Co-ops are commonplace, but not commonly understood. REI, Ace Hardware, Land’o’Lakes, Ocean Spray, Blue Diamond, Bob’s Red Mill and every credit union are cooperative companies.
The applicability of the co-op business model is vast. From worker-owned companies to producer and purchasing cooperatives, these distributed ownership organizations create economies of scale, and especially empowering for economically disadvantaged groups such as women, minorities, immigrants, family businesses, and veterans.
Fledge is excited to add Start.coop to our global network, the world’s first accelerator focused on cooperative companies. Based in Boston and led by Greg Brodsky, a 41-year-old Boston-based entrepreneur who has built national purchasing co-ops in both the bicycle and craft beer industries, plus a team of others experienced in building and operating co-ops across the U.S.
Applications are open now now. If you are interested in starting a co-op or know someone who is, please point them to start.coop for details.
This is an intense, 10-week, cohort based program which comes with a $10,000 investment, a ton of education and mentorship, and everywhere you’d expect from a Fledge accelerator.
Details are here.