Frequently Asked Questions

  • If a startup is defined as a temporary organization in search of a business model, accelerators are the boot camp that helps them find it. Accelerators offer intensive mentorship and experiential learning over a period of 3-6 months to a cohort of entrepreneurs. When they “graduate,” startups have ideally compressed years of learning into months and are ready for investment.

  • Upstart Alpha is a startup accelerator based at the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development (UA CED) in Anchorage. The program is designed for early-stage entrepreneurs, both for students at the University of Alaska and non-students. Upstart Alpha helps you take your existing business model or concept and quickly move it forward. Over the course of three months, you will develop your concept, business model, team, and market using a lean approach. If you are accepted into the program, you will receive a stipend of $1,800 to offset startup costs.

    • You will quickly build your business using a variety of tested startup tools.

    • By completing all three phases, you can earn a cash stipend of $1,800 to work on YOUR business. 

    • You get access to a huge network of Alaska entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators.

    • You meet advisors and mentors to help guide you along your way.

  • The cohort will meet virtually for approximately two hours on Fridays during each phase of the program. Additional meetings with mentors and advisors will be available throughout the program. Participants are expected to attend all sessions, and should expect to spend a considerable amount of time outside of meeting building their business and testing their ideas. 

  • You may apply as either, although we encourage team applications; all applications will be evaluated on an individual basis. We will accept up to two people on a team to the cohort.

  • If you are serious about pursuing entrepreneurship, then we encourage you to apply anyway. You’ll be expected to pick a business concept to start, or join another team in the cohort.

  • We are seeking a balanced cohort of University of Alaska students as well as community-based (non-student) entrepreneurs. We will be seeking a cohort that reflects the diversity in our community. The ideal applicant would meet one or all of the following criteria:

    • You must be based in Alaska. We believe in building strong local entrepreneur ecosystems.

    • You must be early stage. Pre-revenue? Great. Just an idea? No problem.

    • We love students! But it’s not a requirement, and we welcome all.

    • We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds; supporting women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color is important to this program and our state's economic future.

    • Create a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation that bridges the university system with the Alaska economy.

    • Grow the entrepreneurial mindset and help Alaskans explore innovative ideas and business models.

    • Feed the startup ecosystem by preparing the earliest-stage entrepreneurs and startups for growth.

  • The program emphasizes the Lean Startup school of thought, which calls for setting hypotheses and testing them. Participants will interview potential customers and create prototypes to assess customer behavior. Each week, they will report their findings to the class and instructors for discussion. Along the way, they will meet with mentors in entrepreneurship and subject matter areas to advance their thinking. Tools, topics, and methodologies include: 

    • Entrepreneurial mindset

    • Building a team

    • Test your idea

    • Lean Canvas and customer development

    • Pitch and Presentation skills

    • Market sizing

    • Revenue models

    • Fund your startup and get ready for next steps

Our Team

Goal: Grow Entrepreneurs

Upstart Alpha is a program by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.

We want to see promising startups emerge from Upstart Alpha that go on to earn revenues and scale up. The most important outcome of Upstart Alpha is growing entrepreneurs. Most startups fail, but gifted entrepreneurs will bounce back and try again. We’re here to help build that skillset and mindset.

Leadership Team

The University of Alaska Center for Economic Development staff leads Upstart Alpha. With extensive experience teaching early-stage entrepreneurship, delivering workshops that appeal to a variety of learning styles, researching startups, and career coaching young Alaskans, this team is excited to work with emerging talent in Alaska’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Along with the team featured below, participants in Upstart Alpha will connect with and learn from a variety of subject matter experts and local leaders.

Still have questions? Set up a time to chat with an Upstart Alpha Program Lead!

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Partners

We believe early-stage entrepreneurs and startups require a robust network of support to help them grow and succeed. Upstart Alpha works within a supportive Alaskan entrepreneur ecosystem, and we strive to connect cohort participants during and after the program with all appropriate partners.

Apply Here!

Do you have an aptitude for building and creating? An interest in entrepreneurship and a love of learning? Curiosity, hustle, and a bit of grit? Then we’re looking for YOU.

The Ideal Applicant:

  • You must be based in Alaska. We believe in building strong local entrepreneur ecosystems.

  • You must be early stage. Pre-revenue? Great. Just an idea? No problem.

  • We love University of Alaska students! But, it’s not a requirement, and we welcome all.

  • We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds; supporting women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color is important to this program and our state's economic future.

Applications for Cohort 7 are closed.

Upstart Alpha Program Overview

Upstart Alpha is a cohort-based startup accelerator that works with the earliest-stage entrepreneurs in Alaska. Through a two-phase program, cohorts of entrepreneurs will benefit by quickly building upon their idea using a variety of tested startup tools; gain access to a valuable network of peers, mentors, and experts.

The goal is to prepare entrepreneurs for their next steps, whether that may be finding a cofounder and building a team, bootstrapping and launching, seeking outside funding, applying to another accelerator program, or exploring a new idea! A typical week during the program may look like:

  • Work on your business or business idea throughout the week.

  • Get one-on-one support during weekly mentor and advisor meetings.

  • During Phase 1 Customer Discovery Intensive, attend two VIRTUAL sessions on October 3rd & 4th (11 am-1 pm);

    • Learn about the customer discovery process

    • Explore the Lean Canvas (a business plan lite)

    • Get feedback, prepare interview questions, and mock interview your peers.

  • During Phase 2, attend two-hour HYBRID sessions every Friday, 11 am-1 pm, from October 11th through December 13th;

    • Sessions are hybrid; folks in Anchorage will join us in person, and folks outside of Anchorage will participate virtually.

    • Weekly accountability/progress check-ins with the cohort

    • Work through your business model and discuss relevant topics with expert speakers

    • Focus on specific priorities to advance your business

    • Pitch and presentation to practice communication and value proposition

Phase 1: Find Your Customer | 2 Virtual Sessions

Who is this designed for: Anyone with an idea, existing or future entrepreneurs statewide, students. All types of businesses are invited: hobby, brick-and-mortar, consultants, scalable, tech, etc.

How: Virtual delivery, free to attend. Two group sessions (two hours each), with self-led fieldwork; we want you to actually TALK to your customers. 

Phase 2: Explore your Idea, EXECUTE, AND STARTUP | Nine, 2-hour weekly sessions

Who is this designed for: Post-idea, pre-solution entrepreneurs. Ideally, you participated in Phase 1; however, entrepreneurs who participated in Startup Weekend and entrepreneurs who can prove they have done customer discovery work through another program or on their own are welcome to apply.

How: Hybrid delivery (virtual participation for entrepreneurs outside of Anchorage). Introduction of guest speakers, organized cohort peer sessions, check-ins, and advisor hours.

What/Content: Weekly content focused on testing your idea, market validation, building business structures, goal setting, branding/messaging, and financing.  

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