For many startupsEarning a place on an accelerator program like Y Combinator or TechStars is like winning a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Accelerators provide a wealth of opportunities that can make the difference between a great idea that doesn’t reach its potential and one that leads to an IPO.
We’re used to seeing accelerators working for companies disrupting travel, payment processing or cloud storage, but what if this model could work beyond the venture capital mill? What if a little investment, a bit of mentoring and practical support, a ton of introductions, and a lot of faith could be used to help artists in their careers?
That’s exactly what The art of coup He tries to do it.
“Y Combinator changed my life,” Joey Flores, co-founder of Inversion Art, told TechCrunch. “I feel so grateful for this program, and I thought if I could do something like this for artists, that would be great.”
Flores is a Y Combinator alumni EarBits music marketing platform He graduated from the program in 2010 and sold out in 2015. Although Flores is not a professional artist, art is a very important part of his life, and a chance comment from a venture capitalist in a 2020 conversation set him on the path to finding a job opportunity . A way to support artists who have the drive and passion to make art their lifelong career but need help to make it happen. As part of his research, he connected with his co-founder Jonathan Neil, and together they are looking to change the way artists find success and recognition.
“The artist has always relied on third parties such as collectors, museums and galleries to develop their careers and define success for them,” Neil said. “We are, in our opinion, the first organization that sits on the same side of the table with artists in all their negotiations and activities and really helps them define success for themselves.”