TiE-Boston is doing exactly—or may be more than—what its 13 founding charter members had envisioned. Today, it boasts over 150 charter members. In 2017 alone, TiE Boston hosted over 50 events designed to deliver on mission of fostering entrepreneurship. Robust programming built out over the years includes TiE Young Entrepreneurs, popularly known as TYE that was started in Boston in 2005, which has become a global phenomenon.
TiE Young Entrepreneurs
TYE, now a global TiE program, is aimed at fostering future generations of entrepreneurs by teaching basics of business, innovative problem solving, and teamwork to high school students and helping them discover the rewards and challenges of becoming an entrepreneur. Over 350 participants have completed TYE through the TiE Boston office and now more than 26 TiE chapters participate each year in the program.
The program accepts applications in early Spring and kicks off in Fall. The six month program ends in a final pitch competition where students present their startups for awards and the chance to represent TiE Boston at the TYE Global Competition.
The TYE program has activated engagement from the wider community of TiE members, volunteers, professors, and parents, who are excited about assisting the next generation of entrepreneurs.
TiE Boston Angels
Through its Angels program, TiE-Boston provides funding and advice to early-stage companies. The TiE Boston Angels program introduces entrepreneurs to potential investors through business plan presentations at its monthly meetings.
TiE Boston investors look for innovative, technology-driven startup companies addressing a
significant market opportunity where the investment can make a difference. TiE Boston Angels syndicate with local and national Angel groups for deal flow and due diligence.
Since 2011, TiE-Boston Angels have funded 24 companies in various emerging technology
areas. Cumulatively, TiE Boston Angel members have invested more than $10 Million in these companies. 2017 has been a breakout year for TiE Boston Angels with over $3.2 Million invested YTD and the investments are expected to close the calendar year above $4 Million.
TiE ScaleUp
Launched in 2015, TiE ScaleUp is an accelerator specifically geared to help growth stage companies overcome common obstacles and barriers to scale. The program works closely with select companies to refine their business model, obtain access to capital and tap into a peer network for ongoing support. Over 59 companies have already graduated from this program, TiE ScaleUp was named “most innovative program” by TiE Global, and was recently one of the top featured in the Bostinno’s “Guide to Startup Accelerators in Boston”.
How does TiE ScaleUp make a difference? Many companies fail even after getting early seed stage capital. They are in need of the next stage of knowledge, mentoring, connections and resources, to successfully prepare for scale and their next capital raise. That is what TiE ScaleUp provides.
Over six months, the program consists of 7 workshops tailored to the challenges faced by companies looking to scale, 800 hours of mentorship, an invite-only demo day with over 100 investors from top venture capital firms and angel groups from New England, peer-to-peer learning through executive roundtables, and invitations to exclusive events with high profile entrepreneurs. In the spirit of giving back and fostering entrepreneurship in which TiE was founded, the program does not charge a program fee nor takes equity from participating companies. Applications to ScaleUp open in the Fall.
TiE StartupCON
For 20 years, TiE-Boston has fostered entrepreneurship through mentorship, education, networking and funding. There’s no better demonstration this than the annual TiE StartupCON, which is the largest conference of its kind in New England. TiE StartupCON brings together innovators, business leaders, and funders to connect with each other,, learn about emerging opportunities and tools for entrepreneurs, and celebrate accomplishments in our ecosystem.
Other TiE Boston Activities include speaker events (in 2017, these included Deep Dives in IoT and AI, and the annual Investor Outlook Dinner), socials, breakfasts, and curated dinners. For more information about TiE Boston’s activities and how to deepen your involvement, email Community Manager Lisa Yang at lisa@boston.tie.org.
