When gBETA Distillery Labs first kicked off late 2021, the question lingered — Would there be enough entrepreneurs in the Peoria area ready to take part in a startup accelerator? Three cohorts and 15 companies later, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” The startup accelerator received more than 60 unique applications in its first year – an incredible number for a mid-sized city. Those 15 selected startups received the support of not only the Distillery Labs and gener8tor networks, but from more than 40 unique mentors from Peoria and throughout the country. gBETA Distillery Labs hosted at least five mentor collision events (what we call Mentor Swarms) per program.
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