WHAT HAPPENS AT PRAXIS ACCELERATORS?
Our time together is built upon deepening imagination and accelerating the practice of redemptive entrepreneurship in the dimensions of strategy (what you build), operations (how you build), and leadership (why you build). No truly redemptive venture can ignore any of these, as they all must work together for redemptive purposes.
Program Overview: We design the Fellow experience to meet the specific needs and opportunities of the cohort, while also striving to provide as many meaningful intersections as possible with peers, Mentors, and program team members within the limited time together. The in-person gatherings in New York and San Francisco are fast-paced and fully scheduled. Our Fellows leave the in-person gatherings with fresh ideas, practical templates/tools, new relationships, and critical feedback. There is also time at the end of each gathering to synthesize and create action items upon their return home.
Program Format:
ON ZOOM // SEPTEMBER 2024
In this one-hour virtual kickoff event to meet the 2025 Business Accelerator cohort, Fellows will:
- Meet their cohort and program team members
- Be introduced to Praxis and the Accelerator program taking place over the next year
NEW YORK // OCTOBER 2024
Our first core Accelerator event that gathers Fellows, Mentors & Praxis program team together at a private lodge to examine organizational growth and personal leadership & sustainability. Fellows will:
- Share with and get to know their cohort and program team members
- Present their venture in front of mentors (x2)
- Meet with Mentors in small format sessions, and also one-on-one
- Meet one-on-one with program team members
- Participate in informal meals, hikes, & shared spiritual practices together
SAN FRANCISCO // FEBRUARY 2025
Fellows and a new group of Mentors will again convene to share progress and gain insights into the process of building high-impact organizations. Fellows reconvene to build on key learnings from the field and take the conversation to the next level of depth. Fellows will:
- Present their venture (again)
- Meet with a new group of Mentors in small format sessions, and also one-on-one
- Meet one-on-one with program team members
- Participate in informal meals, hikes, & shared spiritual practices together
NAPA, CA // MAY 2025
Our final program gathering, centered on participation in your first Praxis Redemptive Imagination Summit. Fellows will:
- Present their venture (again) to the Praxis community at the Business Accelerator Showcase portion of the Summit
- Reflect and close the program with their cohort and program team, and be formally welcomed into the larger Praxis community
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE PROGRAM IS OVER?
From the Praxis perspective, your completion of the Accelerator program is more of a beginning than an ending. We welcome Fellows in good standing into full participation in the Praxis community of practice, which includes an annual invitation to our Redemptive Imagination Summit.
In addition to participation at the annual Praxis Summit, Fellows will also receive occasional invitations to mentor upcoming entrepreneurs through Praxis Academy and other programs; access to our jobs board, talent network, capital network, and private community platforms; and ongoing opportunities to stay in touch with peers, Mentors, and the Praxis team.WILL YOU SELECT MULTIPLE VENTURES IN THE SAME INDUSTRY?
Praxis Accelerators are not sector-specific and represent a diverse collection of industries. We don’t intentionally pass on duplicate ventures representing the same industry; on occasion, we invite more than one organization working in a particular sector to participate in a cohort. We’re always mindful of crafting cohorts of ventures with complementary offerings, rather than competitive.
WHEN DO YOU SELECT YOUR ACCELERATOR VENTURES?
After applications close on May 22, we begin our due diligence process and invite select ventures into an interview round. All applicants will be notified by the end of July about whether or not they have been selected into this year’s cohort.
WHAT ARE THE DATES AND THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM?
Each Fellow organization is required to attend the in-person, multi-day gatherings in their entirety—as well as participate in regular coaching calls. The required in-person gatherings include a Mentoring Event in New York in September 2024; a second Mentoring Event in San Francisco in February 2025; and a Showcase pitch event and commissioning in Napa, CA, at the 2025 Praxis Redemptive Imagination Summit in May 2025. We typically encourage Fellows to set aside 3-6 additional hours around each in-person gathering (reading up on mentors, breakout session topics, practicing pitches, post-event reflection, etc.). The total time commitment averages 2 days/month for the 9 months of the program.
HOW WILL COVID-19 AFFECT YOUR IN-PERSON ACCELERATOR MEETINGS?We closely monitor travel restrictions and other ongoing developments with COVID-19, and we will ensure that any in-person meeting follows health and safety protocols.
CAN I GO TO ONE EVENT AND HAVE ANOTHER CO-FOUNDER ATTEND ANOTHER? WHAT IF I HAVE TO MISS ONE OF THE DAYS BECAUSE OF ANOTHER MEETING?
One of the main benefits of the Praxis Accelerator is the peer community, so we require that all Fellows commit to attending all events in their entirety at the time of acceptance into the program. This also applies to the second Fellow who may be admitted as part of a team.
WHAT IF I’M LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE US?
Great! We’d love for you to apply to the program. We seek to accommodate Fellows from all time zones to the extent possible (e.g. scheduling of virtual events, early arrival to in-person events). Please note that if you are not a US citizen, you will need to begin visa processing well in advance of the first event.
WILL I BE ASSIGNED A MENTOR?
A small group of senior team members will coach you throughout the program; and you will also encounter dozens of Mentors through our events as well as supplemental introductions by our team. We curate 1:1 sessions between Mentors and Fellows based heavily on their input, so that these discussions are organic and based on mutual affinity.
WHEN WILL I RECEIVE THE CAPITAL GRANTED THROUGH THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAM?
If they opt into the capital from Praxis Capital Partners, Praxis Fellows can receive access to the capital beginning after the first mentoring event in September. Failure to participate in the program in its entirety may result in the loss of funds from Praxis Capital Partners.
WILL PRAXIS FORMALLY ADVISE ON HOW INVESTMENT/DONOR CAPITAL IS USED?
No; while we’re committed to supporting you in building your venture through all the elements of our Accelerator program (including the funds from Capital Partners), neither the Praxis team nor the Capital Partners will provide direction on how the funds are used; this capital is unrestricted and can be used at your discretion.
WHY IS THERE A PROGRAM FEE ALONGSIDE CAPITAL INVESTMENT?
The investment capital for Praxis Fellows participating in the Business Accelerator is opt-in and is distributed directly from Capital Partners to Fellows. While the Praxis program is subsidized by our generous donors, we require a program fee for Fellows to cover some of the costs related to event accommodations and program materials.
WHAT ARE THE TERMS FOR THE OPT-IN CAPITAL?
When a Fellow selects to accept the funding, it either takes the form of a SAFE note with a 20% discount to the next round and no cap (due to stage variance of Fellows), or participates inside of a current round on whatever the terms of the lead, at the entrepreneurs preference (Capital Partners contribution may not be more than 33% of any round). The capital can be soft-circled by each Fellow immediately as part of a round they are raising, but is not transferred into round closing. The automatic capital grant is not available for any non-equity funding, such as loans, project based capital (e.g. films, initiatives, etc.), or funds.
DO I HAVE TO BE A CHRIST-FOLLOWER TO BECOME A FELLOW?
Yes. While we have no denominational affiliation and our community represents a wide diversity of Christian faith traditions and expressions, we require applicants (and Mentors) to affirm the Apostles' Creed, an ancient and commonly-used formulation of essentials of the Christian faith. This ensures that the Accelerator program is an environment where Mentors and Fellows operate from a shared baseline of beliefs, encouraging rich, high-trust, values-aligned conversation and accountability around the expression of their faith in their work.
IS PRAXIS ONLY FOR RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS?
No. Organizations that come through our Accelerator are not required to have a religious affiliation or public expression. The program provides space for committed Christian leaders to explore how the gospel fully informs and gives life to their work, whether or not their venture serves through an explicitly religious mission.
I WOULD LIKE TO APPLY ALONGSIDE ANOTHER TEAM MEMBER FROM MY ORGANIZATION. CAN WE BOTH APPLY?
Each selected organization may bring up to two Fellows (the second seat is an additional $2000). We require one applicant to be the organization’s founder, and we strongly encourage candidates to apply with a co-founder or your closest thought partner in running the organization (i.e. someone you should be comfortable with in an interim leadership role if you were hit by a bus). We don’t recommend that you apply alongside a board member or other advisor, as this program is designed for individuals for whom their role in the venture is their full-time occupation. Should your application make it to the video interview round, both applicants will be expected to be in the interview. Please note that due to program space constraints, Praxis may choose to accept the primary applicant only and not the secondary.
IF I’M NOT A FOUNDER, CEO, OR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAN I APPLY?
Each organization can send up to two Fellows through the application process. The primary applicant must be the chief executive of the organization and is almost always the founder. The second applicant must also be part of the senior leadership team.
WE’VE ALREADY BEEN WORKING ON OUR STARTUP FOR A WHILE. IS PRAXIS ACCELERATOR APPROPRIATE FOR US?
We want to provide the most value to our Fellows so our preference is for early stage ventures; this means in the first 5 years. Older or more established organizations who are working at scale typically don't find as much value in the Praxis program, as we are focused on offering resources for ventures trying to get off the ground.
WE’VE ALREADY RAISED FUNDING. CAN WE STILL APPLY?
Yes! We don’t turn down ventures based on previously raised capital.
WE DON’T REALLY NEED THE MONEY. DOES IT STILL MAKE SENSE TO APPLY?
Yes! Our program is so much more than additional funding or capital. We want to help you through your challenges and that doesn’t always mean cash.
DO WE NEED TO INCORPORATE BEFORE APPLYING?
Yes. We ask that you be incorporated wherever you operate. If you are operating within the United States we ask that you incorporate based on your state’s requirements. If you are operating within any other country, please follow their guidelines.
IF WE PARTICIPATED IN ANOTHER ACCELERATOR, CAN WE DO PRAXIS’S PROGRAM?
Of course! We would love to hear what that accelerator was in your application.
I'M NOT SURE IF MY ORGANIZATION FITS THE CRITERIA. MAY I SCHEDULE A CALL WITH SOMEONE ON YOUR TEAM TO REVIEW MY ORGANIZATION BEFORE I DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO APPLY?
It's most mutually helpful if you begin by completing the Interest Form. That will be the best assessment tool for our small team; and based on your input there, we can give better guidance and answer your questions about eligibility through that process.
WE SUBMITTED OUR APPLICATION BUT NEED TO EDIT IT.
Your application enters our review process once you submit it, so we don't allow continuous editing. If something material has changed — like the addition or removal of a co-founder or a major strategic shift organizationally — please email us at applications@praxislabs.org to amend the details of your application.
WAS OUR APPLICATION SUBMITTED? I CAN’T TELL.
If your application was submitted you should have received an email that verified your submission data and acknowledged that it was received on our end. If you did not receive this email, you can reach out to us at applications@praxislabs.org to see if we received it on our end. If it did not come through, unfortunately you will have to re-submit a new application and double check your email address listed in the form.
WHEN IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE?
Our applications for the 2024 class close at 6:00pm ET on June 2nd.
WHAT DOES PRAXIS AS AN ORGANIZATION DO?
Praxis is a creative engine for redemptive entrepreneurship, supporting founders, funders, and innovators motivated by their faith to love their neighbors and renew culture. Our community of practice operates through high-touch programs, robust content, and a global portfolio of redemptive business & nonprofit ventures. Read more about our mission here.
WHAT IS REDEMPTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ANYWAY?
Broken down into its parts, we define ‘redemptive’ as following the pattern of creative restoration through sacrifice in our life and work. ‘Entrepreneurship’ expresses the directing of our agency and resources toward organizational creation, innovation, and risk. Read more about the redemptive framework here.
IF WE SHOULDN’T APPLY IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO GET CONNECTED WITH PRAXIS?
If the Accelerator isn’t the right fit for you but you identify as an early-stage founder, venture team member, and/or leader of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, you might be interested in Praxis Academy. We also have a variety of free resources available on our website here.