The Points of Light

What The Points of Light does

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator (operating as CivicX) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accelerator and investment fund, founded in 2012 as a program of Points of Light — the world's largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. It is the first national accelerator dedicated to "civic ventures": early-stage for-profit and nonprofit startups that mobilize people as part of the solution to critical social problems such as financial well-being, economic mobility, opportunity youth, digital inclusion, and veteran workforce reintegration. The core program is a 10-week, cohort-based boot camp for 10-15 ventures, structured around three week-long in-person sessions held in rotating U.S. cities (Atlanta, New York, Seattle, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C.) plus an in-depth virtual curriculum. Two top ventures per cohort each receive a $50,000 investment — an 8% convertible debt note at a 20% discount for for-profits and a revenue-share agreement for nonprofits — with all returns recycled into future cohorts.

The accelerator does not charge participants; it is funded by philanthropic grants from corporate foundations including PwC Charitable Foundation (founding partner), Ford Motor Company Fund, Hilton Worldwide, Starbucks Foundation, Capital One, Vodafone Americas Foundation, Dentons, Singing for Change, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Selected ventures receive an air travel stipend of up to $1,200, hotel accommodations, and meals. Adjacent programs include the Veterans Solutions Lab (8-week boot camp for veteran and military-family entrepreneurs, sponsored by PwC), the Acumen Civic Accelerator: Future of Work (10-week workforce-focused program presented by PwC), and Rapid Innovation Summits (2-day design-thinking and lean-startup crash courses run in partnership with Smallify). Across 12 cohorts, CivicX has graduated more than 135 ventures, deployed $850,000 in investments, and reports $54 million+ in cumulative portfolio revenue and 18 million individuals reached.

The business is operationally a venture philanthropy program rather than a commercial enterprise. The Pipeline Development Associate function recruits applicants from 18+ U.S. regions, and alumni outcomes cited include a 99% average increase in earned revenue and capital in the first year of acceleration, an 81% increase in for-profit investment, and a 91% venture-survival rate. The organization is led by Founder Ayesha Khanna with a small operational team based at 600 Means St. Suite 210, Atlanta, GA 30318.

Name

The Points of Light

Legal name

Points of Light Civic Accelerator

Website

https://cvcx.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator (CivicX) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cohort-based accelerator and investment fund, operating under Points of Light in Atlanta. It runs 10-week boot camps for early-stage for-profit and nonprofit civic ventures, investing $50,000 in the top two peer-selected teams per cohort via philanthropic grant funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Accelerator Program

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Social venture accelerator
• Civic innovation programs
• Social entrepreneurship bootcamp
• Nonprofit accelerator program
• Impact investment fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Sponsorship & Philanthropic Grants: CivicX is funded by corporate foundations (PwC Charitable Foundation, Ford Motor Company Fund, Hilton Worldwide, Dentons, Singing for Change, U.S. Small Business Administration, Capital One, Vodafone Americas Foundation, Starbucks Foundation) and individual sponsors. The accelerator does not charge ventures to participate. Returns from $50,000 investments (via convertible debt for for-profits, revenue share for nonprofits) are reinvested into future cohort startups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator (CivicX) is a 10-week boot camp-style accelerator program and investment fund that supports early-stage civic ventures—both for-profit and nonprofit startups—solving critical social problems. The program convenes 10-15 teams per cohort, providing mentorship, curriculum on revenue generation and customer acquisition, peer learning, and networking opportunities, with the two most promising ventures in each cohort each receiving a $50,000 investment.

Product overview

The Points of Light Civic Accelerator (CivicX) is a portfolio of accelerator and innovation programs rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include the Civic Accelerator (a 10-week boot camp-style program and investment fund for civic ventures), the Veterans Solutions Lab (an 8-week program for veteran-focused ventures), and Rapid Innovation Summits (2-day design thinking workshops). Each program cohort addresses specific social challenges through thematic focus areas such as Opportunity Youth (education and workforce success for Detroit youth), digital inclusion, financial well-being, and economic mobility. Ventures receive mentorship, curriculum from industry experts, peer learning, and networking opportunities, with the most promising ventures in each cohort receiving $50,000 investments. The organization has graduated over 135 ventures across 12 cohorts since 2012, supporting for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises that include people as part of the solution to critical social problems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Veterans Solutions Lab: An 8-week startup boot camp and investment fund focused on empowering and equipping veterans and their families with skills and resources to succeed in the new economy and civilian life.
• Rapid Innovation Summits
• Acumen Civic Accelerator: Future of Work

Products and services

• Civic Accelerator (CivicX) Program
• Veterans Solutions Lab
• Rapid Innovation Summits
• Acumen Civic Accelerator: Future of Work

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% average increase in earned revenue and capital within first year of acceleration
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Village CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage Capital partnered with Points of Light to launch the Civic Accelerator in 2012. Both are separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations sharing a mission around supporting social entrepreneurs.
• SmallifycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed Rapid Innovation Summits in partnership with CivicX — 2-day crash courses in design thinking, lean startup principles, and business model canvas for social innovators. Conducted summits in Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans.
• Accelerating the AcceleratorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiative that produced the Impact Accelerators Map and collaborated on accelerator best practices and learnings, referenced in CivicX's impact reports.
• IDEOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal innovation firm and methodology company based in Silicon Valley. Partnered with CivicX to host a Community Innovation Lab in Detroit to kick off the Fall 2016 cohort focused on opportunity youth.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Village Capital: Village Capital is a 501(c)(3) impact-focused accelerator that co-founded the Civic Accelerator with Points of Light in 2012 and now operates as a direct competitor running civic and social-venture cohorts with peer-selection investment methodology.
• Camelback Ventures: Camelback Ventures is a New Orleans-based social-impact accelerator focused on underrepresented founders building businesses in underserved communities — directly comparable mission, target founder profile, and nonprofit accelerator structure.
• Echoing Green: Echoing Green is a long-standing 501(c)(3) social-entrepreneur fellowship providing seed capital, coaching, and a peer community to early-stage leaders — the same combination Civic Accelerator offers civic ventures, making it the closest peer in mission and funding model.
• Fast Forward: Fast Forward is a nonprofit accelerator specifically for tech nonprofits, offering a cohort program with peer-selected investment and post-program support — virtually identical operating model to CivicX but specialized in technology-driven nonprofits.

Broad incumbents

• Acumen: Acumen is a global impact-investment pioneer with Acumen Academy delivering long-form leadership programming for social entrepreneurs — a broader, more capital-backed incumbent operating with similar accelerator-plus-investment structure.
• Ashoka: Ashoka is the largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs, providing fellowships, peer learning, and ecosystem support — a much larger incumbent that overlaps with CivicX on supporting scaled civic innovators.

Emerging players

• All Raise: All Raise is a nonprofit dedicated to increasing diversity in venture and tech through founder and VC programming — overlapping with CivicX on founder-development and diversity outcomes, though focused on venture-backed (not civic) startups.
• Founder Gym: Founder Gym is a virtual accelerator targeting underrepresented founders, providing training, mentorship, and a peer cohort — a digitally-distributed emerging alternative to CivicX's in-person civic-accelerator model.
• Black Innovation Alliance: Black Innovation Alliance is a coalition of accelerators and entrepreneurs focused on closing the racial wealth gap, including minority-focused accelerator programming — overlapping mission with CivicX's minority-founder outcomes.

Others

• SOCAP (Social Capital Markets): SOCAP is a global conference and convening organization for investors and entrepreneurs focused on social and environmental impact — an adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but a relevant network for pipeline development and demo-day exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/civicacceleratr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/165507
• Facebookfacebook.com/civicaccelerator

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

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Points of Light