Content provided by AWS Startups

Are you an entrepreneur interested in or a part of any of the following?:

Planning to apply to Y Combinator
Practicing pitching
Come from an underrepresented or Latino/a background
Scaling your business
Data/AI

Check out the events below!

Thinking of applying to Y Combinator?

April 3
The AWS Startups team is excited to announce an application review program for any founders applying to Y Combinator. The AWS YC Business Development team, comprised of experienced investors and founders, is providing 1:1 support for startups building on AWS during the application process. Founders will receive an application review, a feedback call with an AWS team member and the potential for a referral from AWS to the YC team. Historically, startups that have gone through the AWS application process have a 3-4X higher acceptance rate to the program. We have a rolling deadline of April 3rd and encourage founders to apply early. In order to participate in the program, please have founders directly email: namer-accelerator-partners@amazon.com.

Impact Accelerator: Latino Founders

Mar 6-Mar 17
AWS Impact Accelerator for Latino Founders Cohort is designed for Latino founders who are the CEO and/or CTO of an innovative tech or tech-enabled startup. We're talking pre-seed startups beyond ideation with a fully-developed MVP or launched product. The program is industry and vertical agnostic, and we welcome startups with technical leads who are leveraging cloud technologies or plan to. If you’ve got game-changing ambitions, we encourage you to apply.

AWS x MassChallenge x Carta Pitch Competition Viewing Party

Mar 9
Founders from MassChallenge’s 2021 and 2022 U.S. Early-Stage Accelerator Cohorts were invited to participate in Carta’s inaugural pitch competition. During this event, 10 finalists will showcase the startups that they’re building and perfect their pitches in front of a live, virtual audience and to our panel of four judges who will select the top three prize winners. As part of the audience, you will get to vote on your favorite team. Voters will also be entered into a raffle, for a chance to win a $150 Amazon gift card!

Pitching Better: A Workshop for Underrepresented Founders to Overcome Bias in Fundraising

Mar 13
Join Danielle Gorman (AWS Startups Team, angel investor & advisor) and Kobina Ansah (AWS Startups Team, two-time FinTech founder) for a tactical workshop on pitching better to overcome bias in fundraising. This session is based on the research of Dr. Laura Huang, a professor at HBS who spent 5 years studying gender parity in the startup world. She found that women founders get asked more prevention questions (i.e., is this actually a large market opportunity?) while men get asked more promotion questions (i.e., how big can this business get?). This tactical workshop will be relevant for all underrepresented founder groups and will cover 1) how to identify unconsciously biased questions, 2) ways to answer these questions using the “RIP” method (reclaim, inform and promote), and 3) how to clarify and pivot.

Innovate: Data and AI/ML Edition

Mar 14
Join us for a date with data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning on Pi Day (March 14). You’ll walk away with strategies to build future-proof applications, empower builders with machine learning tools, and bring more organization to your data-driven organization.

AWS x Brex x Carta CLO Webinar on Wednesday

Mar 15
Carta, Brex and AWS have teamed up to cover important legal risks and topics for founders for a fireside chat with Chief Legal Officers. The invitation is for early-stage companies or founders looking to start their journey.
The fireside chat will cover topics around: Incorporation, operating agreements and equity splits between co-founders, top things to watch out for in vendor agreements you’re signing, when to bring on a law firm + what to look for when doing so, and equity management for employees and relevant agreements.

Scale like Amazon Workshop

Mar 21
Scale Like Amazon is an insider’s guide to Amazon’s approach to innovation and company building, adapted for startup founders and operators. This three-part series gives startup leaders a peek inside the tools founders can apply to challenges they encounter as they scale their startups, including: leadership principles, organizing startup teams, how to make decisions in a fast-paced technology company, Amazon’s narrative-based product development process, and more.
Participants will leave the series with frameworks and mechanisms they can immediately apply to their startup. Plus, join all three Scale Like Amazon sessions to earn your very own Scale Like Amazon LinkedIn badge.