Author Archives: Laura Fernandez

We could not have gotten where we are now without our mentoring accelerator, Village Capital. Thank you for everything!

As a United Nations working group negotiates a set of “sustainable development goals,” 10 scientists and development analysts, in a commentary published today in Nature, have proposed a fundamentally different way to frame this concept.

Accelerating Appalachia is the world’s first nature-based business accelerator, attracting and scaling high-impact innovative businesses aligned with place, people and prosperity.

It is with great appreciation that we welcome our $85,000 grant from Advantage West and the Appalachian Regional Commission for the next 2.5 years!

Do you know an entrepreneur or business that’s doing great stuff in food, farming, forests, fibers, energy, medicinal herbs, outdoor industry… let us know!

Our accelerator will bring together 16-20 entrepreneurs over a 10-12 week period.

We are so excited to have established a partnership with one the most successful accelerator models in the world, Village Capital.

I’ll be advocating for Vermont’s Collective Impact to Transform a Food System with my friends in state, regional, local governments and the private and non-profit sectors.

I’m writing from Hayes and Divisidero in the NOPA district of San Fran. Ready to plunge into SOCAP.

24 Must-Read Blogs For Entrepreneurs via Insider.

Developing my timeline for GrittyWorks, the new name for our accelerator. looking at different business model templates, liking the Business Model Canvas right now.

I’m ready to ask my friends and kindly strangers from around the world to help grow this sweet accelerator to help the land economies of Appalachia.

Quick update: I have reached out to the folks opening Asheville’s new tech accelerator to collaborate and connect with ours and they are interested.

Removing obstacles to becoming an accredited investor.

The truth about how to get funding to start a business via Business Plan Executive Summary.

Useful 13 min guide for startups starting small business.

Atlanta getting social good accelerator, and other sundry accelerators for good. No time to waste, AVL, let’s do this!

Generation Investment Management just released a white paper called Sustainable Capitalism.

For our Appalachian accelerator of farms, forests, and indigenous culture, a hybrid of Seth Godin’s manifesto and others.

Our social change collective, Prosperity Collective, was just accepted into the GroAction network!

The Long-Term Capitalism Challenge seeks to accelerate the shift toward a more principled, patient, and socially accountable capitalism.

The last several days have been inspiring, canvassing and sharing our concepts with existing programs/accelerators and getting input.

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and Tribal College and University (TCU) are actively engaged in promoting sustainability.

Let’s reflect on how huge and beautiful and complex, and human is our economy.

How does ego differ as a major force of motivation to “do good” from more conventional philanthropy or altruism?

A short film, WNC Outdoors, with Kurt Mann. Presented to Outdoor Industry Association and filmed in its entirety onsite in Graham and Clay counties.

Clay County, NC, in southwest NC and bordering Georgia, hosts a wonderful Cherokee heritage festival.