The Surge Program

PROGRAM

Join SURGE from February to May and elevate your business to the next level.
SURGE provides companies with unparalleled access to customers, industry experts, mentorship, and capital.

OVERVIEW

The SURGE program is designed to provide 3 stages of support

MARKET VALIDATION

SURGE helps companies develop relationships with mentors and industry experts who will provide expert feedback on all aspects of the business. Companies solicit feedback, refine their business models, and develop market entry strategies.

SCALING OPERATIONS

SURGE makes crucial customer introductions to help companies land pilot projects and enter new markets. Mentors help companies address the new challenges that accompany scaling a business.

RAISING CAPITAL

SURGE prepares entrepreneurs to raise funding after they graduate from the program. Each company presents at SURGE Day in front of a targeted audience of 500+ investors, industry executives, and media. SURGE also helps with investor introductions, term sheet negotiations, and due diligence preparation.

CALENDAR

Spring Program: Class 3 will be in session from February through May.

PROGRAM
SURGE
SHACK
HOUSTON
GLOBAL
ENERGY

Applications Open OCTOBER 1,

Application Deadline DECEMBER 13,

Finalists Invited to SURGE for In-Person Pitches DECEMBER & JANUARY

SURGE Class 3 Kickoff FEBRUARY 17,

SURGE DAYMAY 21,

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

CURRICULUM

SURGE provides a tailored curriculum designed to provide the foundation of knowledge necessary to develop the leadership skills and business acumen of your management team. Building a business is hard, and all entrepreneurs make mistakes. We believe in learning from mistakes, but we also want to help you avoid some of these mistakes altogether.

We understand that some entrepreneurs are more experienced than others, and we will structure the curriculum based on your experience.

SURGE also invites prominent guest speakers to share war stories and speak about specific areas of expertise. Past speakers have included Peter Duncan (Chairman at MicroSeismic) and Bob Frazier (Director of Electric Technology at Centerpoint).

ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS

We have relationships with the major enterprise players that not only give us feedback on deals that cross our desk but also want to be pilot customers of our startups. Here is a sample of who you’ll find at SURGE:

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

We work closely with some of the most important angel groups and venture capital firms that invest in our portfolio companies. Active investors include:

Austin Ventures
Clean Energy Venture Partners
Mercury Fund
Rockport Capital
Ridgewood Capital
Terrawatt Ventures

EXPECTATIONS

The SURGE program is INTENSE. We estimate that the progress you make on your business in the three months you spend at SURGE would otherwise take one year. To take full advantage of SURGE, companies that are accepted will be required to relocate all or a portion of their team to Houston, Texas for the duration of the program and attend curriculum sessions.

Throughout the program, we have weekly Founders’ Meetings, which is when all SURGE Founders meet after business hours to discuss the week’s highlights, celebrate achievements, and provide suggestions for overcoming challenges. SURGE 2 Founders decided to enjoy $1 taco night for dinner at a local pub before Founders’ Meetings, resulting in deeper relationships within the class and cross-industry innovation.

Pitch practice for SURGE Day begins at the beginning of Month 2. Each week, a group of mentors will watch the CEOs of each company present their SURGE Day pitch and provide feedback on content, style, delivery, and what investors will be looking for on the big day. There will be 500 people in the audience, so we will make sure you are ready to impress.

We also expect Founders to enjoy their experience at SURGE. Last year, we played laser tags on the weekends, went bowling, and even organized a huge water balloon fight!