Is reSET’s Impact Accelerator the right fit for your venture?
ewalsh • October 14, 2015
reSET’s award winning accelerator is back! This January, reSET kicks off the 2016 Impact Accelerator, a 5 month program designed to propel start-up social ventures toward growth and scale.
This year, the Impact Accelerator will follow a flexible format designed to accommodate busy entrepreneurial teams. The program will feature 5 immersive summits, as well as dozens of optional workshops and seminars. Click to learn more about everything that this program offers.
Also, this year, we will be awarding $25,000 in grants to accelerator ventures at the end of the program! And, we are debuting an innovative ‘pay what you can’ model, so that cost isn’t a burden to helping your venture take root and grow.
Is the Impact Accelerator the right fit for your venture? We are accepting ventures that satisfy these criteria:
- Your venture has earned some revenue – We aren’t looking for you to have made it big, but we want to see some evidence of a revenue stream. We understand that revenue for early stage ventures can be unpredictable, unsteady, and unsustainable, but we do want you to have reached a stage where you have some preliminary proof of concept, and some sort of prototype or Minimum Viable Product.
- Your business creates positive impact – There are many, many ways that businesses can create impact. Some ventures create impact through their models, some through their hiring and supply chain decisions, and some through the very nature of their product or service. The accelerator program is open to all ventures, but we’re looking for impact driven entrepreneurs that want to really make a difference in the community or the world.
Don’t consider yourself a ‘Social Enterprise’? Many businesses don’t consider themselves social enterprises, but actually create social and environmental impact both directly and indirectly. At reSET, we care less about the label, and more about the ethos with which you run your company.
- You are a driven entrepreneur with a big vision – Drive is half the battle… We want to work with founders that are passionate, inspired, and 100% committed to taking their business to the next level. Energy and enthusiasm is contagious and we want the 2016 Impact Accelerator cohort to blow the roof off.
The deadline for applications is December 10th, but ventures will be accepted on a rolling basis. Click here to apply, and if you have any questions, sign up to attend an info session, or contact reSET Program Director, Rosie Gallant – Rgallant@SocialEnterpriseTrust.org.
Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors
Inviting Impact Entrepreneurs Into Transformative Growth
21 Businesses Participated, Gaining Valuable Impact-Driven Business Training
Special Discount Available for Attendees Purchasing Tickets to Both Events
11 Impact-Driven Food Businesses Ready to Scale Operations and Community Impact
Program Partnership with Breakfast Lunch & Dinner Supports Early-Stage Retail Businesses with Social Impact Focus
Listen in to the replay of John Voket of Connoisseur Media's interview of reSET Food Program Manager Katrice Claudio and Program Manager Ndubisi Okeke that aired on Sunday July 6, 2025. They talked about the reSET programs that are enrolling for the fall--the Food Accelerator for food businesses looking to scale, and the Retail Incubator for early stage product-based businesses looking to ramp up for holiday markets in Connecticut. Listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8745230-reset-fall-program-preview The interview aired on the award-winning "For the People" show on Sunday, July 6 on WEBE 108 FM, STAR 99.9, WPLR FM and THe VOICE of Connecticut and on the podcast.
Food Accelerator and Retail Incubator Offer Comprehensive Support, Mentorship, and Grant Opportunities for Growing Businesses
Request for Proposal: Communications Consultant Services
Twelve Food Businesses to Present at Focus @ reSET on Monday April 14th in Hartford
