LaunchVT provides business acceleration services to cohorts of eight entrepreneurs. All eight members of the cohort receive mentorship specific to the needs of their businesses and participate in office hours, peer strategy sessions, focused trainings, pitch prep workshops, and investor events. Each member of the cohort will leave the accelerator with a refined and polished pitch deck, a Launch Report (executive summary), and extensive connections to local founders, advisors, investors, and service providers.
In selecting our cohort and awarding cash and services, we look for:
Viability: Quality of the product, business model and team
Scalability: Market opportunity and revenue growth potential
Impact: Job creation and positive economic impact on VT
Program overView:
Office Hours
These private networking opportunities connect members of the LaunchVT cohort with over 100 individuals and companies that can help them build their businesses. With time for informal networking and structured conversation, finalists get one-on-one access to one of our greatest community resources - our people.
Workshops
Our workshops are dedicated technical assistance sessions led by content experts and LaunchVT advisors. They provide an opportunity for our entrepreneurs to work strategically on some of the most important aspects of their business with the support of experienced professionals.
peer Sessions
Our peer sessions allow members of the cohort to offer feedback and assistance to each other, an invaluable element of the program. We select eight of the most exciting entrepreneurs in the state and give them plenty of time to share their expertise and collaborate. We also bring in LaunchVT alumni to share their stories and answer questions from the cohort.
Coaching
Members of the cohort are assigned a dedicated coach with industry specific experience. Coaches work with their team on every aspect of their business and provide one on one support as they develop their pitch for Demo Day. Coaches also provide detailed feedback and strategic advice to help their team prepare a polished Launch Report for applying to other accelerators and investment opportunities.
Capital
LaunchVT will invest non-dilutive cash to up to three businesses. Each award is selected by a separate committee during Demo Night. The Investor’s Award is selected by three local investors with experience working with Vermont startups. The Impact award is selected by the LaunchVT Advisory Board and based primarily on criteria focused on the economic impact the business will have in Vermont. The Audience’s Choice Award is selected by the public. Every attendee will receive a token and have the opportunity to cast a vote for their favorite business.
Professional services
Each member of the cohort will be awarded a suite of services from local businesses. LaunchVT partners with local service providers to offer our cohort members access to over $100,000 in marketing, legal, accounting, design, and work space support. Click the link below to check out all of the amazing in-kind service providers supporting our entrepreneurs!
2025 Demo Night Grand Prize Judges:
Byron Batres
Byron Batres is the founder of Scrivnr, a legal-tech and finance startup that provides capital for families that can’t afford an attorney in inheritance cases and specializes in stopping foreclosures due to death. Scrivnr provides capital to cover attorney fees, court costs, and bonds, and pays the mortgage arrears alongside document automation and a trusted nationwide network of attorneys, streamlining complex legal processes with efficiency and care.
Born in Guatemala and raised in Philadelphia, Byron is a Certified Financial Planner™ turned entrepreneur based in Burlington, Vermont. He spent nearly two decades in financial and estate planning before launching EZ-Probate in 2016 to make probate faster, simpler, and far less expensive. A 2018 LaunchVT alum, Byron led EZ-Probate to serve over 5,000 families and save them more than $45 million in legal fees before the company was acquired in 2022.
A former Morgan Stanley and UBS advisor, Byron is also a proud father of two and a self-proclaimed “world’s greatest Guatemalan ice climber” and most “Important Man In Probate,” driven to make legal services more accessible.
Louisa Schibli
Louisa Schibli is a mission-driven entrepreneur and impact investor focused on inclusive economic growth in rural communities. She is the Director of Impact and Engagement at RuralWorks Partners, a growth-stage impact fund investing in climate-smart businesses that create quality jobs in rural America. Louisa co-founded Milk Money Vermont, the state’s first equity crowdfunding platform, and the Vermont Women’s Investor Network, now part of the Northern New England Women’s Investor Network (NNEWIN). She was also project manager for This Way Up, a statewide survey amplifying the voices of women-owned businesses. A 2019–2020 fellow at the Just Economy Institute and a 2021 graduate of the Vermont Leadership Institute, Louisa serves on the boards of the Flexible Capital Fund, Burlington Telecom Innovation Fund, Vermont Journalism Trust, Mercy Connections, and Living Wage For US.
Earlier in her career, she worked in commodities trading at Glencore in Switzerland. She lives in Charlotte where she enjoys hiking, biking, skiing and floating.
TIM WALL
Tim Wall is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor, serving as a Managing Partner of The Fund at Hula. With a strong background in scaling businesses and driving innovation through strategic investments, he has co-founded and successfully exited companies in the tech sector. Alongside his leadership role at The Fund at Hula, Tim actively manages a diverse portfolio of companies through a family investment fund and has built a strong track record supporting early-stage ventures with high growth potential, drawing on his extensive experience as both a venture capital investor and startup operator. Deeply committed to making a positive social impact within society, he serves on the boards of local organizations focused on mental health, housing, and sustainability. Outside of his professional pursuits, Tim also has a farm, blending his passion for entrepreneurship with a connection to community.