Purely informative, for those who have been asking about how Agora works & how I’m keeping busy:
Agora’s flagship program (there are others) is the Accelerator, self described as “a 6-month program designed to give outstanding small businesses poised for expansion access to the social, human, and financial capital needed to accelerate their growth.”
For this class (as most classes), the entrepreneurs are sourced from across Central America & Mexico (this is a list of the current entrepreneurs.) For the duration of their time in the Accelerator, the entrepreneurs are coached by the Portfolio Managers, who are Agora Fellows (& my office buddies), through the processes that will make them ‘investor-ready’. There are 2 main events int this process: the Entrepreneur Retreat, where they bond & learn, and the Investor Conference, where Agora connects them with investors.
The Entrepreneur Retreat was last week, in Granada. This was the first time all of the entrepreneurs met each other face-to-face, and the first time some of the PMs (thats Portfolio Manager, keep up) had met some of their entrepreneurs face-to-face!
This year, the Investor Conference is called Impact Investing in Action, and is being co-hosted by Village Capital (that’s me!). We’re holding it in Atlanta, GA, at the gracious Goizueta Business School of Emory University. Here, the entrepreneurs from the VilCap Atlanta cohort – or as I call them, the ATLprenerus (that was supposed to be an ATLiens joke. I’m losing it, sorry guys. I should write these during the work hours, not after) – and the entrepreneurs from Agora’s Accelerator class will pitch their businesses for a group of investors that we are getting together. Among other things, we’re also using this opportunity to get together a bunch of investors who might not currently be operating in the early stage space, or in Latin America, but are considering expanding into either (or both!).
So that’s May 22-25, 2012. And some of what I’m working on. Along with some other stuff.
Finally, if anyone is curious as to my setting as i write this: back patio of my hostel (yes, still in a hotel – its an extended stay place, and its just delightful. I have my own large bedroom with closet & bathroom, a kitchen I can use, and this wonderful back patio where there is a light breeze, jungle-y atmosphere, plentiful tables & chairs, and a pretty good college band playing within 100 yards in some direction.)
Do observe:
Pretty nice, right?
cj seeks 