FIRE Accelerator: 2023 Cohort Application

The FIRE Accelerator is the flagship entrepreneurship program for the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP). Now in its fifth year, the program came under the umbrella of the chamber in 2020 to be the catalyst for the organization's growing role in developing the regional ecosystem to drive innovation within legacy industries and attract leading startups and creative companies to establish or grow their roots on the shores of Lake Erie. 

What Can I Expect As A Participant?

Capital investment

Each selected company will receive a capital investment of up to $50,000 - $100,000 in the form of a KISS debt instrument

Tailored Curriculum

Workshops and lectures provided by subject matter experts to address knowledge gaps and high-value topics 

Strategic Networking

Access to potential Partners, Customers, Investors, suppliers, and more.

Mentorship

 Access to regional mentors, program staff mentorship, alumni company mentorship.

Exposure

Presentations at the annual Erie Homecoming Conference, media opportunities, exposure to regional community, industry, and political leaders, and a public demo day

Program Results

PROGRAM SUCCESS

Portfolio companies have continued to experience success and participated in YCombinator and TechStars. Program graduates have raised an additional $100M, have grown their companies to reach revenues over $50M annually, securing customer engagements and investment with local industry including Fortune 500, education institutions, top manufacturers, and investment organizations.

2022 COHORT: DATA ANALYTICS & INTELLIGENCE

Erie industry has a legacy of grit, hard work, and an entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well today. If you are a company that can help existing companies address the problems they're facing, or prepare to address any challenges they will face in the future, you should apply for this program.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

Erie Regional Chamber member-companies are ready and willing to be actively engaged with cohort companies, providing real-world product and service feedback, input, connections, mentorship, and potential partnership over the course of the program.

Meet the cohort

PAst Cohorts

2021 Cohort
2020 Cohort
2019 Cohort
2018 Cohort

2021 Cohorts

Accelerate Wind

Channeling the wind to create sustainable power, Accelerate Wind’s products are designed to be installed at the edge of the roof where wind speeds are fastest. They are often paired with rooftop solar panels.

Algeon Materials

Algeon Materials leverages ocean-derived materials to create sustainable solutions. They are on a mission to heal the earth and fight climate change by creating sustainable plastic alternative materials and packaging from macroalgae.

MUSE Engine

Muse Engine has developed an injection printing process that can manufacture production-quality parts in minutes, transforming traditional injection molding into an additive manufacturing technique.

Nmodes

Nmodes is an AI company that scales with your business to better build your product and represent your brand. They offer one AI that connects customers and your business team.

PSNergy

PSNergy is the simple solution for all of your combustion needs. Reduce emissions, decrease energy costs, and improve safety and efficiency with our IIoT sensing solutions, patented products, and expert service team.

Sensegrass

SenseGrass offers 360 farming solutions based on cutting edge technology like Nano-Satellite Mapping, Rover Bots and AI-based mobile & web application that makes farming super-efficient & easy.

2020 Cohorts

Arlene

Arlene, a New-York-based startup founded by Erie natives that connects people and products in immersive, or virtual reality environments.

Glass

Glass, an Erie-based startup that is picking up the pace of Internet of Things, or IoT, implementation with platform software that simplifies the embedded engineering process required to transform objects into smart devices.

Leverage4Data

Leverage4Data, also an Erie-based startup, which provides small manufacturing companies with web-based applications to successfully make parts that meet customer expectations.

M3 Unmanned Systems

M3 Unmanned Systems, also based in Erie, integrating IoT, machine learning and cloud computing for agriculture so that producers can deploy a multitude of sensors across fields to track critical data in real-time.

SafeFlight

SafeFlight, based in Nevada, which brings together software and hardware to identify, validate, respond to, investigate and report drone misuse, laser illuminations and other low-altitude airspace violations.

WerkBerry

WerkBerry, of Erie, offering all-in-one, cloud-based advertising to help small and medium employers reach candidates actively or passively seeking jobs. Werkbery is also a Ben Franklin Technology Partners portfolio company.

2019 Cohorts

NGEMS

NGEMS is a hospital asset tracking service that believes the efficiencies created by real-time location systems should be available to all hospitals and clinics. Their service reduces search times by 90%, which increases nurse productivity and patient care. Furthermore, their service optimizes the use of available equipment with an estimated 55% increase in utilization and a 40% reduction in equipment loss.

Vita Inclinata Technologies

Vita Inclinata Technologies provides operational safety through a stand-alone capability. The Load Stability System or “LSS” as it’s known, is an independent unmanned system capable of controlling the motion of all types of suspended loads – helicopters, oil rigs, construction cranes, ski lifts and more. The purpose is to stabilize the movement providing full control, faster and safer operations including search and rescue.

United Aircraft Technologies

​United Aircraft Technologies provides a smart aircraft solution to improve fuel economy, easy maintenance, and increase safety for the aerospace industry. UAT's technology cuts installation time in half, saving maintenance costs on the ground and minimizing health risks. Their product saves an average in fuel of $32 - $170 per hour in the air due to weight reduction.

FindParts.Aero

Findparts.aero is an aviation sourcing solution – an aircraft spare parts marketplace. It is the world’s fourth largest Part Finder & MRO Finder Database.

MintM

MintM provides application that enables businesses to reach their target consumers using powerful, visual sales and marketing tools for more effective implementation to drive returns, impacting the growth of your business. The software has been leveraged by leading names and brands around the country.

Fletch App

FletchApp is an effortless time and attendance technology for enterprises like businesses and universities seeking to manage attendance or time sheets. Fletch is a technology that automatically takes attendance by simply detecting the presence of phones with their application. Without anyone lifting a finger, FletchApp records attendance and automatically notifies regarding absentee patterns.

Mimirium

Mimirium is a firm that encrypts the personal data generated on smartphones in the blockchain and enables the user to sell that data back to organizations that are looking to use the information for marketing purposes. The data is completely anonymous when it is sold to an organization.

2018 Cohorts

Kwema

Kwema connects women in physical danger with immediate hep through a safety wearable as a service. They have developed the smallest customizable safety wearable on the market and their system integrates a mobile application that will contact family members/friends informing them that you are in danger.

WeatherCheck

Weathercheck is a service that specializes in telling insureds when to file claims that they otherwise wouldn't have known existed, helping them leverage their P&C insurance. They monitor properties via a dashboard and send email and SMS notifications when conditions have been met that meet the insurance companies adjusting criteria.

CityGrows

CityGrows is the first self-service workflow and transparency platform that brings local government operations online. With this solution, government employees and constituents use the CityGrows platform to successfully and efficiently complete government operations (permits, licenses, payments and workflows) digitally.

SmartDriv Inc.

SmartDriv Inc. is focused on redefining the connected car services through IoT and AI-based solutions. In order to combat traffic fatalities due to smartphone usage, they have designed a tamper-resistant IoT device that is installed on windshield that pairs with the users smartphone. The device disables all risky features on the phone when the car is in motion.

Compliable

Compliable leverages their knowledge of infrastructure architecture and automation to help companies apply machine learning on huge data sets. They solve the problem of data scientists crashing infrastructure instead of doing data analysis.

SimpleSense

SimpleSense uses sensors to monitor human presence in a room or building for analytics and for the direct benefit of first responders. They leverage smart routing to spots or points of interest as well as sensor fusion and intelligence algorithms to reduce response time and improve actionable situational awareness.

Myriad

Myriad Data Solutions uses RAID technology to remove risks for regulated institutions to move to the cloud. They take and apply trusted technology in order to mitigate vendor risks from security or service failures.

INFRA

INFRA uses new technology to automate mandatory vulnerability assessments in lieu of human analysts manually conducting them. This is achieved by a unique hardware solution that does all the vulnerability assessment without the need for human analysts.

Jauntin

Jauntin has designed a SaaS platform for carriers to distribute on demand micro-insurance and are working with major carriers in Canada and now in the U.S. This platform allows policyholders to turn insurance on/off quickly and easily, that also tracks usage and mobile data, such as geo location and health data.

Program sUMMARY

Funding: Companies receive $50,000 to $100,000 in KISS (debt) per company
Format: Hybrid sessions (virtual and in-person)
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Cost: $0

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