The Free Accelerator for St. Thomas Founders
gBETA St. Thomas is a free, equity-free accelerator for early-stage startups founded by University of St. Thomas students and alumni. Get hands-on mentorship, a proven growth curriculum, and access to the full gener8tor network.
Free 7-Week Program
About gBETA St. Thomas
gBETA runs multiple times every year in cities across the United States. Up to 5 companies are selected from a competitive applicant pool to participate in the free seven-week program.
Free Grant for Every Participant
Every company selected for gBETA St. Thomas receives a $10,000 grant. No equity. No strings attached.
Expert Mentorship
Individualized coaching from the nationally ranked gener8tor team on company growth, investor readiness, and fundraising strategy.
Lunch & Learns + Mentor Swarms
Weekly programming with experienced operators, founders, and advisors designed to sharpen your pitch and accelerate your progress.
Investor Pitches
Direct access to investor and accelerator pitch opportunities to build relationships and open doors for future funding.
$1M+ in Vendor Perks
Deals and credits from IBM Cloud, Amazon, HubSpot, Microsoft, Rackspace, Zendesk, Paypal, and more.
Post-Program Support
Ongoing access to the gener8tor network, resources, and community long after demo day ends.
A Clear Path to Funding
gBETA's goal is for every graduate to go on to join an investment accelerator or raise a seed round. See our progress.
Eligibility Criteria for gBETA St. Thomas
You're a Student or Alumni of the University of St. Thomas
gBETA St. Thomas takes place on the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is exclusively available to students and alumni of the University of St. Thomas. Companies of any stage, industry, or business model can apply to participate.
Program Commitment
You can commit to at least 85% of our programming, with the ideal being 100%. gBETA requires at least 5-7 hours weekly of programming, not including the time founders dedicate to working on their businesses independently.
Openness, Fundraising, and Sales
You're prepared to discuss your business openly with mentors and investors, knowing that not everything is proprietary. Raising capital is on your radar, and you are either selling already or ready to scale your sales in a more reliable, consistent way.
Coachability and Responsiveness
You're coachable, open to feedback, and value multiple perspectives to make informed decisions for your business. You're also responsive and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Apply to an Upcoming Program
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Director
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To be announced soon!
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We are not currently accepting applications for this program.
Stay tuned. While there aren't any upcoming programs for this location at the moment, there are plenty of other available opportunities at gener8tor!
Program Timeline
Seven weeks of hands-on strategy meetings, weekly Lunch & Learns, mentor introductions, and 1:1 pitches with investors, plus ongoing alumni support to keep your momentum going after the program ends.
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Getting Started
Program Kick-Off: A 1.5-day kickoff that maps out your next seven weeks, builds your cohort, and pairs you 1:1 with your Program Manager.
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Weeks 1–6
Team Meetings: Two 1-hour strategy sessions each week with your Program Manager to set priorities and keep your business moving.
Lunch & Learns: Weekly 1-hour sessions on: Market and Competition, Revenue Models, Financing and Milestones, Comparables, Pitching, How to Get into an Accelerator, and more!
Mentor Swarms: One 2-hour "speed dating" session each week with a group of new mentors, for a total of ~30 mentor introductions over six weeks.
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Week 7
Investor Swarms: Curated 1:1 pitch meetings with 25+ investors actively looking to fund startups.
Showcase: Final celebration event with live pitches and networking with mentors, investors, and customers.
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Post-Program
Alumni Support: Ongoing assistance and resources for graduates of the program to help continue their growth and success.
gener8tor Conferences: Connect with corporate innovation network partners, investors, and fellow startups in key industries. Learn more
Lightning Rounds: Curated, one-on-one pitch sessions between startups and investors. Learn more
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gBETA is a free, seven-week, pre-accelerator program for companies that are looking to achieve rapid growth and/or raise venture capital. gBETA helps entrepreneurs work in and on their business while also attaining the entrepreneurial mindset needed to be successful.
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Thanks to our program partners, gBETA is at no cost to the five companies selected to participate in each cohort.
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gBETA embraces a concierge approach to its programming. That means founders receive one-on-one attention throughout the program. Everything we do is personalized to your business, no matter how far along you are in its development.
gBETA is run by nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor, so you know that the help you’re getting is top-notch.
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Sure, what have you got to lose? It’s completely free, and we’ll help you grow and scale your business!
gBETA is a good fit for you if you are ready to “step on the gas” for your business. We work with companies who are pre-revenue, and those who already have revenue. Most of our programs are industry-agnostic, so we accept a wide variety of startups, but we are looking for companies who want to scale quickly and see value in raising venture capital to do so.
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Through one-on-one interaction with their program manager, mentors and investors, program participants gain valuable personalized insights that can be applied to their business strategy. Program focus areas include gaining an entrepreneurial mindset, validating the company, growing customer traction, and preparing for investor pitches.
Benefits include:
• Additional media attention, which leads to additional support from community and business leaders
• Access to gener8tor’s robust national network of thousands of fellow entrepreneurs, mentors and investors, and warm introductions to those most relevant to your business
• Lifetime membership access to Morrow powered by GAN (Global Accelerator Network)
• $1M + in deals and perks from vendors like Google, IBM Cloud, Rackspace, Amazon, PayPal, Zendesk and Microsoft
• Membership in gener8tor’s startup community of thousands of startup founders, with access to gener8tor’s network, events and resources for the lifetime of your business
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To be considered for the program, simply complete the online application. You can apply for multiple programs if you meet the eligibility criteria (e.g., presence in the relevant city or industry). After applications close, the director will notify you if you’re selected for an interview, which typically involves one or two rounds and a prepared pitch. Once interviews are complete, you'll be informed if you’ve been chosen.
We also encourage you to sign up for office hours before or after applying to meet with the director and ask any questions.
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Once founders complete the 7-week program, they become alumni. Program Managers keep in close contact and continue to support their alumni, and alumni are part of the gener8tor network for the life of their business. We make every effort to ensure they are considered for future opportunities such as gener8tor’s investment accelerators, inclusion in our gener8tor conferences, and lightning rounds or introductions to new mentors and investors. We have your back from start to finish.
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Running a startup and going through an accelerator is a commitment, but you don’t need to be working on your company full-time to participate in gBETA. We typically require 4-6 hours per week for meetings, plus additional time for follow-ups and for time that the founder needs to spend on their businesses. .
Our goal is to focus on projects that will significantly advance your company, making it time well spent. We understand the balance between personal and work life, so our program managers will work with you to fit the program into your schedule. However, we do expect founders to make every effort to maximize their experience.
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Yes, please do! Due to the nature of the program and our desire to put a strong focus on five companies per cohort, not all who apply will be immediately accepted. Founders should continue to apply for gBETA even if they are not accepted upon first application.
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Yes and no. We will help you set and achieve metrics that make your company attractive to investors and we’ll help you craft a killer pitch. We’ll also introduce you to investors both during the program and after the program, if you’d like us to. However, we won’t pitch or make asks for you. We’ll show you the path, but it’s up to you to make the journey and get the funding.
While we cannot make guarantees in terms of potential investments, we work very hard to ensure that the program puts you in the best position possible to raise money if that is your goal.
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Every gBETA program is different depending on the market for which you are applying. Some programs accept any type of startup that is located in a certain geography, while others may recruit nationally for a specific industry vertical.
If you are unsure whether or not to apply, we highly recommend requesting office hours with the Program Manager of the program that interests you.
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Although participation in gBETA is free, all participants are required to sign a participation agreement during the onboarding process.
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We treat all application data as confidential and don’t steal ideas. With thousands of applications yearly, many with similar concepts, we don’t sign NDAs. Our application doesn’t require your “special formula,” so only share what you're comfortable with
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We’re eager to hear about companies you think would be a perfect fit for gBETA. Click here to share your referrals with us.
Have Questions? We'd Love to Hear from You.
Fill out the form or reach out to Nick Austin, gBETA Program Manager. We'll get back to you within 1 business day.

