Pre-Seed Capital Access Program (PCAP)​

The Pre-Seed Capital Access Program (PCAP) is a 5 week intensive cohort. To be accepted to the program, applicants must have received an initial round of seed funding. The focus of the program is the Discovery and Validation phases of a startup with the goal of focusing key activity so that startups reach milestones which enable additional rounds of funding.  This includes testing assumptions about customer needs/problems, seeking validation that people are interested in the product/service, and refining their early MVP. 

​The key outcomes for this phase include: 

• Demonstrating Product-Solution Fit
• Refined Market Size Estimate

• Clear Business Model Theses.

Seed Capital Access Program (SCAP)​

The Seed Capital Access Program (SCAP) is an 11 week cohort-based training. The focus of SCAP is the Customer Creation phase of a startup.  After receiving a Seed Round of funding, ventures will need to demonstrate the ability to scale to reach further rounds of funding. As such, the goal of SCAP is to help founders build demand and improve the efficiency of their customer acquisition efforts. As Customer Discovery is a continuous process, it is also expected that founders will continue to engage customers to improve the quality and features of their innovation.
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The key outcomes for this phase include:

• Product-Market Fit
• Definition of Key metrics
• High-Fidelity MVP

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​​​VENTURE CAPITAL ACCESS PROGRAM (VCAP©)

VCAP is the finishing school that helps companies craft their message and articulate Tracation,Scaling,and other Metrics that Matter. As opposed to PCAP and SCAP, VCAP features individualized instruction. VCAP is a 4 week program for underrepresented entrepreneurs who have completed PCAP and SCAP training or have received funding from the DC Inclusive Innovation Fund (DCIIF) and/or other seed/angel investors.  They have successfully demonstrated their readiness for a Series A financing round.

Participants will receive feedback from successful guest entrepreneurs and VCs.
The focus of this program is the Company Building phase of a startup.  This stage drives growth aggressively and executes on the business model.  We expect to see:

• Demonstrated traction with one or more strategic customers or partners
• Significant Sales and/or evidence of scaling
• Achievement of key performance metrics  

The key outcomes for this phase include: 

• Scalable Business Model
• Refined MVP
• Articulation of Metrics that Matter

TMF via DCIIF will make direct introductions to institutional VC partners. 

Venture Capital Access Program (VCAP©) history. VCAP was initially a collaborative venture between the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York (HBSAANY) and the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC) that provided women and diverse entrepreneurs with access to capital through angel investors. HBSAANY invests in entrepreneurs regardless of Harvard affiliation if any.

Background: 

VCAP© was operated and manageed by The Marathon Foundation.

VCAP© allowed entrepreneurs across all industry sectors to submit business plans and financial information to be selected into the program. After a rigorous, multi-stage screening process, finalists were invited to pitch at a special event in front of 40-50 HBSAANY venture capitalists, angels, and other institutional investors.

PROGRAM STATUS
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The PCAP, SCAP, and VCAP application process is now closed. However, registration dates will be announced soon for PCAP/SCAP in Q2 and VCAP in Q4.