Seed Labs
From Idea to Revenue in 6 Months
A foundation-side accelerator on BHC's 15-acre Grow Campus. We accelerate startups, help K-12 students pitch real projects, and help other communities replicate the model.
6 mo
Program Length
10-50
Startups/Cohort
$25K
Pitch Prize
7%
Funded by GrowWise Revenue
The 6-Month Program
Structured phases from validation to VC pitch days.
- Problem definition workshops
- Customer discovery interviews
- Market sizing exercises
- Competitive landscape mapping
- AI-assisted prototyping (vibe coding)
- User testing with real customers
- Iterate on core value proposition
- Technical architecture decisions
- First paying customers (or clear path)
- Pricing model validation
- Channel strategy development
- Unit economics modeling
- Growth experiments
- Retention and engagement metrics
- Fundraising preparation
- Legal and entity formation
- Revenue milestones
- Pitch deck creation
- Financial model refinement
- Investor introductions begin
- Live pitch to visiting investors
- Demo day on Grow Campus
- Filmed by Outpost Media
- Alumni network onboarding
Not Your Average Accelerator
Seed Labs accelerates not just startups but other foundations. Replication is the product.
Accelerates Foundations, Not Just Startups
Seed Labs helps other communities replicate the BHC model. 501(c)(3) formation templates, curriculum licensing, and playbooks for rural revitalization.
501(c)(3) Formation Templates
Ready-made nonprofit templates so other towns can create their own Seed Foundation equivalents in weeks, not months.
Starlink Partnership
Broadband infrastructure for cohort participants and partner communities. Because you cannot build tech from a town without internet.
VC Introductions
BHC's investor network becomes the cohort's investor network. Warm introductions to 36+ profiled investors.
Podcast Platform
Every founder gets a feature on The Session. Outpost Media turns your story into content that markets your company for free.
Mentorship Network
BHC's 13-entity team, visiting investors, and alumni founders provide ongoing mentorship through and beyond the program.
Who Can Apply
Seed Labs is open to more than traditional founders.
Startup Founders
Pre-revenue or early-revenue startups looking for structure, mentorship, and investor access. Any industry.
K-12 Seniors
High school seniors can pitch real projects through Seed Academy. The best ideas get incubated in the next Seed Labs cohort.
Community Leaders
Towns, nonprofits, and economic development orgs that want to replicate the BHC model in their own region.
Grow Campus Residency
Cohort participants live and work on BHC's 15-acre Grow Campus in Custer, South Dakota. Coworking, housing, meals at THE OP, and a community of builders who chose small-town life on purpose.
When investors visit for VC pitch days, they see the campus, meet the founders, and experience the Black Hills. The setting is the pitch.
How Seed Labs Is Funded
7% of GrowWise revenue flows to BHC's charity war chest. That war chest funds Seed Labs operations, cohort stipends, and community replication grants. As GrowWise grows, Seed Labs scales automatically.
$735K
Year 1 war chest
$2.45M
Year 3 war chest
$7.35M
Year 5 war chest
Apply to Seed Labs
Whether you have a startup, a school project, or a vision for your community, Seed Labs has a track for you.