Local accelerator in search of innovations in logistics

The EPIcenter has announced a new opportunity for startups who can offer innovative logistics technology to the market through the 2015 EPIcenter Logistics Innovation Accelerator.

The accelerator is run by EPIcenter  (short for Entrepreneurship-Powered Innovation Center), a collaborative and community-wide strategic initiative led by Memphis Bioworks that works to generally help entrepreneurs conceive, launch and scale businesses in the Memphis region.  

The logistics entrepreneurship accelerator program is sponsored by FedEx and is unique among entrepreneurship programs in that it focuses on technologies and products that enable and enhance logistics, leveraging the region's strengths as the world's distribution hub. Beyond the accelerator, participants will also have access to EPIcenter-led collaborations among entrepreneurial support organizations in Memphis, as well as expertise and support from the full ecosystem in the region.
 
“With a competitive advantage in supply chain integration, unparalleled business-to-business capabilities, four modes of transportation readily available to connect local companies to a global marketplace and a workforce that has expertise in logistics technology, Memphis can provide the ideal ecosystem and mentorship for this new business accelerator,” said Leslie Lynn Smith, President of EPIcenter.
 
“FedEx was itself an innovation, and our entrepreneurial roots still permeate our culture today. We are proud to support a business accelerator that will give promising new logistics technology companies the resources they need to grow,” said Richard W. Smith, VP Global Trade Services, FedEx Express.
 
Through a competitive application process, up to six companies will be selected for the summer 2015 cohort and will receive $25,000 in initial seed capital from Innova, a Memphis-based venture capital firm that has invested in more than 35 early-stage companies and co-founded the ZeroTo510 Medical Device Accelerator with Memphis Bioworks. Now in its fourth year, ZeroTo510 has accelerated the creation of 16 new companies, more than 30 jobs, and $7.5 million in investments. As the first-ever medical device accelerator, ZeroTo510 is now recognized as a benchmark in medical device accelerators, and was recently recognized as a favorite accelerator program byTechCrunch.
 
Competition for participation in the program is open internationally.  However, companies selected must be based in Memphis for the duration of the program.
 
For more information on applying to the EPIcenter Logistics Innovation Accelerator program and related deadlines, go here.