Building a dynamic North Alabama economy fueled by a vibrant and diverse startup community

Overview + PROGRAMS

Rocket Hatch, 2015

2Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

3Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

GETTING STARTED

Rocket Hatch started at the beginning of 2014 as an idea of a group of

entrepreneurial individuals with backgrounds in creative, social and tech

startups. We saw the need for a support

community for entrepreneurs that

wanted to focus their efforts in the

commercial space, leveraging modern

technologies and business frameworks to launch new companies that could

create value locally while selling globally.

Many of us had seen first hand the startup movement taking hold around

the world and transforming it rapidly. We

understood that starting a business in 2014 was way different than just a

decade ago. First the internet, then the

cloud and now mobile technologies had

changed everything, and we knew we

wanted to join in, but we did not want to

leave our home, Huntsville.

We knew Huntsville had all the critical elements to be a thriving startup

ecosystem. However, disruptive commercial startups were not common

and if they existed were disconnected to

the local scene.

In April of 2014 we decided to change that by supporting the first Weekend

Startup competition in town. In May, we incorporated Rocket Hatch as a 501(c)(3)

non-profit with the mission to unleash the

untapped entrepreneurial potential of

North Alabama through an open,

inclusive and collaborative startup

community. Only a few months later we could not be more proud of what our

emerging startup community has

accomplished and the role we have

played as a catalyst. This success pushes

us to continue with this mission.

Will you join us in this effort?

Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

To unleash the untapped entrepreneurial potential of

North Alabama through an open, inclusive and

collaborative startup community.

THE&ROCKET&HATCH&MISSION

4Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,0000

PopulationMale Female

90+85-8980-8475-7970-7465-6960-6455-5950-5445-4940-4435-3930-3425-2920-2415-1910-14

5-9

5Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS DEMAND A NEW APPROACH

Total Population Huntsville Metro

683,871

Graduated College 44.2%

20-35 y/o 139,464Double Income No Kids

35-45 y/o 90,602Double Income With Kids

45-55 y/o 109,992Mid-Life Executive & Spouses Returning to Work

Population In Prime Entrepreneurial Age

339,988

If only 10%+ of Potential Entrepreneurs Succeed the economic impact is huge

Small Businesses3,399 x $1M = $3.3B

Medium Businesses339 x $10M = $3.3B

High Growth Businesses33 x $1ooM = $3.3B

10%* = Potential Entrepreneurs

33,998GLOBAL&ENTREPRENEURSHIP&MONITOR&REPORT,&BABSON&COLLEGE*

Combined Economic Potential

$10B

6Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

COMMUNITY: THE SUSTAINABLE ACCELERATOR It all ends and starts with the community. To become sustainable, the community itself

needs to organically transform in the accelerator.

This means our efforts have to focus just as

much on cultural change and values as on

training and mentorship.

7Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

A FRESH APPROACH FOR HUNTSVILLE

The best way to achieve sustainable startup acceleration is to nurture the

community that is already here. Like the internet, our community should be a

diverse network with multiple nodes and

engines so that a single failure cannot

bring down what we have achieved. In

the past few years, we have seen how

creating an environment of community and sharing helps new leaders emerge

and connect to create the new startup

community we want to emerge.

Entrepreneurs, innovators, mentors,

angels and other key players are starting

to converge but much still needs to be done.

We have a great R&D legacy thanks to the Department of Defense and NASA,

we want to leverage it for diversification

and growth.

Build Strong Local Networks That Reach Out Regionally

In the past several decades, because of immigration and population growth, a

diverse pool of talent and resources has been accumulating. This growing

demographic includes millennials who

grew up here, stay-at-home spouses,

minorities and immigrants ready to start

their own businesses. Our target

community wishes to engage in new and creative forms of entrepreneurship that

can make our economy more diverse

and resilient, our community more

interesting and inspiring, and improve our

quality of life.

The South East region is raising as an entrepreneurial hub, led by pioneering

efforts in cities like Chattanooga,

Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans and

Memphis. It only makes sense to join in

and bring the best to North Alabama.

We believe there is an opportunity for great growth by tapping into our local

strengths but also reaching out to the rest of the region and Alabama for

connection, inspiration and resources.

For the last several years, our founders have been reaching out to the

community both locally and regionally to

learn, connect and develop a strategy that draws from the experiences and

lessons learned from our neighbors, but

that is also distinctly North Alabamian.

Our principles are simple: to create community we need to be open, lean,

and smart. We understand that building a community is the effort of many. We

celebrate all those trying to build

community and try to partner and

support all worthwhile efforts.

Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

8Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

INCLUSIVE, LEAN & SMART

Rocket Hatch is a Startup:

We follow the path our entrepreneurs

have to follow

Inclusive

An acceleration network: We are engaging with all

players in the community.

Always looking to partner and

collaborate, our partners include: entrepreneurs,

investors, mentors, incubators,

government, universities, and

nearby communities.

Players: To spawn innovation, our communities need to interact.

Scientists and artists,

engineers and physicians,

technicians and bankers,

artisans and lawyers,

educators and public servants, government and

privateall are welcome.

Lean

As agile as our startups: We are a bootstrapped

accelerator. We have spent

our time doing customer

development, understanding the problems faced by our

local entrepreneurs and

stakeholders (our funders and

sponsors).

Its not about the building: Social capital comes first. We operate virtually utilizing

existing infrastructure and

spending our resources in

activities that create lasting

value: Engagement,

Connection, Learning, Launching, and Accelerating.

The fancy building can wait.

Smart

Strategic Partnerships: We have established

relationships with key startup

communities in our region and

beyond.

We are licensing and adapting proven programs, creating

new ones only when we see a

market opportunity.

Our local partnerships provide us with physical locations, infrastructure, funding, and

sponsorships.

Our community network provides volunteers, speakers,

mentors, facilitators, services,

infrastructure and funding.

99Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

Community ValuesHatchers come from the community we support and exemplify the

culture we are striving to create. Our

culture comes from our core values:

+ Collaboration+ Trust + Open communication+ Encouragement+ Inclusiveness+ Risk-taking+ Fail forwardRocket Hatch as the startup community we nurture is a

do-acracy where what Hatchers do

supersedes what they have or who

they know, what or where they studied or worked.

Hatchers are always looking to grow

themselves, their business, their team and their community.

10Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

Thanks to Rocket Hatch, there is some very good new energy. I was pleased to meet many of the players and I will be happy to support you on other events thanks for all this help to our community!

Peggy SammonSerial Entrepreneur | CEO GeneCapture

11Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

In just over a year, Rocket Hatch reached out to a diverse community of leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and stakeholders looking to create

and open, inclusive and dynamic startup ecosystem.

12Rocket Hatch Community Acceleratorwww.rockethatch.org

C O MMU N IT Y MET R IC S

1,700+Total Community

941Interested

597Engaged

115Volunteers

38Mentors

990 959

Followers

40%Women

25-34Median Age

40+Rocket Hatch

EVENTS

1,596Attendees

50++From other