DivInc

What DivInc does

DivInc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that operates a portfolio of no-fee, no-equity accelerator programs targeting underrepresented founders (people of color, women, and other entrepreneurs facing systemic barriers in the tech startup ecosystem). The organization runs 12-week intensive accelerators across multiple verticals, including Innovation & Influence, Women's Accelerator, Sports Tech, Clean Energy Tech, Social Impact Tech, and DWeb, supplemented by an MVP Academy for early-stage founders, a NextGen Startup Internship Program placing students at portfolio companies, and fiscal sponsorship through Mission Collective. DivInc reports cumulative portfolio outcomes of $15M+ in funding raised by portfolio companies, 200+ jobs created, $300K in equity-free grants issued, and 120+ founders supported since 2016, with 62% female founder representation.

DivInc's revenue mechanics are characteristic of a nonprofit accelerator: it does not charge founders and takes no equity. Operating support comes from corporate sponsorship (Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Verizon, Mercury as premier partners; Chevron and Microsoft as title sponsors; NBA Foundation, Rice University, and others as grant funders), philanthropic gifts (Notley Ventures made a transformative investment in 2019), donations, and event-based fundraising such as the annual Champions of Change Awards, which raised nearly $100,000 in 2024. Distribution runs through physical program delivery at The Ion innovation district in Houston and in Austin, plus community channels including Founders After Five, Founder Fridays, and Demo Days.

Geographically, DivInc began in Austin and expanded to Houston in 2020-2021 via the partnership with The Ion and Verizon, and now operates programs in both Texas metros with national partnerships through Capital Factory, Blackstone LaunchPad, and Rice Alliance. Leadership transitioned in March 2026 from co-founder Preston L. James II to Tauri Laws-Phillips as CEO. Technical footprint is limited to standard enterprise tooling; the organization is not a technology vendor and does not expose public APIs or AI capabilities.

Name

DivInc

Legal name

DivInc

Website

https://divinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DivInc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating no-fee, no-equity accelerator programs in Austin and Houston that support underrepresented founders, with cumulative outcomes of $15M+ in portfolio funding raised and 200+ jobs created since 2016.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Founder mentorship services
• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Equity-free business incubation
• Nonprofit venture development

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor accelerator programs, internships, and events. Premier partners include Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Verizon, NBA Foundation, Mercury, and The Ion. Sponsors provide financial support for program operations.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: DivInc accepts tax-deductible donations to support its mission of empowering underrepresented founders. The organization hosts fundraising events like Champions of Change Awards which raised nearly $100,000 in 2024.
3. Grants: DivInc receives grant funding from institutions such as Rice University ($800,000 for Sports Tech Accelerator) and Economic Development Administration grants for initiatives like the Aerospace Innovation Hub.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DivInc operates no-fee, no-equity 12-week intensive accelerator programs for underrepresented founders (people of color, women, and diverse entrepreneurs) across multiple verticals including Innovation & Influence, Women's Accelerator, Sports Tech, Clean Energy Tech, Social Impact Tech, and DWeb. Founders receive mentorship, workshops, networking, investor access, and equity-free grants ($300k total issued). The organization also runs the MVP Academy (founder development), internship programs (NextGen Startup Internship and DivInc Internship placing students at portfolio companies), and Mission Collective fiscal sponsorship for mission-driven organizations.

Product overview

DivInc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating as an accelerator and support ecosystem for underrepresented founders. The organization offers multiple accelerator programs (Sports Tech, Women in Tech, Social Impact Tech, Clean Energy Tech, DWeb, Innovation & Influence), the MVP Academy for founder development, internship programs connecting talent with portfolio companies, the Champions of Change annual awards event, and fiscal sponsorship through Mission Collective. The portfolio includes companies that have raised over $15M in funding and created 200+ jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innovation & Influence Accelerator: Current accelerator program focused on innovation and influence for diverse founders.
• Women's Accelerator
• Sports Tech Accelerator
• DWeb Accelerator
• Women in Tech Accelerator
• Social Impact Tech Accelerator
• Clean Energy Tech Accelerator
• MVP Academy
• Champions of Change Awards
• NextGen Startup Internship

Products and services

• Innovation & Influence Accelerator Current 12-week intensive accelerator program designed for underrepresented founders (people of color, women, and diverse entrepreneurs) focused on building high-growth, scalable companies. Programs are no-fee, no-equity and provide mentorship, workshops, and investor networking.
• Women's Accelerator (Women's Innovation & Influence) Accelerator program specifically supporting women founders building tech and innovation-driven startups. No-fee, no-equity format with mentorship, education, and investor access.
• Sports Tech Accelerator Accelerator program for startups using technology to innovate in sports-related areas including athlete assessment, fan engagement, and scouting. Supported by Verizon (5G), NBA Foundation, and Rice University ($800,000 grant).
• Clean Energy Tech Accelerator Accelerator program for startups developing solutions for climate change and environmental sustainability. Title sponsored by Chevron and Microsoft.
• Social Impact Tech Accelerator Accelerator for technology companies led by people of color and women entrepreneurs addressing social inequities in criminal justice, healthcare, education, voting, and housing.
• DWeb Accelerator Accelerator focused on decentralized web technologies applied to social impact use cases, designed for underrepresented founders.
• Women in Tech Accelerator Past accelerator program for women founders building technology companies, providing mentorship, education, and investor access at no cost or equity.
• MVP Academy Program helping founders move from vision to launch with tools, mentorship, and community support to scale faster; pairs with the Internship Program to build a pipeline of talent supporting startups.
• NextGen Startup Internship Program Internship program placing undergraduate, graduate, and non-student professionals at DivInc portfolio companies for hands-on startup experience. Partnership with Blackstone LaunchPad; 30 interns placed in 2024. NBA Foundation partnership delivers 25 paid internships for Black Houston youth aged 18-24.
• DivInc Internship Program Year-round internship program for undergraduate, graduate, and non-student professionals offering part-time positions (10-30 hours per week) supporting founders in DivInc's 10-week summer accelerator program.
• Fiscal Sponsorship (Mission Collective) Fiscal sponsorship program supporting mission-driven entrepreneurs and organizations, providing them with the administrative and tax-exempt infrastructure of an established 501(c)(3).

Quantifiable outcome

• $15M+ in funding secured by portfolio companies
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Blackstone LaunchPadmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to place 30 exceptional student interns with 13 portfolio companies. Supports the NextGen Startup Internship Program.
• Rice Management Co.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Developing The Ion innovation district; coordinates with DivInc and Rice Alliance on accelerator programs in the Accelerator Hub.
• The IoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Premier Partner and home to DivInc's Houston operations. The Ion is a 270,000-square-foot innovation district in Houston where DivInc runs accelerator programs and provides services to Houston entrepreneurs.
• NASA Johnson Space CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership through EDA's Minority Business Enterprise Inner City Innovation Hubs program for the Aerospace Innovation Hub (ASCI-Hub) at The Ion.
• Notley VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Strategic business partnership with significant philanthropy investment. Notley provides wraparound services including shared finance, operations, marketing and fundraising talent. Goal to significantly increase successful underrepresented founders.
• Capital FactorymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Ongoing partnership providing access to resources, investment challenges (e.g., $100K Investment Challenge at Black in Tech Summit), and startup ecosystem connections.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visible Futures: Visible Futures is a NYC-based incubator/accelerator for underrepresented founders providing mentorship, workspace, and programming. Comparable to DivInc as a community-based nonprofit accelerator for diverse founders.
• Echoing Green: Echoing Green is a nonprofit that provides fellowships and leadership development to social entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds. Directly comparable to DivInc's mission-aligned founder-support model, though focused on social impact.
• Capital Factory: Capital Factory is a Texas-based accelerator and innovation hub with programming in both Austin and Houston. DivInc already partners with Capital Factory; it serves a similar founder base in the same regional market.
• gener8tor: gener8tor runs multiple accelerator cohorts (including specialized verticals like gBETA and industry-specific programs) and has explicit diversity-focused tracks. Closely comparable to DivInc's cohort-based, sponsor-supported model.
• Village Capital: Village Capital is a global nonprofit that runs impact-focused accelerator programs for early-stage entrepreneurs, including programming targeted at underrepresented founders. Highly comparable to DivInc's vertical-specialized, peer-driven accelerator model.
• Backstage Capital: Backstage Capital is a venture fund and accelerator specifically focused on investing in underrepresented founders (women, people of color, LGBTQ+). Like DivInc, it offers accelerator programming and capital to founders excluded from traditional venture pipelines.
• NewMe Accelerator: NewMe Accelerator runs programs specifically for Black and underrepresented founders, providing mentorship, capital access, and community — the same core thesis as DivInc's accelerator portfolio.
• Camelback Ventures: Camelback Ventures is a nonprofit accelerator based in New Orleans that supports BIPOC founders through fellowship programming, mentorship, and seed capital. Directly comparable to DivInc as a 501(c)(3)-style accelerator with a racial-equity mandate and no-fee structure.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is one of the world's largest accelerators with multiple thematic programs and diversity-focused initiatives (Techstars Rising Stars, Equitech). Overlaps with DivInc's accelerator model but operates at much greater scale and takes equity from portfolio companies.
• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the world's largest accelerator with a stated commitment to increasing diversity among founders and dedicated programming (e.g., YC Fellowship). Indirectly comparable to DivInc through diversity-focused initiatives, but vastly larger and equity-taking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/divincatx
• Facebookfacebook.com/divincatx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments30 records

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

Frequently asked questions about DivInc