Social Innovation Accelerator

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.

Results & Impact

View Our Impact Across All Programs

  • 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

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.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

All the ways you can Live United, delivered to your inbox.

Live United
About Us
Partner With Us
What We've Accomplished Together

Impact Stories

Your Impact

Contact Us
Tax ID: 75-6005352
Copyright © 2022 United Way Metropolitan Dallas. All Rights Reserved.