Startup Accelerator Program for Accounting Profession Seeks New Applicants

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) and CPA.com are seeking new applicants for their joint startup accelerator program, which focuses on innovation in accounting, finance and regulatory technology.

The accelerator has attracted interest from early-stage companies in 14 countries since it launched in 2017. Successful applicants for the program’s third class can tap the expertise of senior leadership of both the Association and CPA.com, as well as an accomplished advisory group with diverse backgrounds in entrepreneurship, accounting and finance. They also gain access to CPA firm leaders, Chartered Global Management Accountants (CGMAs) in major corporations, and other influencers within the profession. In addition, they can qualify for up to $25,000 in funding.

“The accelerator was instrumental in our shift upmarket, which is proving to be essential for us,” said Blaine Bertsch of DryRun, a cash flow forecasting software startup that participated in the program last year. “We’ve also increased our visibility and credibility in the market, which will help us grow much faster.”

Applications for the latest accelerator class are due Nov. 30, 2019. Selections will be made by early 2020. Companies that are chosen will be featured next June at AICPA ENGAGE, one of the leading accounting and finance conferences in North America, and in December 2020 at the AICPA/CPA.com Digital CPA Conference, which specializes in accounting technology and practice development topics.

“We offer deep insight into the rapidly changing dynamics of the accounting profession for participants in the accelerator,” said Lawson Carmichael, chief operating officer of the Association. “In turn, we understand that innovation in the profession can come from all sources and we want to embrace and support change and better quality.”

The startup accelerator program is open to entrepreneurial companies worldwide. To be eligible, companies should be:

At seed or pre-Series A stage (with some exceptions)
Have a working product or service
Focused on accounting technology or regulatory technology solutions

For questions about the program, please contact Mark Brooks, the Association’s associate director of innovation and strategic partnerships, mark.brooks@aicpa-cima.com, or Kacee Johnson, strategic advisor for CPA.com, kacee.johnson@hq.cpa.com.

To apply, please visit the startup accelerator program page at aicpa-cima.com/accelerator.html.