Green Mountain Accelerator Fund
The Green Mountain Accelerator Fund (GMAF), created by the Center on Rural Innovation in partnership with the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), supports scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation in rural Vermont by investing in early-stage tech startups.
This capital investment for Vermont-based startups, with a focus on female founders, will facilitate the transformation of innovative early-stage businesses into thriving companies and drive tech entrepreneurial ecosystem development throughout the state’s rural areas.
GMAF only invests in Vermont startups that operate outside of Chittenden County, and is currently seeking opportunities to support scalable tech startups that meet the investment criteria.
Interested in being considered for investment? Read on to learn more about the GMAF investment criteria and how to apply.
Investment criteria
The Green Mountain Accelerator Fund (GMAF) seeks to support scalable rural tech startups in the state of Vermont. The fund invests in early-stage businesses that have a minimum viable product and the potential to create significant economic growth and higher-paying resilient tech jobs in rural areas of Vermont. Preference is for companies that have completed an accelerator program and typical investments are between $50,000 to $100,000 in the form of securities that convert into equity.
About the Green Mountain Accelerator Fund
The Green Mountain Accelerator Fund is an “evergreen” $3 million pre-seed investment vehicle capitalized by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).
The GMAF is made possible by in-kind support from Gallagher, Flynn & Co., Merritt & Merritt, and the Vermont Law & Graduate School. It is also supported by the Green Mountain Launchpad, a regional tech startup catalyst program that is leveraging an Economic Development Administration Build to Scale Capital Challenge award to ensure rural founders, particularly female founders, effectively engage the GMAF by connecting startups to pro-bono legal and financial accounting assistance, potential investments from local angel investors, and pitch development assistance to advance the innovation ecosystem in rural communities across Vermont.
If you have questions about the program, or would like to get in touch with a member of the team, don’t hesitate to get in touch.