Fall 12’ Grad Sharron Battle Shares Advice for Spring 13’ Applicants!
We just wrapped up another great and very successful cycle with 7 amazingly talented founders! With that said applications for Spring 2013 have been rolling in so we are bringing back our Founder Stories! In our Founders Stories a few founders from the previous cycle share their experiences in getting into the NewME program where they had to stand out among hundreds of other start-ups in the application process.
CEO and Founder of Derbywire, Sharron Battle shares some insite:
Sharron talks why she applied for the NewME Accelerator program…
I applied for NewMe because I believed in what they stood for, which is supporting minority under- represented entrepreneurs that want to contribute in the tech space. There are several areas that minorities are under-represented, less than 1% of several spaces (Design Professionals, MBA Recipients, Technology Startups and more) and it is great that focus was put on this.
I think that innovation is at its best when you have a diverse group addressing the needs of a space because everyone has different perspectives that they can bring to the table. I have worked with some of the best performing companies and when I look back on their success, all of them had very diverse cultures that contributed to success and innovation.
I think NewMe is a good start for those that do not mind working hard to change the playing field.
Sharron on how Derbywire set themselves a part in the application process…
I think the fact that Derbywire was aiming to create a community where people can monetize digital content was our uniqueness. The business model is a creative way of implementing job creation. Think about it…if you have initiative, drive and some type of hustle this can be a second source of income. Lastly, mobile is a huge market and making access of the ability to do mobile transactions on the go via mobile is convenient for users. They can make simple purchase transactions efficiently, browse and network amongst million of users that engage with their mobile device 24/7 a day.
Our competition, focused more so on providing a web presence and experience for the user and we focused on the mobile experience, which we believe is a smart move.
Sharron’s advice for current applicants…
Make sure you have a strong team, good developers, and tough skin. Entrepreneurship is no easy job and you cannot give up, there is no option but to win.
Go to Derbywire to download the iOS and Android app.
Read Sp.12 Grad Randy Mitchell’s Founder Story
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Cwoodruff