15 high-growth Asheville companies selected for mentor program
More than a dozen Asheville companies will enter an elite mentoring program that targets business with potential to service national and global markets.
That sounds very fancy, of course, but what's in it for the average Asheville resident? The answer: jobs.
Josh Dorfman, director of entrepreneurship at Venture Asheville, a local economic group that created the mentoring program Elevate, said these companies are likely to create better salaries for locals.
“We believe we’re creating an engine over time to help create high salary jobs here in Asheville," he said. "This is not a short term fix because successfully growing a company is not an overnight activity, but we are investing resources into these companies because we believe they have the potential to become successful and that success will lead to higher salary jobs in our community."
The Elevate companies, announced Tuesday, represent a variety of industries, although most have strong ties to technology. They work in digital publishing, software, electric vehicles, food, climate science, human resources, education, legal services and more.
The companies are all based in Asheville, and they include:
- Antenna, an online publishing platform that encourages immediate feedback from readers and shoppers
- Avoda time management software
- Brightfield Transportation Solutions, which sells solar-powered electric car chargers
- Coeo, a real-time networking app, sort of like the Find My Friends of events
- Dig Local, a culture guide website and app focused on Asheville
- Dmarcian, an email monitoring service designed to combat fraud
- Edibly, which could become the Etsy of ultra-local, handcrafted food
- FernLeaf Interactive, software that combines climate science with real estate analysis
- Glance, a platform designed to improve hiring with 60-second videos
- Harvest to Market, which allows users to order from farmers markets online
- JB Media Institute, a 6-week online training course that teaches Internet marketing
- Navacy digital engagement tools for trusts and estate attorneys
- Parsley, which streamlines restaurant waitlists by sending text messages when tables are ready
- Plum Print digital kids books and gifts
- Virtual Job Shadow career exploration for students
They join the 10 companies that began the Elevate program when it launched in January: LiveWire Solution, BrewStream, Shiny Creek, LoLo, Talking Book, Cab Hound, UgoTour, Sweet Blossom Gifts, Efficiency Lab and Go Worx.
As part of the Elevate program, Venture Asheville matches each company with a team of mentors who they meet with to discuss business problems and develop actionable solutions. These mentors aren't average business coaches. They telecommute from Asheville to companies like Verizon and Microsoft.
“The caliber of our mentors is extraordinary," Dorfman said. “We’re looking for them because we’re trying to bring those who have world-class experience. We are harnessing that experience for entrepreneurs here.”
To learn more about the Elevate program and the companies taking part in it, visit ventureasheville.com/elevate.
