It’s official: Founders League has moved! Our doors are now open at 91 Clemence Street in the heart of Downtown Providence. And...it’s a FANTASTIC space. Designed exactly to our specs, the fully renovated space has something for everyone--open space, dedicated desks and a few private offices. Open 24/7, 365 days a year, memberships include high speed wi-fi, printing, mail service, reservable conference room, mentorship services, and access to events and programs.

Downcity Providence (as the block we are is often called) is known for its eccentric modern vibe and proximity to the city’s best universities, places to eat, cafes, shops and funky open spaces for hanging out. The new office is considerably closer to the Amtrak train station and Kennedy Plaza, where buses run almost continuously. Bonus: the developer who designed the building for us--Cornish Associates--opened up a sweet urban courtyard perfect for meditating on startup dreams. More athletic? Hop in the shower at the end of your afternoon run.

Either way, come visit. To book a tour or get more info, drop us a line at info@foundersleague.co.

Sproutel, RI-based startup and Betaspring alumni, was just featured in Forbes for their innovative work at the intersection between health, technology, and toys.

Sproutel’s flagship product, Jerry the Bear, empowers kids with diabetes to learn about healthcare through playing. Equipped with a touch screen monitor, an insulin pen and a backpack, Jerry allows kids to pack healthy foods, administer blood tests, and even hugs, while Jerry’s physiological and emotional health are monitored through a series of games. By learning how to take care of Jerry, kids learn how to take care of themselves.

Despite starting just a few years ago, Sproutel has already reached 4% of children newly diagnosed with Type I diabetes and 25% of pediatric endocrinologist offices as of 2014. Sproutel is an emerging force in a growing health tech industry by going far beyond the functionality of your everyday stuffed animal, which is giving people new ways to monitor and improve their health.

Co-founder Aaron Horowitz created Sproutel to help kids “play with purpose.” His goal for Sproutel is to “leverage the power of play to help children live happy and healthy lives.” Jerry gives kids the vocabulary and confidence to discuss their disease, turning a stressful topic into a playful interaction.

Sproutel is looking into how they could help kids with other health conditions, like food allergies and asthma. Having already garnered national attention and even wowed President Obama, who knows what the future has in store for Sproutel?

Learn more at sproutel.com or facebook.com/Sproutel!

The new Founders League coworking space came alive last night as VFA Fellows and entrepreneurs united for some drinks, pizza and conversation. It was awesome to see our next generation of entrepreneurs connecting with the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that’s already flourishing here in Providence. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it!

We have another beer hour in the works for Thursday, March 24th from 6-8:30pm. For the next one we’ll be booking Aurora, an awesome mixed-use creative venue down the street. We’ll be working hard to make the next one even bigger and better, so mark your calendars!

Meet Kyle Nacci, our new community manager. There’s a lot of reasons why we are happy to have Kyle on board. He’s got tons of great energy, he loves startups, believes that there are good things happening in Providence and has sharp plans for building a venture of his own. But we are also excited to have him because he’s that extra set of hands we have been waiting for, someone ready to roll of their sleeves and take our coworking community, our programming and our support services to the next level. But better you hear it from him. So here’s an open letter from Kyle to the community on what he hopes he can accomplish in the months to come.

Hey Neighbor,

Founders League is pretty bullish on their mission to be a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs across the state, at all stages of development. They do that by creating programming, nurturing a supportive coworking community in a killer downtown Providence location, and connecting local entrepreneurs with a bigger network of resources. Why? To make Rhode Island’s startup ecosystem stronger than ever.

When I was given the amazing opportunity to be Founders League’s new community manager, I thought about what makes us great. Is it our desks? Our chairs? Our coffee?

As good as our coffee is, that’s not quite it. I believe what makes us great is our community. The synchronicity of hearts and minds creating awesome things in the same space. The support and ideas we share with each other. That’s why, as Founders League’s community manager, my mission is to do whatever I can to strengthen and embolden this sense of community.

All the pieces are there. We have an inspiring group of people from a diverse array of backgrounds. We have a beautiful, brand new space in the heart of downtown Providence. And, yes, we have some great coffee.

In the coming months, I’ll be working and testing new ways for the startup community to connect and support each other. I am excited to organize new events that challenge us to think in new ways. And I’m really excited to do awesome things with you.

I look forward to getting to know everyone in the Founders League community, and can’t wait to see what we can create together!

In the meantime, send me your ideas at kylenacci@foundersleague.co or come by for a tour. And definitely come to our next Startup Drinks so we can raise a toast to what’s to come.

--Kyle

When Kyle joined Founders League as our new community manager, he brought to the table a binder of fresh ideas for events and programs to support Providence entrepreneurs. Bid ideas. And we like lots of them. But his simplest demand—bring back startup drinks!—really made us smile.

Why? Kyle’s suggestion was a timely reminder not to miss the forest for the trees. The simple stuff—meeting, connecting, toasting, laughing, and scanning a room for employees to poach—is basic community building. Well, maybe not the last thing, but we all know it happens. But long before we get to the board room, we stop off at the pub. That’s what Startup Drinks was about when we had our first one back in 2012. That’s why we are bringing it back on Thursday, March 24th from 6-8:30pm at Aurora, an awesome mixed-use creative venue just down the street from our amazing new downtown office.

Here’s how it works: There’s no cover charge, no reservation required, and you’re welcome to invite any friends and colleagues. We need you to spread the word. Let’s make sure EVERYONE knows we are getting together on 3/24.

It’ll be an awesome event, so mark your calendars! And stay tuned for updates. Got questions? Email us at info@foundersleague.co

Wefunder.com is traveling cross-country to find and fund small businesses and asked Founders League to help them spread the word!

They’re an investment-based crowdfunding site that has helped 112 businesses raise over $16 million. But the catch is a lot of those businesses were SF-based tech startups, and they know America is a whole lot more than that.

So they’re trekking cross-country to get out of their bubble and fund $100,000 in 3 businesses up front, who can later raise up to $1 million online. They’ll be in Providence on March 15, and you can RSVP here to meet with them. They’re also looking to give local startups a free hour-long workshop on early capital fundraising while they’re here, so let them know if you'd be interested in that.

If you know any businesses looking to raise funds to take their business to the next level, please share this post with them!

Join us on March 24 & raise a toast to hometown hero ShapeUp, which announced last week that they were acquired Virgin Pulse!

Local startup ShapeUp announced last week that the company has been acquired by Virgin Pulse, a division of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group! Don’t panic: The Providence office will continue to grow as the company forges toward health and wellness world domination.

Do we need a better reason than this to party?? Nope. Please join us Thursday, March 24th from 6-8:30pm at Aurora on Westminster Street for drinks and snacks, a toast to the ShapeUp team, and a long overdue chance to catch up with old friends. 

This event also marks the return of Startup Drinks, the mostly monthly meetup of Rhode Island entrepreneurs that went on hiatus in 2014.

Some local companies have gotten together to cover drinks and snacks. So, all you need to bring is your celebratory attitude. RSVP here so we can order the right amount of food.

Thanks to Betaspring, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CompNet, Figmints, Focal Upright, Founders League, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Origin Works, Phoenix Medical, Revival Brewing, ThoughtCap and 313 Communications for being AWESOME. Your support means we can celebrate without worrying about splitting the tab 200 ways. 

ShapeUp markets software to help companies encourage employee wellness. In addition to its purchase of ShapeUp, Virgin also acquired Global Corporate Challenge. This the three-way merger now makes them the largest well-being company in the world, with more than $100 million in combined annual recurring revenue. 

In a WPRI article, Kumar ticked off a number of ways Rhode Island contributed to ShapeUp’s growth, including its roots at Brown, its victories in the Rhode Island and Brown business-plan competitions, a 2008 innovation tax-credit from what was then the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, and the skills of the local workforce. Holla! 

We look forward to raising the roof on March 24! Register Here!

This week, Swipely became Upserve, opening an exciting new chapter in their drive toward becoming one of the world’s fastest growing restaurant tech startups.

In a news release on March 8, Providence-based Swipely announced that they are now Upserve.
Swipely, founded by Angus Davis in 2009, said the new name reflects the evolution of the company’s focus on credit card and purchase data to now being the software platform of choice for restaurants across the country. 

In conjunction with the rebranding, Upserve also unveiled its 2016 software update, a mobile app that lets users remotely access real-time data, and a new tool that uses artificial intelligence to analyze online reviews and to determine which products customers are most excited about.
Congrats to the team on this exciting next step forward! Read the full announcement here.

Our move into 91 Clemence Street is complete. Brand new build out, designed just for us. Prime Downtown location. Flexible options for everyone. That’s coworking done right!

What’s coworking at Founders League all about? It’s flexible space for small companies, independent contractors, remote employees, and anyone who wants to get out of the coffee shop or home office, but without a lease or a long term commitment. We have private offices, dedicated desks, and open seating are available. And it’s all brand new for you!

What’s in a membership? Included in all memberships 24/7/365 access, wireless, coffee, printers, conference room, mail service, shower, beer, and some of the nicest peeps you'll ever meet. Take a look or take a tour! Want photos? Check out this recent feature in the Providence Business News!

And you know what they say...location, location, location! Downcity Providence is known for its eccentric modern vibe and proximity to the city’s best universities, places to eat, cafes, shops and funky open spaces for hanging out. The new office is a quick walk to the Amtrak train station and Kennedy Plaza, where buses run almost continuously. Bonus: the developer who designed the building for us--Cornish Associates--opened up a sweet urban courtyard perfect for meditating on startup dreams. More athletic? Hop in the shower at the end of your afternoon run. It’s a little slice of urban paradise.

There’s no substitute for seeing it in person, so come check us out! To book a tour or get more info, drop us a line at info@foundersleague.co.

Join Bridge.Jobs and local entrepreneurs on March 22nd to learn about how to host an intern in your business.

You can make a difference for a student.

Studies have shown surprising statistics about better job rates for graduates who have completed internships vs. those that have not. But there aren’t enough opportunities in Rhode Island for every student who wants one.

You can help make more internships available to students, youth, and out-of-work adults. Attend a free seminar and learn how to structure an internship program, from writing an enticing job description that will attract the right talent to making sure you are meeting regulatory requirements for internships.

Helping a student will help you.

Hosting an intern isn’t just a good deed. It isn’t just helping our state through an economic recovery. And it isn’t just training Rhode Island’s youth and unemployed to be successful in the workplace. Good internships are also good business. Hosting interns will help your organization be more productive, recruit future talent, and reduce costs resulting from poor hiring decisions.

Free help is available to assist you with getting started with or restructuring your internship program. There are even subsidies to help you pay your intern.

The next seminar is being held at Salve Regina University on March 22. Sign up here

It's officially Venture for America MATCH season!

Venture for America is a competitive fellowship program that recruits the nation's best and brightest and connects them to startups in emerging U.S. cities. Fellows work as full-time, salaried employees for 2+ years before either continuing on at the startup or launching a venture of their own. Interviewing Fellows begins on March 21st and runs through June 1st, and is facilitated through VFA's online platform, VFA Match. After placement, fellows participate in a training camp at Brown University, then start working at their startups in August.

VFA launched in Providence in 2012 and has since placed more than 20 Fellows in over 15 high-growth companies in the state. From mechanical engineers and growth hackers to business development and community managers, Fellows have hit the ground running in a wide range of roles at startups like Swipely, Focal Upright, Mojotech, Motel and Splitwise. 2012 Fellow, Ethan Carlson, has already launched his own venture in Providence, Escape Rhode Island, after working for two years at energy startup, VCharge.

Here’s the financial details:
Minimum $38,000 Base Salary
$5,000 placement fee: a tax-deductible donation that offsets the $30K VFA spends per fellow on recruiting, selection, training, placement, and ongoing support
Health & Benefits: Fellows either receive health care or a stipend to cover one
Equity / Options recommended: half of their companies offer fellows equity to incentivize performance

If you're interested in learning more, reach out to Tom Griffin at Tom@ventureforamerica.org.

On March 24, 250+ enthusiastic revelers packed Aurora Providence for the return of Providence Startup Drinks. We were there with special reason to celebrate: to toast the Shape Up team following the company’s recent acquisition by Virgin Pulse.

The music was good, the friends even better, and the toasts from Betaspring’s Melissa Withers, Blue Cross Blue Shield President Peter Andruszkiewicz, and ShapeUp founders Rajiv Kumar and Brad Weinberg were as memorable as they were short and sweet.

Did you have a blast? Did you miss it?  Either way, join us for the next meet up on May 3. Register here.

Thanks again to the sponsors who made this event fan-freaking-tastic: Adler, Pollock & Sheehan, Betaspring, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CompNet, Figmints, Focal Upright, Founders League, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Origin Works, Phoenix Medical, Pizza Gourmet, Revival Brewing, ThoughtCap, and 313 Communications.

And don’t forget to register for the next event!

Rhode Islanders to Participate in First Ever #HackPVD Hackathon -- Keynote Speakers to Include Live Communication with Astronauts Aboard International Space Station

Providence, RI, Friday, April 8, 2016 – Computer programmers (beginners and experts from high schools, colleges and corporations) from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut will gather for HackPVD, the first official hackathon for the City of Providence! HackPVD is presented by IntraCity Geeks and Mayor Jorge Elorza. The event is free, open to the public and takes place on April 15th, 16th and 17th at the Providence Public Library in downtown Providence, RI.

Hackathons are events that usually last more than a day. At HackPVD computer programmers and tech-hardware tinkerers will form teams and collaborate intensely on original projects of their own ideation, that make Providence a better place in which to live, work and play. Teams will compete to win fame, glory and cash prizes. Judges will select winners on Sunday, April 17th. 1st lace receives $1000 plus an Internet of Things hardware kit for each team-member. 2nd Place receives $500, and 3rd Place receives $250. All participants will receive a free and healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner during the corresponding times throughout the weekend, as well as great snacks and treats. All attendees also receive free HackPVD t-shirts and cool gift items as well.

“HackPVD is a place where thought leaders will collide creatively and drive innovation in Providence,” said Arnell Milhouse, creator and co-organizer of HackPVD. “It’s also the most inclusive hackathon ever, because of our mix of high school, collegiate and professional attendees as well as our focus on including people from underserved communities who are usually never present at hackathons. I can’t overstate how important this is. Plus, our keynote speaker lineup is literally out of this world!”

The schedule for the weekend is as follows: Friday 4-10pm (registration 4-6:30), Saturday 9:30am-10pm, Sunday 9:30am – 6pm.

Keynote Speakers That Are Out of This World (literally)

HackPVD has an incredible lineup of keynote speakers. The evening kicks off with Mayor Jorge Elora, who will highlight some of the innovations that his administration has put into place. Without support and encouragement from Mayor Elorza, HackPVD would not be possible.

Following Mayor Elorza will the highly accomplished Brian Jepson, who is an Acquisitions Editor for O'Reilly Media focusing on hardware, the Internet of Things, and Digital Fabrication. He's also the co-organizer of Providence Geeks, a founding member of the National Maker Faire planning and production team, and co-producer of the Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire.

Last but definitely not least, IntraCity Geeks has been working with a team of Brown University students who are members of the Brown Amateur Radio Club (BARC), and high school students from Times2 STEM Academy and Paul Cuffee. This new group has been working on an amazing hack of their own before the actual hackathon. The goal is to build a HAM radio communications array that will enable the team to communicate live with members of the International Space Station, which just so happens to be passing over Providence, RI on Friday evening. This will be the first time in the history of Rhode Island that anyone has communicated directly with the International Space Station.

If all goes according to plan, all of the attendees at HackPVD will be able to hear from the astronauts live during the keynote segment. The students from Times2 and Paul Cuffee have come up with a short list of questions relating to STEM and computer science to ask the astronauts.

After the keynotes, Brian Jepson will kick off a weekend full of workshops as he leads attendees in an Internet of Things (IoT) Learnathon. Each team will be able to take home an IoT Starter Kit, complete with an ESP8266 Wi-Fi microcontroller board with built-in Wi-Fi, sensors, and other components!

IntraCity Innovation Awards

HackPVD will also showcase the IntraCity Innovation Awards. Recipients of an IntraCity innovation Award were selected because they are recognized as being being vanguards and catalysts for creating innovative programs that increase interest in STEM among underserved students and/or young adults. The recipients, who include individuals, schools and organizations, also have bodies of work that demonstrate giving urban-based students access to rigorous STEM education.
Amazing Sponsors and Partners

HackPVD is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and partners. Our Platinum (Machine Language) sponsors are The City of Providence, The InfoSys Foundation, Citizens Bank and IntraCity Geeks. Our Gold (Assembled Language) Sponsor is LaunchCode and the Providence Public Library. Our Bronze (Compiled Language) Sponsor is BARC (Brown Amateur Radio Club).

Our education partners are Times2 STEM Academy, Paul Cuffee School, Nathan Bishop Middle School, Girl Develop It Providence, Tech Hire and Tech Collective.

Registration and General Information

Registration is required, but participation is completely free of charge. For more information visit: www.HackPVD.com or follow www.Twitter.com/hackpvd.

The 5th annual SEEED Summit on April 29­-30, is a leading national conference for social entrepreneurs, impact investors and business and community leaders committed to social innovation. This conference is a unique collaboration between the conference hosts ­Social Enterprise Greenhouse and Brown University.

This year’s conference theme is “Growing Businesses with Impact.” We will explore the unique challenges facing a social enterprise at three stages of growth, with half day modules devoted to launching, growing and transforming. This year's conference will include free coaching, a Buy With Heart market, lunchtime roundtable discussions, and a pitch competition. 

To keep up with the latest updates follow Social Enterprise Greenhouse on Facebook and Twitter. Tickers are ‘Pay What You Can’ so register now!

What if you could close your home loan faster and with less stress? What if you could do it without a fax machine or an annoying round of phone tag with a loan officer? Good news: if you live in one of the 40 states where Easy Mortgage Apps (EMA) is available, you can. And...if you are in Providence, you can even stop by Founders League and meet the team! 

EMA—an alum of Betaspring's RevUp accelerator program—offers a mobile-first platform where borrowers, loan officers and realtors communicate, upload info, and track in-process loans. Their white labeled product helps banks close the gap between mortgage technology and borrowers’ expectations to use smartphones when buying a home.

EMA recently announced that they added the 250,000th loan to their system, capping off a three-month growth sprint marked by rapid expansion across geographies. EMA now serves 5000+ loan officers in 47 states. To keep pace, the Boston-headquartered company opened a third office, a Dev Nest led by co-founder and CTO Joe Spano, based out of the Founders League co-working community in Downtown Providence. 

EMA provides information about a loan status at a glance and utilizes push notifications for important milestones to help borrowers and expedite the process. Users can also securely upload documents and get instant access to other critical information (i.e., home inspector, appraiser, home insurance agent, escrow, title company, closing attorney). In addition to being industry compliant, the EMA platform seamlessly integrates into all major loan processing systems, with little more than the push of a button. (It’s true. Request a demo if you are a lender and want to see how the magic happens.)

“Until EMA, borrowers and loan officers had to use voicemail, email, and even fax machines to move a loan forward,” says Spano. “EMA’s solution bridges the gap between banks’ legacy systems and today’s borrowers, who expect the home loan experience to be mobile. We help our customers meet this challenge without the integration headaches and disruption that have made other solutions cumbersome and ineffective.”

While taking home loans mobile may seem obvious (mobile banking is a standard offering for banks), the lending process has been slower to innovate. The subprime mortgage crisis revealed how easily borrowers can be duped into accepting a bad deal, prompting new regulations that underpin how technology must perform to be compliant.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to build a platform that is fully compliant,” says Spano. “The features that borrowers want most, such as push notifications and on-the-go communication with their loan officer, needed to be carefully integrated to ensure that borrowers and lenders are well served, protected, and in line with the law. That’s what we brought to market, and it’s why our customers chose EMA.”

What’s next for EMA? Continued expansion into every state and more lenders, to start. But bigger projects with strategic partners are also in the works. Earlier this month, EMA forged a partnership with Optimal Blue, the premier cloud-based provider of enterprise lending services to the mortgage industry. Relationships like this enable EMA to offer additional tools, like allow loan officers real estate agents to generate rate and eligibility quotes on their smart phone.

“With everything that’s on deck, the dev team will be pretty busy for the foreseeable future. So of course we are hiring,” says Spano, who says developers in the New England area should reach out dev@emanow.com to learn more.

For more information about EMA or to schedule a demo, visit http://emanow.com or email info@emanow.com

Our next Startup drinks is going down on on Tuesday, May 3rd, and you can RSVP for it here!

Startup Drinks is back! And dare we say it, better than ever. If you're interested in cool companies, fun biz stuff happening around town, and making some new connection, this is your jam.

We've got a new crew, a new venue, and plenty of new faces to meet and greet. What hasn't changed? Startup Drinks is chill—so ditch your worries that this is another boring networking event that'll have you running for the door. So...Join us on May 3 for an informal, but sure to be memorable, Welcome Back edition of Startup Drinks.

There’s no cover charge and you’re strongly encouraged to share this invite with your squad, crew, posse, partner, deskmate, neighbor or friend. Or, come solo. Our hosts will be there to greet you and to make sure you have a good time.

At our last event, 250 entrepreneurs came out to connect and toast local startup hero ShapeUp on their Virgin Pulse acquisition. This one will be more low key, but still a great way to keep in touch with Providence's startup community.

Questions? Drop a line to info@foundersleague.co.

On Saturday, April 23rd, change happened. Students from around Rhode Island and beyond united at Brown University for ChangeFest, an all-day, campus issue solve-athon. The event - a collaborative effort between Brown, the University of Rhode Island and Founders League - was the first of its kind in RI.

The day kicked off with opening remarks from Founders League Community Manager, Kyle Nacci, RI Congressman David Cicilline, URI President David Dooley, and Brown Social Innovation Initiative Director, Alan Harlam. Representatives from Design For America capped off the opening activities with a fun workshop to teach participants design thinking skills. Students then formed teams of 3-5 based on campus climate issues like education, inclusion, sustainability, free speech, human rights and health. They spent all afternoon developing startups that tackled those issues in an innovative way, with guidance from a rockstar team of mentors and a development guide co-created by Thrive URI and Business Innovation Factory.

The day came to a close with rapid-fire pitches from all of the teams, closing remarks from URI Chief Diversity Officer, Naomi Thompson and Brown Professor Barrett Hazeltine, and awards for best pitches.

In a single day, participants developed some incredible projects. 1st place winner, Shortcut, developed an app with an interactive map to help people with disabilities get around. Other winning teams - Recycle for Charity, Speak-EZ, uEat, Dynamic Education, & Pillars For People - were just as awesome! They proved that with a little bit of help, college students have the power to create innovative solutions to real problems.

Everyone was required to take a survey about their experience, and the results were out of this world:

Free coworking, great mentors and the best beer hour of the month is just around the corner

We had to get through the move and settle into our new Downtown Providence home...and we did. So now it’s time to bring back two of our favorite events: Free Friday and Founder Bar.

What’s Free Friday? On Friday, June 17, anyone who wants to try out Founders League coworking can do it, for free! The day includes space to work and all the coffee, tea, and lightning-speed wifi you can consume. Just register here to get your pass.

And what’s up with Founder Bar? Later that same afternoon, we take Friday fun next level with Founder Bar, a meetup/mentoring/beer-hour mash-up that mixes fun with function. Pick and choose what you’re looking for: time with a mentor to work through a challenge or maybe just a drink in our secret courtyard with other hardworking friends to usher in the weekend. We’ll have some delicious craft beer on deck from our friends at Revival Brewing.

This event is free but registration is required. Here’s the low down on the day’s schedule:

11AM-6PM: Free Friday

Free coworking at 91 Clemence Street

4-6PM: Mentor Open Office 

Reserve a slot to meet one-on-one with a group of mentors who are locked and loaded to help you out. Mentors include:

Maeve Donohue

CCO/Founder of Buttrfly, President/Founder of Nami Studios, serial entrepreneur, designer, developer, communicator, artist, yogi, obsessed with data visualization, tech, and healthcare

Dan Holmander

Chairman of Intellectual Property Group at Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., intellectual property wizard obsessed with patent prosecution, trademarks and copyrights

Ted Howell

Founder at Howell Legal, obsessed with helping tech startups grow, business formation, equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, borrowing, lending and contracts

Coryndon Luxmoore

Lead UX Architect at Mortgage Builder Software, designs revenue-driven digital products, loves creating compelling user experiences that drive company growth

Allan Tear

Managing Partner and Cofounder of Betaspring and Founders League, CEO of Manpacks, Founder of OriginWorks, obsessed with tech startups, investment, growth hacking, and hats.

Jack Templin

Managing Partner at Thoughtcap, Co-Founder at Providence Geeks, Co-Founder & Partner at Betaspring, Co-Founder & CEO at Lockify, obsessed with team-building & business strategy

Melissa Withers

Managing Director of Betaspring, Cofounder of Founders League& Cofounder of Business Innovation Factory, former mad scientist who is obsessed with storytelling and customer experience design.

Everyone is welcome to join us and you’re encouraged to invite your friends and colleagues. If you can only make it to part of the day, no problem! And yes, it’s all free.

We have limited space and we expect to sell out quickly, so register now!

Local entrepreneurs and designers work together to catalyze design startups

When Providence branded itself “The Creative Capital,” it wasn’t playing around. We’re home to one of the best design schools and one of the best culinary schools in the world. Our streets are bursting with art and culture. And we have a low cost of living that creatives can actually afford without starving to death (our friends in NYC, San Fran and Beantown wish they could say the same).

This creative power was on full display at last week’s design catalyst showcase.

On Wednesday, May 25th, local entrepreneurs and designers gathered to talk shop and show off their work. The guests of honor were the 17 startups in this year’s PROVIDENCE DESIGN CATALYST program, developed by DESIGNxRI. Each startup in this competitive grant program received seed capital of up to $35,000, mentorship and educational programming to support their growth.

• Atelier Rosenkrantz
• AV Productions
• Bela Monde
• Christian Thomas Designs 
• Fulcrum Product Development 
• Heather Guidero Jewelry
• ILOROM
• Increment
• Joshua Shockley Interior Design
• Linkmount Systems
• LLAMAproduct / Headmaster Magazine
• Nest Homeware
• Oblique Studio
• Spirare Surfboards
• Sproutel
• Studio Endo
• There Will Be Cake

We can’t wait to see how these awesome design startups grow and contribute to our city’s startup ecosystem. It’s stuff like this that makes us proud to call The Creative Capital our home.

Learn more about the program here.

Congrats to the six rising star companies with Rhode Island roots that made the finalist cut for this year’s MassChallenge program. 

Only 128 finalists were selected from the 2,300 entrepreneurs all over the world who applied. Finalists with Rhode Island roots include:

• Farmer Willie’s, a ginger beer startup cofounded by a Brown student
• Fetch Park, a parking management app founded in Providence
• Parkloco, a data analytics platform for parking facilities 
• PICC Perfect, a stylish medical accessories startup created by Jamestown native and Rhode Island Business Plan competition winner Emily Levy
• SalesBrief, a B2B sales platform co-founded by locals James Kwon and Ted Brown.
• Technologies Against Assault, a sexual assault kit created by Brown students

“MassChallenge is a fantastic program. They’ve done an incredible job advancing the New England startup scene,” says Founders League’s Melissa Withers, who is also a MassChallenge mentor and judge. “I’m looking forward to supporting all of the finalists, but of course I have a special place in my heart for all of the companies that have local connections.”

R.I. was represented last year by Healthy Roots, Increment and XactSense, which won one of the $50K top prizes.

Congrats to all the finalists and good luck! Stay tuned this summer as these companies compete to win!