The Social Innovation Accelerator in collaboration with Accenture encourages the creation of bold new solutions for improving education, income and health in North Texas. The program provides entrepreneurs with the critical resources—including funding, mentorship and community connections—to accelerate the growth and stability of their innovative ventures.
At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we recognize that getting a new social venture off the ground can be incredibly challenging. The Social Innovation Accelerator is just one of the ways we support social innovators, enabling new or existing nonprofit and for-profit organizations to access the resources and connections they need to scale their ventures and achieve success.
invested through the Accelerator and The Pitch last year
1,500
hours
of mentoring and coaching provided to 2021-2022 fellows
155,000
neighbors
served by Accelerator alumni last year
$520,000
in seed funding
invested through the Accelerator and The Pitch last year
1,500
hours
of mentoring and coaching provided to 2021-2022 fellows
Our Approach
Since 2013, this innovative program has enabled us to partner with local social entrepreneurs who are meeting unmet needs in the areas of education, income and health in our community. We identify innovative ideas that are poised to improve North Texas, and then we provide support in three key areas:
Financial Capital
Seed funding, which is linked to the completion of program milestones, ensures each organization can quickly grow its impact.
Human Capital
Expert instruction and personalized mentoring from local business experts empowers fellows to refine their business plans and create a roadmap for growth.
Social Capital
Access to United Way’s community connections and credibility allows fellows to increase their visibility and benefit from previously untapped resources.
Our Mentors
Shawn Leamon
Social Innovation Lab Committee Chair
Jim Adams
Advisor to Family Offices and Families
Tolu Akinjayeju
Santander
George Baker
ParkHub
Laura Baldwin
Golden Seeds
Michelle Bogan
Equity at Work
Kristina Carbonneau
Santander Consumer USA
Lane Conner
Fuzse
Steven Dennis
SageBerry Consulting, Forbes
Jamika Doakes
AT&T
Jason Dyke
Carson’s Village
Gwen Echols
Southwest Angel Investing Network, KERA
Donna Epps
Texas Pacific Land Trust
David Evans
Sentiero Ventures, Geode Software
David Ezell
Yahoo!
Renee George
Board Member/ Community Volunteer
Rick Jackson
ForgeRock, Bizaccelerator
Kyle Kraft
Accenture
Bob Kraut
EDO, YEXT, Tiff’s Treats
Michael Martin
MM Solar Advisory
Ty McAden
Accenture
Murali Prabhakaran
Accenture
Cory Ritthaler
Deloitte
Scott Schoenvogel
ACAP Health
Van Sheets
Board Member/ Advisor
William Smith
PNC Bank
Michael Thomas
My Possibilities
Nick Vilmain
Santander
Amber Wagenknecht
Deloitte
John Watson
BearCom (retired)
Shan Zaidi
VF Partners
The Social Innovation Accelerator is supported by:
Accenture •
AT&T •
The Eugene McDermott Foundation •
The Kleinert Family •
Sara and Gary Ahr •
Capital One Bank •
Carol and Kevin March
Invest in Lasting Change
Together, we can improve access to education, income and health so all North Texans can thrive.
Explore Our Other Programs
Social innovation is at the heart of the work we do 365 days a year. Our programs provide financial, human and social capital to help identify, develop and grow social ventures that are implementing new and innovative solutions to the most urgent challenges facing North Texas in education, income and health.