SD Sports Innovators, a local accelerator for sports, active lifestyle, health and wellness startups, landed a new sponsor. On August 1, the Qualcomm Foundation announced it would partner with SDSI, giving startups in its program access to mentoring sessions with senior Qualcomm employees.
Since it started in 2009, SDSI has graduated a total of 86 companies, which have since created 550 jobs and raised nearly $86 million in capital. In addition, just over half of its companies are led by female founders.
“The exemplary community leadership of Qualcomm and Qualcomm Foundation will bring our SDSI efforts to new and incalculable heights as we seek to create new jobs, business and opportunity for those chasing the dream,” SDSI Executive Chairman Bill Walton said in a news release. “The Foundation’s support, as a foundational pillar of everything that is good in our beloved San Diego, will allow us to rapidly accelerate the future trends we are already witnessing in our sports and active lifestyle industry.”
Each SDSI Accelerator program runs for 20 weeks, and pairs founders with a team of mentors to develop a business plan. Applications for the next cohort will open on August 5.
