42 Startups Graduate from Newchip’s Inaugural Accelerator Program

Back in May, we wrote about the Newchip when the startup accelerator launched its first equity-free accelerator program to connect startups with investors. Now, the Texas-based investment marketplace aggregator announced the graduation of 42 startups from its Q2 Accelerator cohort after successfully completingg the 12 week intensive program. The Newchip inaugural online accelerator program was launched back in April 2019 with the mission of preparing its participants to launch, scale, and fund their startups.

To date, it has partnered with major venture funds and even other top accelerators to help bridge the gap between a market dominated by programs focused on product and market development but little to no focus on CEO professional development.

Commenting on the milestone, Ryan Rafols, CEO of Newchip, said: “Our companies go through weeks of extensive content in a dynamic, collaborative, and engaging online environment that challenges them not only mentally but physically in the requirements we pushed them to accomplish each week.”

Founded in 2016 by CEO Ryan Rafols and Travis Brodeen, the Newchip Accelerator is an immersive, equity-free, online accelerator program for Early Stage to Series A startups serious about scaling their businesses to the next level. Participants engage in a comprehensive curriculum of training, 1-1 mentor sessions, Masterminds, and live classes to prepare them to raise investment capital from Angels, VC’s, and the crowd. Three components comprise the Newchip Accelerator: Bootcamp, Pre-Seed, and Seed. Startups apply and are accepted into an appropriate Accelerator program based on the stage, traction, and trajectory of their business.

“I had the honor and opportunity of helping many of these companies throughout the program and can say that I was impressed by the progress and outcomes made in the Accelerator,” said Joshua Lawton, Accelerator Director of Newchip. “It’s a clear reminder to me, to my team, and to all entrepreneurs, that Newchip is already making an immediate impact in the world of startup education and fundraising. Look forward to some major announcements from our graduates over the next few weeks as they close their rounds!”

To graduate, startup founders are required to complete not just the curriculum but also pitch hundreds of investors in Newchip’s quarterly Investor Startup Showcase, a multi-day, online event for participating startups in the Accelerator program to pitch their companies to prospective investors around the world. Post graduation, Newchip has announced investments into two of its cohort companies: FITT Finder and SK Hops, alongside other major investors, and it will continue to announce investments as rounds close.

Companies from the inaugural (April/May) Newchip Accelerator cohort include:

• Arieh Solutions (Texas, USA): Arieh Solutions automates the staffing and scheduling of maritime workers and provides real time communication of shift schedules between employees and crewing desks.
• inCourt (Florida, USA): inCourt is a platform for court colleagues to communicate, share files, exchanges services or money, for the purpose of standing in for each other.
• FITT Finder (Texas, USA): FITT Finder is a marketplace that helps health and fitness seekers find and book fitness activities and services at their convenience.
• Corlinc (Washington, USA): Corlinc simplifies the way businesses engage with, market, and sell to their audience online with a simple and affordable marketing tool that targets the 24 million underserved entrepreneurs.
• Healthcare Now (Texas, USA): Healthcare Now (aka 24 Hour Physicians) provides telemedicine services to patients, collecting all medical records for patients for their use, and building a fully distributed Electronic Health Record that’s secure, private, inter-operable, immutable, readable by both people and computers.
• ZenLeap (Texas, USA): ZenLeap is a talent marketplace that simplifies the way companies find talent by using intelligence to match candidates to positions, not resume to job descriptions.
• Trouvaille (Arizona, USA): Trouvaille is a full-service, small group travel experience company that offers all-inclusive Signature Travel Experiences in the US and around the world, all-inclusive Trouvaille Day Trips in select US cities, and B2B travel planning and small group travel services.
• Valet Storage (Texas, USA): Valet Storage is an on-demand storage service that takes the headache out of storage and provides customers with a dependable, affordable storage solution.
• ElysIoT (California, USA): ElysIoT is developing a versatile, robust, and cost-effective IoT platform, including personalized interaction powered by AI, to support medication adherence.
• Rent My Closet (Texas, USA): Rent My Closet is an affordable peer-to-peer platform for renting fashion on-demand.
• Lapis Sphere Technologies (New York, USA): Lapis Sphere Technologies is the maker of ALIN,  an event-based group up app that consolidates social media connections and also allows individuals to make money by creating events rather than paying to join groups.
• Viewst (New York, USA): Viewst is a design tool for advertisers that creates cool ads at scale.
• SurrogateList (California, USA): SurrogateList matches hopeful parents with the right surrogate using a proprietary match score system.
• Vendible (Tennessee, USA): Vendible provides secure payments and mobile banking, bridging traditional financial services and digital assets.
• Pivvt (Utah, USA): Pivvt is working to help people be proactive about managing their careers.
• OodlesBid (Florida, USA): Oodlesbid is an exciting new game where players compete against the clock to win high-end luxury prizes.
• Consumer Affinity (Texas, USA): Consumer Affinity provides a nexus of information security services, including credit monitoring, products, and awareness, that educate and protect the customers of financial institutions.
• Launch Code After School (Texas, USA): Launch Code After School is a program designed to take children from ages 8 to 14 in after school programs that meet 2x a week for 1 hour with classwork that can be completed at home.
• TaxTaker (Texas, USA): TaxTaker is a full-service specialty tax credit platform for accounting professionals and tech companies, its product being an automated R&D Tax Credit software.
• GiftCrowd (New York, USA): GiftCrowd is the simple way to buy group gifts while sharing the cost with others.
• Ocean Body Balm (Maryland, USA): Ocean Body Balm, is an ancient, all-natural organic skin balm passed down from generation to generation.
• The Brain Domain (Texas, USA): The Brain Domain is a tutoring firm specializing in addressing the specific needs of each student through 1-1 tutoring, test prep, and college counseling.
• Solar Screen (Ohio, USA): Solar Screen is a leading on-the-spot sunscreen distribution service aimed at fighting against skin cancer and lowering sunburn rates.
• Creation Crate (Ontario, Canada): Creation Crate is the developer of a subscription-based educational tool created to promote and enhance STEM education through a monthly delivered box that includes a tech project with detailed instructions and materials to assemble an electronic product, enabling customers to learn how to build electronics.
• My Ink (California, USA): My Ink is developing Scriby, an app that will take witten word and convert it into computerized font which can then be listed on a font marketplace.
• TurboPass (Texas, USA): Turbopass is a SaaS consumer permissioned income and employment validation solution for car dealers and lenders.
• Aivia (California, USA): Aivia is bringing investors and investments to a global marketplace using blockchain and digital currency.
• Afoodable (Texas, USA): Afoodable is reinventing traditional food waste management by harvesting the nutrients from today’s food scraps to create organic fertilizer that grows tomorrow’s food, closing the loop, table to farm!
• MyPottyPass (New York, USA): MyPottyPass is reimagining the way to go, on the go: no more sneaking into restaurants or stores.
• Shoptaki (New York, USA): Shoptaki is taking the concept of blockchain to the next level in a way that will revolutionize the way people handle data and harness the power of A.I.
• Home Rehabilitation Network (Maryland, USA): Home Rehabilitation Network is a telemedicine company that provides telerehabilitation and also offers a smart TV app (Medflix-HRN).
• Tribe Swapp (Colorado, USA): TribeSwapp is a unique and innovative app tailored to budget-conscious families that seek cheaper childcare services by leveraging their community.
• LYTT (California, USA): LYTT is disrupting the $2.5B flavored malt beverage segment as the only cocktail that is herbal infused and made with reverse osmosis alcohol and half the sugar.
• Oakland TownHawk (California, USA): Oakland TownHawks plays in a league that puts the game above multi-million-dollar contracts.
• Savi (Texas, USA)
• CloviTek (Utah, USA): CloviTek is the manufacturer of CloviFi, a wireless hardware device for consumers, seniors, those struggling with hearing loss, and also businesses in public places.
• Rica Rockelle Enterprise (California, USA): Rica Rockelle Enterprises is an American consumer goods corporation specializing in a wide range of beauty cosmetics and personal care.
• Gongago (South Carolina, USA): Gongago makes online advertising quick, easy, and affordable for small to mid-sized businesses through its online business directory.
• CertificationPoint (Nevada, USA): CertificationPoint is a college student oriented project-based learning employment marketplace which enables service buyers to hire college students, as well as independent mentors to collaborate for business purposes.
• Livestock of the World (Oregon, USA): Livestock of the World is an innovative network of websites that help the livestock owners of the world, buy and sell their animals and products.
• SK Hops (Texas, USA): SK Hops is devoted to supplying locally grown hops to local craft breweries.

Newchip’s Accelerator is revolutionizing the global startup accelerator and fundraising industry by democratizing capital and bringing access to companies outside of major startup hubs. Its programs, including its Seed, Pre-Seed, and Bootcamp, accept new applicants on a rolling basis, graduating more companies than a typical accelerator due to its equity-free and tuition-based nature. Startup founders compare it more to a gauntlet race to the finish, with only the best companies receiving investment.

“We realized that less than 1,000 companies graduate accelerator programs per year and it really was locking entrepreneurs out in the cold from the knowledge and networks they need to succeed,” said Ryan Rafols, CEO of Newchip. “So rather than take the traditional route of ‘meet and greet’, invest, and then hope they work out during the Accelerator, we decided to open our programs up to more entrepreneurs. However, we only invest in the top graduates.”