growing startups through a new program called ScaleUp Birmingham.
Endeavor’s efforts will be supported by Alabama Power, Alabama Small Business Capital and a newly formed local advisory board. The advisory board includes founders who have successfully scaled their businesses in Birmingham, namely Shegun Otulana of Therapy Brands, Bill Smith of Landing (formerly Shipt), Dave Gray of Biso Collective (formerly Daxko), as well as venture investor Jared Weinstein, whose social impact entity The Overton Project was instrumental in bringing Endeavor to Birmingham.
“As an organization of, by, and for entrepreneurs, it’s important that each Endeavor office be guided by founders in the community and operated with the tenacity of a startup,” elaborates Endeavor Atlanta Managing Director Aaron Hurst. “With the team we’ve been able to assemble, as well as the energy of community partners, Birmingham is leading the way and setting a precedent for what regional collaboration can look like.”
Maggie Belshé, formerly Director of Marketing and Communications for high-growth health coaching company Pack Health and Community Liaison of Venture for America’s 2015 class, will lead day-to-day operations and represent Birmingham in regional discussions as the organization grows.
Endeavor’s presence in the Magic City took shape last fall as local entrepreneur Tony Summerville, Founder and CEO of Fleetio, was selected into Endeavor’s global network and Atlanta-based Endeavor company LeaseQuery expanded its operations to Birmingham.
Versions of ScaleUp exist in ten of Endeavor’s 35+ markets, with the common goal to equip founders who have achieved strong product-market fit and proven high growth potential with the resources and confidence they need to take their companies to the next level. In Birmingham, ScaleUp will be a six-month, non-dilutive program anchored around founder-to-founder mentor connections with growth-stage entrepreneurs in other U.S. cities.
Individualized strategic growth workshops will be used to create personalized roadmaps for each founder or founding team, inform mentorship pairings, and curate advisory sessions with subject matter experts over the course of the program. Founders will also benefit from monthly workshops with their local cohort, designed and implemented in partnership with an executive coach to help them navigate their evolving role as a leader.
ScaleUp will be accepting applications until April 10th, with the program set to launch the last week of April. Entrepreneurs can learn more and apply at www.endeavoratlanta.org/scale-up.
About Endeavor
Endeavor helps the fastest-growing entrepreneurs create lasting enterprises by providing the resources they need to scale without dilution. This includes access to a world-class mentor and peer network, entrepreneur-friendly capital, global markets and talent programs. Founded in 1997 as a non-profit, Endeavor's long term mission is to dramatically improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem wherever it operates by selecting and supporting founder-led companies that scale. Endeavor Global now supports over 2,000 entrepreneurs across a variety of industries in 30+ countries. The Atlanta office launched in 2017 and now operates regionally with a second office and ScaleUp program in Birmingham, Alabama.