What NewMe Accelerator does

Lightship Foundation, operating under the NewMe Accelerator brand and legally domiciled as Hillman Accelerator LLC in Ohio (founded 2022), runs a free, in-person startup accelerator program for actively building founders. Its core product is the Lightship Bootcamp — a 3-day intensive covering pitch refinement, business strategy, financial modeling, AI tools, and legal foundations — delivered across 8 Ohio cities (Marietta, Youngstown, Columbus, Dayton, Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati, Akron) on a rolling admission basis in 2026, with accommodations and meals fully covered. The company also operates Black Tech Week and Founder Gym as adjacent programming under the same organizational umbrella, and partners with JobsOhio to surface a non-dilutive Small Business Grant of up to $50,000 to eligible founders attending the bootcamp.

The business model is grant- and partnership-funded rather than fee-based: founders pay nothing to participate, and program sustainability depends on sponsorship from JobsOhio and other undisclosed partners. The company employs 11–50 staff, is led by founder Toby Morning, and historically raised a $3,400,000 funding round in October 2016 (investors undisclosed). Distribution is event-driven and community-led, leveraging organic social media (Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn), an email newsletter, and partner referral networks. No proprietary technology platform, AI model, or software product is disclosed; curriculum delivery is human-led, with AI referenced as a teaching topic rather than an internal capability. Geographic operations are concentrated in Ohio, and the company's mission framing centers on supporting minority and underserved founders.

Name

NewMe Accelerator

Legal name

Hillman Accelerator LLC

Website

https://lightship.education

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NewMe Accelerator, operating as Lightship Foundation under Hillman Accelerator LLC, runs a free, in-person 3-day startup bootcamp for actively building founders across 8 Ohio cities, supported by JobsOhio and other partnership funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator services
• Founder bootcamp program
• Minority founder support
• Entrepreneur mentorship program
• Early-stage business accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Accelerator Program Services: The bootcamp is offered free of cost to founders, with program costs covered by partnership support (JobsOhio). Revenue model appears to be grant-funded rather than fee-based, relying on organizational partnerships for sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NewMe Accelerator, operating through its Lightship Foundation, delivers a free, in-person 3-day intensive bootcamp program for actively building entrepreneurs across 8 Ohio cities. The curriculum covers business strategy refinement, financial modeling, investor pitch development, AI tools for automation, legal foundation, customer validation, and brand positioning, with accommodations and meals covered at no cost.

Product overview

Lightship Foundation operates as a unified accelerator program focused on supporting founders through multiple programs. The primary offering is the Lightship Bootcamp, a free 3-day in-person intensive program designed to help entrepreneurs move closer to their first million in revenue. The bootcamp operates in partnership with JobsOhio and spans 8 cities across Ohio. Additional related programs include Black Tech Week and Founder Gym, though detailed information about those programs is not included in this source.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lightship Bootcamp A free, in-person 3-day intensive program for actively building entrepreneurs that provides mentorship, learning sessions, and growth opportunities. Covers accommodations and meals. Curriculum includes pitch refinement, business strategy, financials, and investor pitch preparation. Designed for founders working toward their first million in revenue.
• Founder Gym A program offered by Lightship Foundation alongside the Lightship Bootcamp and Black Tech Week as part of its broader founder support ecosystem.
• Black Tech Week A partner event associated with Lightship Foundation's programs for the founder community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founders report transformational improvements in pitching confidence and clarity
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JobsOhiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026JobsOhio, Ohio's private nonprofit economic development organization, is a key program partner supporting the Lightship Bootcamp. Through this partnership, eligible founders may explore the JobsOhio Small Business Grant, a non-dilutive funding opportunity of up to $50,000 to support growth investments. Founders learn about eligibility during Bootcamp.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Impact-focused accelerator running peer-led cohort programs for entrepreneurs, often in underserved markets. Comparable emphasis on community-driven learning and a mission-oriented approach to founder development.
• gener8tor: US-based accelerator running multi-city in-person cohort programs for early-stage founders. Highly comparable operating model: free/equity-tied cohorts, city-by-city rollout, and a focus on founder education and mentorship.
• MassChallenge: Nonprofit, equity-free accelerator supporting early-stage founders across multiple geographies and verticals. Closely mirrors Lightship's no-cost, mission-driven approach while operating at significantly larger scale.
• Visible Hands: Accelerator focused specifically on underrepresented founders, offering cohort-based programs combining mentorship and capital access. Directly comparable mission, target persona, and program structure.
• Backstage Capital: VC fund and accelerator program dedicated to underrepresented founders, including BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs. Overlaps on target demographic, accelerator structure, and founder-education focus.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global, established accelerator running in-person cohort programs across multiple verticals and geographies. Overlaps on core accelerator mechanics (mentorship, demo day, cohort structure) but operates at much larger scale and broader mandate.
• Google for Startups: Tech giant's startup programs offering mentorship, cohort programming, and grants — including diversity-focused tracks for underrepresented founders. Comparable founder-education programming at the broad-incumbent scale.
• Y Combinator: Premier technology startup accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, and cohort programming. Operates as the largest broad incumbent in the accelerator category; comparable core service but very different scale, model, and selection bar.
• 500 Global: Large global accelerator and venture firm running multi-region cohort programs. Comparable in offering multi-city accelerator experiences for early-stage founders, with a broader portfolio and equity-oriented model.

Others

• Reboot Representation: Coalition of venture firms investing in underrepresented founders. Adjacent ecosystem participant that overlaps on the minority-founder mission and may serve as a downstream capital partner for Lightship alumni.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewMEAccel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lightshipfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/newmeaccelerator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newme-accelerator
• Instagraminstagram.com/lightship.foundation
• TikToktiktok.com/@lightshipfound

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments27 records

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

Frequently asked questions about NewMe Accelerator