Dina Mills knows a thing or two about starting and growing a business in Chapel Hill.
The serial entrepreneur started the natural frozen treats company LunaPops in Chapel Hill in 2007. Four years later, LunaPops reached a deal with Whole Foods that made Mills’ pops available at the natural foods store’s locations along the East Coast.
Mills stepped out of LunaPops last year. Going forward look for her to start her days by fixing up a different stimulative treat. At Launch Chapel Hill, Mills will take responsibility for the morning brew.
“One of the things that powers entrepreneurs is a steady stream of coffee,” she said.
Mills, who has started six businesses, is now the program manager for Launch Chapel Hill. The business accelerator, located at 321 W. Rosemary St., will hold an open house today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. to introduce the people to the companies and the organizers that aim to bring new entrepreneurial spirit to the community.
Plans for Launch Chapel Hill was announced earlier this year. Right now, 16 ventures are working from the Launch space. The companies range in size from one to 10 employees and address a wide range of social and technological topics. For example, A Ban Against Neglect, or ABAN, works with street girls in Accra, Ghana to help them learn a trade and make a living. RentalTaxTool is developing software that would give users tools to track, manage and file hospitality taxes for a vacation home.
Mills said that Launch Chapel Hill might have additional space for one or two additional companies, depending on their size and depending on the time line for companies to move out. Entrepreneurs can stay in the space for six months, though that can be extended up to a year. In that regard, Mills says Launch Chapel Hill offers more flexibility than other accelerators.
Companies have three three deadlines for acceptance into Launch per year. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee comprised of representatives from the Town of Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, UNC and local entrepreneurs.
“They’re looking for high impact ideas as well as for those ventures that have a good fit for what we offer at Launch,” Mills said.
But Launch Chapel Hill’s 3,500 square feet of space is more than workspace. While the companies selected for Launch are different, they are all at a stage where they are ready to be pushed onto a faster track. That’s where Launch Chapel Hill aims to help them. Launch takes no equity in the companies that work there. The accelerator’s broad goal is to create and support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chapel Hill.
One of the things that helps entrepreneurs most is to be around entrepreneurs, Mills said. But the accelerator will also offer more formal assistance, including mentoring and workshops with accountants and lawyers.
Mills says her duties will be quite broad. She will use her own entrepreneurial experiences to answer questions from Launch tenants. She will also connect entrepreneurs to people who can help them. Mills said that she did not have access to a facility like Launch when she started out but she hopes to fill that gap for Chapel Hill entrepreneurs.
“Having been an entrepreneur, it takes a village — a lot of people help you along the way,” she said. “A Launch would have been helpful to me at various stages of my entrepreneurial career.”
