500 Startups: Sowing the Seeds of Entrepreneurial Success

Venture capital companies are like angels sent from heaven to aspiring entrepreneurs and the growing number of these venture capital and startup incubator companies has helped countless internet startup companies get their feet off the ground. One of the standouts in this field is 500 Startups. Founded by Dave McClure, 500 Startups aims to provide early-stage companies with funding, mentoring, and help with design, data management, and distribution.

While most venture capital companies provide entrepreneurs with a seed fund and not much else, 500 helps their community of startups succeed by providing them with what they need, not just funding. 500’s partners and venture partners have extensive experience in corporate leadership and some even come from a successful entrepreneurial background which helps them arm their companies with everything they need to learn to be successful

500 Startups has more than 160 startup mentors, each with years of experience to share with their companies. At the moment, 500 Startups finds companies to nurture through a referral system wherein mentors, founders, and venture advisors recommend which companies to invest in. Once chosen, each company goes through an accelerator program where they are provided funding, their own workspace, and a mentor to guide them along the way. The companies are also given access to a unique design network and a large distribution platform to help them build and grow their company, and so much more. 

500 Startups has already launched its 4^th batch of companies and is busy searching for and developing the next big thing in internet startup business. Some of their famous alumni include TaskRabbit, a marketplace where people can post and apply to do errands and odd jobs within their neighborhoods, 72Lux, a high-end checkout for luxury shoppers, and WePay, a payment processing site that helps companies and organizations collect money and manage their group funds online.