gener8tor Surpasses Milestone of 1,000 Startups Accelerated, Spanning Investments Across Race, Place and Gender

80% of global venture firm’s investments are outside of major tech hubs; 67% led by underrepresented founders 

MADISON, Wis. - gener8tor, a global venture firm and startup accelerator that provides seed capital, access to its international network of investors as well as entrepreneurial training, achieved a significant company milestone in October, surpassing 1,000 startup companies assisted through its programs. gener8tor has now accelerated 1,064 high-growth startup companies over the past 10 years. Aiming to provide complete transparency and encourage more accountability among accelerator peers, gener8tor is closing the equity gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to deliver access and opportunity across race, place and gender. 

gener8tor has made it its mission to reform and reshape the accelerator space. The company publishes its composite fund performance metrics alongside the underlying portfolio demographics, showing gener8tor funds consistently perform well above industry averages. With 80% of gener8tor startups located outside of major tech hubs and 67% of its companies led by underrepresented founders, gener8tor brings to light many of the investment disparities and tremendous potential across the larger venture capital space. 

Conversely, post-pandemic statistics show nearly 90% of all U.S. venture capital investments are isolated to three mega-regions — the Bay Area, the Northeast corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., and Southern California.

“In order to continue growing our inclusive economy and spurring innovation outside of the coasts and in emerging markets across the country, venture capital must commit to investing outside of the major tech hubs,” said Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller, gener8tor co-founders. “For the past decade, we’ve proven that everyone benefits when investment dollars are diversified among founders of color, people of all genders and in places throughout the country ranging from Wisconsin to Alabama.”

gener8tor recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and now continues its worldwide momentum, growing in more than 22 states and 41 communities across the U.S. with recent expansion in Europe and new partnerships on the horizon. Kirgues and Vosseller launched gener8tor out of Wisconsin with a mission to show the country that the Midwest was more than just a flyover state and that anyone could build a company - no matter who or where. 

The company now operates with 147 teammates located both in the U.S. and internationally and conducts 104 annual programs and conferences for startups, artists, musicians, corporations and job seekers. Collectively, startup founders have raised more than $1.3 billion in total funding with 34 gener8tor alumni companies reaching exits or acquisitions from prominent corporations such as Mars, Inc., Upside Foods and FiscalNote.

Bolstering thriving startup communities across Middle America, gener8tor’s success is amplified throughout its recent individual program metrics.

• gALPHA, gBETA and Investment Accelerator programs welcomed more than 100 startups to the fall 2022 programs.

• gBETA alumni founders hit $504M in follow-on funding in October with $220M of that funding raised in the last 12 months. 

• gener8tor Skills Accelerator, in partnership with Microsoft TechSpark, graduated over 900 participants and created more than 485 job placements in its two short years as a program. 

• OnRamp Conference Series returned to in-person events, successfully launching all five industry vertical conferences in Minnesota, Illinois, Alabama and Indiana – conducting over 718 startup track meetings with leading industry investors and corporations. 

• gener8tor Creative Accelerators kicked off gART and gMUSIC in September with six new visual artists receiving $15K grants each and 50 musical artists participating in a curated mentorship and guided curriculum program. 

• The company’s growing Corporate Innovation Network hosted 50 corporate executives in Chicago last month, collaborating on innovative ways to support and grow the startup ecosystem. 

gener8tor brings to light many of the investment disparities across the venture capital space, demonstrating that when everyone has a seat at the table, everyone benefits, including startup founders, communities, investors, corporations and the greater entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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About gener8tor 

gener8tor is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports startups, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs and conferences in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries. Fast Company named gener8tor one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2021 and 2022. The International Trade Council recognized gener8tor as Venture Capital Firm of the Year in 2022.