Salesforce Accelerate FAQ

WHAT IS SALESFORCE ACCELERATE?

Salesforce Accelerate is a virtual program designed to provide the insights and support companies need to strategically align with Salesforce and grow with AppExchange.

There are two programs under the Salesforce Accelerate umbrella: 

Black-owned businesses have been disproportionately affected by the current global health pandemic and ongoing racial disparities. Overall, 26% of Black-owned businesses closed between February and May, compared with 11% for their white counterparts as reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a nonprofit group that tracks U.S. economic cycles. In August as part of National Black Business Month, Salesforce pledged to take action. 

Salesforce is committed to widening access to opportunities critical to financial empowerment.  Our Salesforce Accelerate Build program sets entrepreneurs up for success throughout their entire entrepreneurial journey to build not only products, but businesses, on the Salesforce platform and/or around the Salesforce ecosystem. All entrepreneurs selected for this program will have access to our rigorous program, subject matter experts, a team of mentors, a network of 108+partner alumni, and access to our ecosystem. 

is the program open to everyone?

No. Only accepted applicants can participate in the Salesforce Accelerate programming. 

No.  There is no cost (financial or equity) to apply to or join the program.  

What are the requirements for being selected to the program?

Our next program is a Salesforce Accelerate Build Cohort for North American companies

You can apply through our online application form at p.force.com/accelerateme

What is the duration of the program?

What does the application timeline look like? 

Our current Salesforce Accelerate Build timeline is as follows:

what is the (daily/weekly) time commitment required for the program?

Participants should expect to invest 3 - 4 hours per week during the program.

We are structuring the weekly programming as follows:

what should i expect to get out of the program?

We have designed the Salesforce Accelerate program to provide you with the insight, learning and support to help you strategically align with Salesforce and accelerate your time-to-market with respect to the AppExchange. 

You can expect sessions covering:

We do not code for you, sell your app or run your company.  The advisors, mentors and support staff are here to help you figure out how to execute with excellence. As with life, you will only get out of the program what you put into it.

How many people from my company can participate in the program? 

We encourage as many people as you want from your company to participate in our online programming. You may send different people each time.

Is there a Demo Day similar to what typical accelerators have?

Not exactly. While we do not stage a traditional investor “Demo Day”, we do believe in showcasing our cohort companies at the end of the program. We will end the program with a public graduation event that features your customer pitch and/or product demo (using our Demo Jam format). Our invite list includes Salesforce executives, our advisor network, the local investment community, press and customers. Your pitch will be recorded and provided to you as an edited asset that can be used for further marketing purposes.

Do I need to live in San Francisco for the duration of the program?

No. The program does not require residency in SF and we have no office space allocated to participants.  Due to COVID-19 all of the programming will be delivered via live web conference meetings. This includes subject matter talks and 1:1 meetings.

Do I need to participate in all of the online programming?

Yes. This is a great opportunity to accelerate your journey with Salesforce for willing participants. We will be monitoring participation in the program and require full participation from all participants. The complete program schedule will be available before the program starts so that you can block off your calendars for scheduled programming. We will schedule the online programming to be delivered during regular business hours in the following time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern. We encourage you to share the webinar invites (and recordings) with specialists within your company, based on the topics of interest. At least one person from your company is required to participate in the online programming.

Will the online meetings be recorded?  

Yes. This does not mean that you can plan on “catching up” on the program instead of participating live. Each cohort is relatively small and you will be able to discuss the meeting topics directly with the subject matter experts to gain more insights and get your questions answered. Plan ahead so that you can participate in most, if not all, of the talks that are part of the program. We encourage you to share the webinar invites (and recordings) with specialists within your company, based on the topics of interest.

what is the difference between a program “advisor” and a “mentor”?

Advisors are subject matter experts that include Salesforce employees and other industry experts. Mentors are designated Salesforce employees that are paired with you for the duration of the program.

How will advisor meetings be handled?

We are constantly curating our advisor list to ensure that our program advisors can meet with you online (Hangout, Zoom, GotoMeeting, etc.). Using our online community tool, you will be able find advisors by skill and experience and then connect with them directly via chat.

what if i have questions or issues that come up in between scheduled 1:1 meetings?

Our program manager or your assigned mentor can be reached via email or phone on an as-needed basis. We are committed to your success as a program participant. Welcome to the Salesforce Ohana.