Tec looking for conscious startups via its new accelerator

Tec de Monterrey and Conscious Venture Lab have presented the Conscious Venture Accelerator and their Conscious Venture Accelerator program.

At the event held in Mexico City, they explained that the aim is to set up a collaborative ecosystem to accelerate the development of startups that generate a positive impact and offer solutions to current challenges.

“Creating a conscious business builds value. As business owners, we’re often demonized for thinking only about generating profits, but that isn’t the case. We’re looking for something holistic,” explained Ulrick Noel, Director of the Tec’s Eugenio Garza Lagüera Institute of Entrepreneurship.

“On this mission to create startups for human flourishing, the Conscious Enterprise Center and ourselves are taking on the task of launching this concept to find entrepreneurs and work with them,” added Ulrick Noel.

This Tec initiative will be jointly run by the Eugenio Garza Lagüera Institute of Entrepreneurship and the Conscious Enterprise Center, both from the educational institution, in collaboration with Conscious Venture Lab.

Conscious Venture Lab is a global accelerator focused on diverse and innovative startups that are using technology to break down barriers to access and create a more equitable society.

Startups that create value

Joshua Hammerschlag, Director of Social Entrepreneurship from the Tec’s Mexico City Region (CDMX), spoke about the impact that conscious startups should make.

“We should look at entrepreneurship as a process for generating opportunities that create value by making a positive impact.

“The value we generate should not just be economic. We should be aiming for those profits to be accompanied by social and environmental value,” he said.

“The value we generate should not just be economic. We should be aiming for those profits to be accompanied by social and environmental value.” - Joshua Hammerschlag.

“The paradigms should shift to conscious growth, which can be seen by people within the company, and that growth should go beyond the company. We should be betting on how we can improve over the next 10 years.

“Profit should be a means not an end, growing to create value and filtering into different areas,” he stressed.

For his part, the Executive Director of the Conscious Enterprise Center, Francisco Fernández, explained that this center came about from a connection with the intellectual leader of the Conscious Capitalism movement, Raj Sisodia, who is President of the Tec’s Conscious Enterprise Center.

Apply to join the accelerator!

As part of the Conscious Venture Accelerator presentation, a call was also launched for those wishing to take part in its acceleration programs.

The Conscious Venture Accelerator program will support entrepreneurs with business models that make a positive impact who are working to offer solutions to the challenges facing society.

This project will provide support to more than 150 entrepreneurs over the next 5 years. 10 Latin American startups will receive support in its first cohort, which begins in February 2023.

They’ll be part of a 16-week immersion program where they’ll be accompanied by an international network of mentors.

“Creating a conscious business builds value.” - Ulrick Noel

They’ll also receive various tools for applying the principles of conscious entrepreneurship and purpose to their business model. There will also be a Demo Day with customers, partners, and investors.

The call is now open. Some of the requirements to apply for the Conscious Venture Accelerator program from the Tec’s Conscious Venture Accelerator include:

• Having a diverse team: including at least three people with complementary skills.
• An interest in Mexico: companies that want to expand their presence in the ecosystem and connect with strategic partners in the region.
• Communication in English: the ability to carry out the program in English.
• A proven solution: experience of placing your solution in the hands of potential users with a prototype or finished product.
• A conscious profile: startups that want to align their strategy with conscious principles and find specific ways to apply them in their value proposition.

Registration for the program closes on December 2.

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