Mike Bradshaw, Co.Lab’s executive director, talks about the Gig Tank in this 2013 file photo.Some big corporate names are partnering this year with Chattanooga’s GigTank, beefing up the summer-long accelerator program’s power and promise for the startups it takes under its wing.
Alcatel-Lucent, Verizon Wireless, HomeServe USA, UPS Connect, US Ignite and Mozilla are on the list. There will likely be more, but Co.Lab, which runs the program, is still firming them up.
The corporations and organizations have agreed to make their market access and industry expertise available to the startups selected for the program.
“Those are things our startups need to be successful,” said Mike Bradshaw, Co.Lab’s executive director. “Everything we’ve done has built up to this.”
Co.Lab plans to accept five to seven startups this year, in order to offer concentrated nurturing. Last year, there were about a dozen participants. The program runs May 4 through Aug. 14. Participants get free housing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, May 25 to July 31. Co.Lab today will start taking applications.