For an entrepreneur an accelerator can be the best thing that ever happens to them. World famous programs like MassChallenge, Y Combinator and TechStars are fiercely competitive, rigorous and demanding for all involved.

Accelerators generally take a portion of equity in exchange for a small investment in the company.   Over the course of 3-6 months they run you through an program that can be at best exciting and at worst humiliating.  For most of the accelerator programs you are required to move to the city in which they are held which can put additional stress on entrepreneurs with families that are not easily uprooted.

In a nutshell this is the story of Peter Zawadzki and his company Classics&Exotics.   For Peter all of this was true when he got accepted to TechStars Mobility in Detroit with his company.  The TechStars Mobility program is focused on automotive related startups and since Classics&Exotics is the "AirBNB" for cars, they are a natural fit.  

Classics&Exotics allows owners to list their classic or exotic car and individuals wanting to rent these sometimes rare and special autos can do so on an hourly or daily basis.

Now the dilemma, Peter exits the program with a little cash, a killer pitch deck and the pedigree from one of the top accelerator programs in the world. Our panel of experts will probe this topic and provide concrete advice on how Peter can become the next big thing in the sharing economy. 

Our panelist include:

Jennifer Jordan: Vice President, MassVentures - Jennifer is an investment professional with more than 15 years progressive financial leadership experience.  MassVentures is a venture capital firm focused on fueling the Massachusetts innovation economy by funding early stage, high-growth Massachusetts startups as they move from concept to commercialization. 

Barbara Arena: Vice President, Granite State Development Corp. - Barbara is a specialist in SBA 504 lending, working for the largest certified development companies in the 

country.  Barbara is also the current president of the New England Business Brokers Association (NEBBA).

Read more about the excitement generated by Classics&Exotics and the new TechStars Automotive program and how they are both shaking up the automotive world.

http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20150630/NEWS/150639977/101017/BIZ

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/04/techstars-mobility-startups-detroit/

http://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/ford-backed-techstars-mobility-driven-detroit-announces-10-startups-receiving-funding-support/

http://www.techstars.com/announcing-the-first-class-of-techstars-mobility-driven-by-detroit/

http://www.msn.com/en-ae/money/other/techstars-mobility-highlights-the-entrepreneurial-resurgence-in-detroit/ar-BBkJZjP

*** PLEASE NOTE THE NEW LOCATION****

The evening includes light refreshments, networking, panel discussion, and a question and answer session.  Cost: SNEEF event non-member $25, Alliance members $15, SNEEF members and students free.  Register at www.SNEEF.org.