Novella Center for Entrepreneurship

What Novella Center for Entrepreneurship does

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. is a Maryland-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 by Jeff Cherry that operates entrepreneurship programs for diverse, under-estimated, and early-stage founders, with the Conscious Venture Lab Accelerator (a 14-week program running idea-through-Series-A support) as its core offering and a six-week Pre-Accelerator in Baltimore as a newer upstream funnel. Its curriculum is built on Stakeholder Theory and the tenets of Conscious Capitalism, developed in collaboration with Raj Sisodia and UVA Darden's Ed Freeman, and is delivered through a learning management system powered by FounderTrac. The organization surrounds cohorts with a 100+ mentor network and has produced 40+ alumni companies across diverse sectors, including LifeTagger, ReVased, and We Are Marcus.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: there are no disclosed program fees, and operating capacity is funded through corporate sponsorships and philanthropic donations from partners including Brown Advisory, Fool Ventures, Sagamore Ventures, and MAG Partners, with Baltimore Development Corporation and HCEDA as economic development partners. Programmatic reach has expanded from a Baltimore base (currently headquartered at Spark Co-working Baltimore) to a second city in Trenton, where the next accelerator cohort begins in September 2026. Marketing and applicant acquisition are event- and community-driven, anchored by Demo Days, cohort-based immersive learning, and applications routed through F6s and Eventbrite.

Name

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship

Legal name

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship Inc.

Website

https://consciousventurelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship is a Baltimore-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit running the Conscious Venture Lab Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator programs, training diverse, under-estimated early-stage founders in Stakeholder Theory and Conscious Capitalism through a FounderTrac-powered curriculum and a 100+ mentor network, funded by philanthropic donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator and Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Entrepreneurship training
• Nonprofit business support
• Mentorship networks
• Venture readiness education

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, NCE relies on philanthropic donations to support entrepreneurs and sustain operations. Corporate sponsors can support founders through free services, content sponsorship, and demo day sponsorship.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship operates the Conscious Venture Lab, a 14-week accelerator program for early-stage, purpose-driven companies, alongside a six-week pre-accelerator program for Baltimore-based founders. The organization delivers cohort-based immersive entrepreneurship training grounded in Stakeholder Theory and Conscious Capitalism, pairing founders with a 100+ mentor network to prepare them from idea stage through Series A financing.

Product overview

Novella Center for Entrepreneurship is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates primarily as an accelerator and entrepreneurship support entity. The core offering is the Conscious Venture Lab Accelerator Program, a 14-week intensive program for early-stage, purpose-driven companies, supplemented by a six-week Pre-Accelerator Program for Baltimore-based entrepreneurs. The organization also provides mentorship through an extensive mentor network, and delivers customized educational content via a learning management system powered by FounderTrac. The Conscious Venture Lab brand encompasses both the main accelerator and pre-accelerator programs, which together form the organization's primary product portfolio focused on training diverse founders in Stakeholder Theory and Conscious Capitalism principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conscious Venture Lab Accelerator Program A 14-week accelerator program for early-stage, purpose-driven companies using innovation to break down barriers to access and create a more equitable society. It helps diverse and under-estimated entrepreneurs integrate Stakeholder Theory and Conscious Capitalism into their business DNA and provides a technology-driven process to take a business from idea through Series A financing.
• Conscious Venture Lab Pre-Accelerator Program A six-week pre-accelerator program for early-stage Baltimore-based entrepreneurs, designed to prepare founders before they enter the full accelerator cohort. Applications open June 9th and the program is expected to run October through November.
• Conscious Venture Lab Mentor Network A network of over 100 mentors including venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, executives, and subject matter experts who support founders throughout the Conscious Venture Lab accelerator and pre-accelerator programs.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• FounderTraccoreTechnology or IntegrationLearning management system partner powering the organization's entrepreneurship training platform. Provides the most robust, fully-integrated entrepreneurship training management platform in the industry.
• UVA Darden School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Ed Freeman, Professor at UVA Darden, on Stakeholder Theory curriculum development. The organization's curriculum is based on tenants of Stakeholder Theory developed in partnership with Freeman and Raj Sisodia.
• Conscious Capitalism Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed use of Conscious Capitalism® brand and principles. Curriculum based on the tenets of Conscious Capitalism, a research and market-proven path to better-managed companies.
• Baltimore Development CorporationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development partner supporting the organization's work in Baltimore. Listed among corporate partners.
• Spark Co-working BaltimorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent headquarters location providing co-working space for program operations.
• F6scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerApplication platform partner for accelerator and pre-accelerator programs. Hosts application processes for multiple cohorts.
• ClearspacesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner listed among supporters of the organization.
• HCEDA (Howard County Economic Development Authority)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development partner, particularly relevant given the organization's origins in Howard County, Maryland in 2013.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Nonprofit impact-focused accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, with explicit programming for underrepresented founders. Highly comparable mission, structure, and target founder profile to NCE.
• Camelback Ventures: Nonprofit accelerator and fellowship specifically designed for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. Closest direct peer given shared focus on underestimated founders and accelerator-based delivery.
• Echoing Green: Nonprofit fellowship and leadership program for social entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Comparable in mission to expand opportunity for underrepresented leaders, though more fellowship-oriented.
• MassChallenge: Large global nonprofit accelerator serving early-stage founders across sectors. Comparable nonprofit accelerator model and breadth of cohort programming, though larger scale.
• gener8tor: Accelerator network running multiple cohort programs across U.S. cities. Comparable multi-city accelerator model and cohort-based delivery format.

Emerging players

• Visible Hands: Accelerator specifically focused on supporting underrepresented founders. Narrower overlap with NCE given shared diversity focus but smaller operating footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global for-profit accelerator running thematic and general accelerator programs. Broad incumbent offering overlapping cohort-based programming, though not focused on stakeholder theory.
• Halogen Ventures: Early-stage venture firm focused on Black and Latinx founders. Comparable diverse-founder focus, but operates as an investor rather than an accelerator program.

Regional players

• NewMe Accelerator: Accelerator focused on underrepresented founders, operating primarily outside the U.S. Comparable diversity-first positioning, though geographically distinct.

Others

• Conscious Capitalism Inc. Licensor of the Conscious Capitalism® brand and framework that underpins NCE's curriculum. Thematically related ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CVLab26
• Facebookfacebook.com/consciousventurelab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments29 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novella Center for Entrepreneurship