Congregate follows a four-step process….
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1. Convene
Gather experts from industry and government to define challenge statements
Identify critical impediments to reopening TPATH sectors, technology areas of need and public health requirements
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2. Scout
Leverage data science tools networks to identify assess the capability landscape and companies that can address the challenges
Vet and invite a selection of companies based on their ability to thrive in the program.
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3. Prove
Engage innovators to address public health needs and support the evaluation and refinement of their solutions
Test these solutions through pilots in coordination with industry
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4. Scale
Offer resources and connections to help solutions achieve rapid adoption in other regions and congregation venues.
Congregate engages experts from industry and government through a variety of roles
Mentors
Congregate makes extensive use of mentors to help our companies succeed. Generally, in the startup world, a mentor is a seasoned entrepreneur who has led a company to success. She is a experienced founder that can help a new founder know what to expect along the way. Congregate, being an enterprise focused and challenge driven accelerator, has traditional startup mentors, but we also have industry mentors. These are experienced buyers from our stakeholder community in the travel, tourism, hospitality, and performing arts industries. Industry mentors help cohort members understand how these industries work, how they manage acquisitions, and how this can influence a companies business and revenue model. Additionally, we have regulatory mentors that advise our cohort companies on how government assesses public health risks so they can better prepare for COVID response related uncertainty.
Become a Mentor Meet our Mentors
Industry Partners
Congregate has teamed with a wide variety of industry stakeholders to define our industry challenges. Challenge sponsors are influential companies, organizations, and venues that have offered to work with selected cohort members on pilot projects. Challenge sponsors are actively looking for solutions that address the industry challenges, and have committed to both work with cohort members on their proof-of-concept, run a pilot in their facility, and if all goes well, offer their testimonial to help cohort members sell their solution to other similar organizations.
Industry Advisors
Industry advisors represent the various stakeholders in the TPATH sectors affected by COVID-19. They advise PNWER and Congregate on challenge definition and serve as a steering committee for the program. They are instrumental in helping Congregate alumni scale their solutions through their involvement in prominent industry groups and their network of relationships in these sectors.
Timeline
Cohort 1
Fall 2021
Convene + Scout
Winter 2022
Prove + Scale
Cohort 2
Spring 2022
Convene + Scout
Summer 2022
Prove + Scale
About
The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the Pacific Northwest’s Tourism, Performing Arts, Travel and Hospitality (TPATH) sectors. Startups, industry experts and government leaders can each play a pivotal role in the journey to recovery and resilience.
Challenges
We reached out to various organizations in the TPATH sector to understand their technology needs to facilitate quick recovery. Their needs are illustrated as a set of challenges that startups and industry experts can drive solutions for, accelerated by Congregate.
Community
Our partner network is a diverse group of public and private organizations with a range of expertise in the TPATH sector. Explore the benefits of partnering with us and contributing to the recovery of the region.