St. Francis College’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Dogfish Accelerator Form Partnership
to Boost Film, Entertainment and New Media Startups in Brooklyn

New York, January 7, 2013 – The Center for Entrepreneurship at St. Francis College and Dogfish Accelerator, the world’s first accelerator program for independent film and new media producers, announced a partnership to support the creation and growth of digitally connected startups in Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn is a magnet for a broad range of digital media, entertainment and tech companies. We have a high concentration of entrepreneurs with great ideas – but they need help to find the right business model and operate their business. The Center of Entrepreneurship will create a pipeline of St. Francis College students whose experience will help fill the needs of aspiring entrepreneurs, even as the students themselves embark on their own new ventures,” said Dennis Anderson, Chair of the Department of Business Management and Information Technology and Executive Chair of the new Center for Entrepreneurship at St. Francis College. “Dogfish Accelerator has a proven track record for helping film and new media companies break new ground by bridging the gap between a creative idea and an innovative business that is attractive to investors.”

The Center will work with Dogfish Accelerator on activities to support the first crop of student entrepreneurs as well as Brooklyn-based entertainment, new media and film startups. Mentors and industry leaders from Dogfish Accelerator will help teach St. Francis students, while those students will be able to serve as interns for Dogfish Accelerator and the various production companies they sponsor. In addition, the Center will be able to provide various resources to help these growing companies under Dogfish Accelerator’s tutelage. The partnership will also result in new media forums and events to be hosted at the College.

James Belfer, Founder and Managing Director of Dogfish Accelerator added: “The next generations of startups are fearless in combining creativity with a strong business sense. Our accelerator program has shown that entrepreneurs benefit tremendously from a collaborative work environment and access to mentors and resources. We look forward to working with St. Francis’ Center of Entrepreneurship on programs that ignite innovative startups in Brooklyn.”

St. Francis College’s Center for Entrepreneurship was founded in September 2013 with the mission to promote entrepreneurial activities and initiatives in Brooklyn through education, research, and programs.

Launched in February 2013, Dogfish Accelerator provides seed financing, mentorship, perks, resources and office space to film and new media companies that are looking to develop their business models in preparation for further fundraising. Earlier this month, the first accelerator program class presented groundbreaking projects that combine creative digital storytelling with a solid business model at the inaugural Dogfish Accelerator Demo Day.

For more information about the Center of Entrepreneurship, go to http://www.sfc.edu/entrepreneur

Media Contacts

St. Francis College:
Richard Relkin
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 718-489-5214 / 646-369-8988

Dogfish Accelerator: Michelle Soffen
Email: [email protected]

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About St. Francis College
St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.
http://www.sfc.edu/entrepreneur, or follow us on Twitter at @entrepreneursfc.

About Dogfish Accelerator
Dogfish Accelerator is the first accelerator program for film producers and independent content creators. It offers seed financing, mentorship, perks and resources, and office space to teams of producers that are looking to develop their business model in preparation for fundraising. The accelerator aims to make the creative process easier by taking care of the business early on. For more information, go to http://www.dogfishaccelerator.com and https://www.facebook.com/DogfishAccelerator, or follow us on Twitter at @dogfishaccel.