About this programme
TakeOff is a 12-week accelerator from the Nashville Entrepreneur Center for founders who have a working product and early customers, roughly MVP to $100,000 in revenue. Its premise, as the program puts it, is 'your product works, now build the business around it': founders should already have proof that somebody will pay, and the program focuses on finding, winning and retaining customers rather than further product development.
It is not the right fit for founders still at the pre-validation stage (the EC's PreFlight program is meant for them), companies past $100,000 in revenue struggling with operations (see InFlight instead), or health tech ventures selling to health systems (see Project Healthcare).
How it works
The program runs 12 weeks, meeting Mondays 1 to 4pm in person at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, with a weekly time commitment of about 5 hours including the Monday session plus optional Friday webinars and advisor meetings. Cohorts run in Fall and Spring, with 25 to 30 founders per cohort.
Weekly sessions each focus on one business component: ideal customer profile and minimum viable segment, brand and differentiation, offer development and testing, go-to-market strategy and minimum viable testing, sales funnel and nurture sequences (including AI tools), and finally assembling a go-to-market playbook with customer panels.
Founders get access to more than 200 volunteer advisors, subject matter experts and entrepreneurs-in-residence, plus eligibility for Impact Grants and Investor Rounds, an expo booth at Nashville Entrepreneur Day, and EC membership and workspace access.
The program ends with capstone events in December: Community Connection Day (warm introductions to potential customers and partners) and Nashville Entrepreneur Day, where ten finalists pitch on stage and all founders host expo booths. Non-dilutive Impact Grants of $8,000, $6,000, $4,000 and $2,000 are awarded, and founders seeking capital can opt into Investor Rounds, 30-minute curated meetings with vetted investors.
Cost is $500 total, or $125 a month for four months. No equity is ever taken.
Who can apply
Founders with a working product and early customers, roughly at MVP through $100,000 in revenue, who have proven somebody will pay for what they are selling.
Not for pre-validation founders, companies already past $100,000 in revenue and dealing with operational scaling, or health tech companies selling to health systems.
How to apply
- Apply through the single unified application that covers all EC accelerator programs, at ec.co/apply/.
- Optionally take the two-minute application quiz at ec.co/quiz/ to help determine program fit before applying.
- While your application is under review, you can join as an EC member (ec.co/membership/) to access the advisor network, workspace and founder community.
- Spring 2027 cohort applications are currently open; the program begins in February.
Frequently asked
How much does TakeOff cost and does it take equity?
$500 total, or $125 a month for four months, with no equity taken, ever.
Who is TakeOff for?
Founders with a working product and early customers, roughly MVP to $100,000 in revenue, who need to focus on finding, winning and retaining customers.
How is TakeOff different from InFlight?
TakeOff is for founders still validating go-to-market up to about $100,000 in revenue; InFlight is for founders past that, from $100,000 to $1 million in revenue, who need operational systems instead.
What happens at the end of the program?
Capstone events in December, including Community Connection Day and Nashville Entrepreneur Day, where ten finalists pitch for non-dilutive Impact Grants of $8,000, $6,000, $4,000 and $2,000, and founders can join Investor Rounds with vetted investors.
How do I apply?
Through the unified EC application at ec.co/apply/, which covers all EC accelerator programs in one submission.
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Reviewed 2026-09-25. Programmes change, so check eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private firm and is not part of any government body.