Venture Accelerator Joins the Dallas Entrepreneur Center as Sponsor and Anchor Tenant

From the press announcement:

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. & DALLAS, TEXAS (July 5, 2013) – VentureSpur, the seed fund and venture accelerator with programs in Oklahoma City and Dallas, announced that is has joined the new Dallas Entrepreneur Center as a sponsor, anchor tenant, and the Center’s first accelerator program.

Founded in June of 2013, the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC) is a non-profit organization focused on stimulating job growth and driving the Dallas economy by supporting early-stage businesses with both on-line and off-line resources. Based in the SoftLayer building and a part of its Catalyst Program, at 1333 North Stemmons Freeway, Suite 110, in Dallas, the DEC seeks to advocate for and support entrepreneurs throughout the startup lifecycle.

Photo credit: Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News

“We are delighted to have VentureSpur as a sponsor and as the first accelerator housed in the DEC,” said Trey Bowles, co-founder and CEO of the DEC. “VentureSpur brings to the DEC an elite group of carefully selected startups, an excellent group of mentors, seed investment, and deep expertise in launching highly successful technology companies,” said Bowles.

Kraettli L. Epperson, Managing Director of VentureSpur, agreed: “VentureSpur is excited to be launching our Dallas acceleration program as one of the founding tenants of the Dallas Entrepreneurship Center. We see the emergence of lean, agile, next-generation venture development organizations like ours, and critical community and support organizations like the DEC, as the future drivers of economic growth in America,” said Epperson.

“By leveraging their space, network and resources, we can focus on our primary mission, which is seeding, mentoring and building fast-growth, innovative companies that will hopefully produce the next crop of Dallas success stories,” said Epperson.

VentureSpur will be using a dedicated space in the DEC, where it will be hosting its workshops, mentoring sessions, pitch practices, and social events. Being in the SoftLayer building means that technology companies will have access to some of the fastest Internet speeds in the region, as well as a top-tier national data center, just down the hall.

Companies that launch through the accelerator also have the opportunity become members of the DEC after the acceleration program ends, which provides work space, incubation, customized programming and other resources for early-stage companies at affordable rates.

The DEC was co-founded by Bowles, along with VP of Programming, Jennifer Conley, and co-founder, Jeremy Vickers. In addition to VentureSpur’s sponsorship, the DEC is also sponsored by SoftLayer, The Dallas Morning News, Jones Day, the Dallas Regional Chamber and Trailblazer Capital.

About The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC)

The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC) is an entrepreneurial support system dedicated to bringing together the resources, support and opportunities that Dallas-area entrepreneurs need to start, build and grow their businesses. Launched in 2013, The DEC connects entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, educators and other business and community leaders in order to advance the economic interests of the Dallas community. For more information, visit www.thedec.co and follow The DEC on Twitter at @theDECtx.

About VentureSpur

VentureSpur is a seed fund and venture accelerator with offices in Oklahoma City and Dallas. The accelerator provides seed investment, a 12-week “boot camp,” mentorship with successful entrepreneurs, office space, free services and access to further venture capital. It held its first class in 2012, during which it helped several startups raise significant investment capital. For more information, visit www.VentureSpur.com.

Download the full press release here [PDF]: Press Release – VentureSpur Joins the DEC – July 5 2013

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Kraettli Lawrence Epperson

Managing Director at JumpPhase Ventures

This blog is dedicated to providing advice, tools and encouragement from one entrepreneur to another. I want to keep this practical and accessible for the new entrepreneur while also providing enough sophistication and depth to prove useful to the successful serial entrepreneur. My target rests somewhere between the garage and the board room, where the work gets done and the hockey stick emerges.

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