Hillman Accelerator

Investment decisions are led by Managing Partner Candice Matthews Brackeen and General Partner Brian Brackeen. The pair evaluates applicants for each cohort based on founder-market fit, business model scalability, and the potential for social impact alongside financial returns. Their shared background in both entrepreneurship and venture investing informs a selection process that prioritizes product traction and lived experience over traditional founder pedigrees.

Deal flow comes primarily through open applications during the annual cohort cycle, supplemented by referrals from Lightship Foundation's network of corporate sponsors, university partners, and regional economic development organizations. The firm also runs scouting events and pitch competitions in cities including Detroit, Columbus, and Louisville. Corporate partners like Bank of America and Allstate contribute referrals through their supplier-diversity and innovation programs.

Hillman Accelerator operates as a for-profit investment entity, but it is closely tied to the Lightship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by the same principals. The nonprofit arm handles ecosystem-building, education programs, and grants, while the accelerator itself invests for equity. This hybrid structure enables a dual mandate of financial returns and measurable social impact without requiring a single vehicle to carry both.

Hillman's model centers on the initial accelerator investment, but the firm actively facilitates follow-on capital for graduating companies through its Demo Day and ongoing investor introductions. Several portfolio companies, including Zirtue and Boddle Learning, have raised subsequent priced rounds from institutional venture funds. The Brackeens' network within the broader Lightship community provides portfolio companies with warm access to later-stage capital sources.

Lightship Foundation is the nonprofit parent organization founded by Candice Matthews Brackeen and Brian Brackeen. It encompasses Hillman Accelerator as its core for-profit investment engine, along with Lightship Education, Lightship Capital, and grant-making programs. The foundation's corporate and philanthropic partners — including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation — provide funding that supports cohort operations and portfolio company resources without direct equity investments.

Hillman does not invest in biotech or hard-science companies requiring long FDA-approval timelines, given its accelerator time horizon. The firm also avoids capital-intensive hardware businesses, clean-energy manufacturing, and any venture that requires real-estate-heavy operating models. Its sector preferences concentrate on software and technology-enabled services with clear paths to product-market fit within 12 to 18 months.

The Midwest concentration means Hillman competes less with coastal seed funds and more with local angel groups and community development financial institutions. Portfolio companies often operate in industries — logistics, manufacturing tech, health services — where Midwestern incumbency provides a natural scaling advantage. The firm's Cincinnati headquarters, combined with cohort members from regional hubs, gives it an informational edge in pricing rounds that coastal accelerators might overlook or overvalue.