Partner with Builders + Backers

Together we can enable millions of new entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to life

Help Ideas Become Reality

When you partner with Builders + Backers, you are playing a critical role in helping ideas become reality and people become empowered Builders ready to make a change. From launching highly scalable startups to solving community challenges, your support enables millions of people to become people of action who create the startups that will power tomorrow.
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powering tomorrow's builders
Walmart
Heartland Forward
George Kaiser Family Foundation
Ford Motor Company Fund
Jefferson State Community College
GEN Pebble Fund
Innovation Portal
Iowa City Area Development
Partnership

Let’s Build Together

No matter what your goals are, we have flexible partnership options.
Learn more about ways to work with us and change lives.

Branded Pebble Fund

You determine the focus. We do the rest. From targeting ideas in a specific industry, owner demographic, geography, or a mix of these, Builders + Backers can create a custom Pebble Fund for you.

Targeted Pebble Funds

Not interested in branding your own Pebble Fund? Join together with a coalition of funders to support Builders and their Ideas in specific vertical markets.

Community Programs

From Idea Challenges to running your own local cohorts of our Idea Accelerator program, you can start with one program or bring them all.

Event Programs

Partner with us to bring inspiring and impactful events to cities everywhere. You can sponsor one or more cities or the entire national tour.

“We see the Idea Accelerator program as filling in some gaps for us while at the same time complementing what we’re already trying to build here. This program reached people that we had not been able to yet and helped us to see the power of helping people simply test an idea before making a bigger leap.”

Jon Maynard
President | Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation and County Chamber of Commerce
“Builders and Backers has a new and creative model for finding builders in communities and bringing them along. We were really drawn to the model of the Pebble Fund where the money given to the Builders to help fund their experiments stays in the community.”
Angie Cooper
Heartland Forward | Chief Program Officer + Heartland Summit | Executive Director
"Nearly every day we have people walking through our front doors at Merge that have an idea but don't know where to begin. They don't see themselves as entrepreneurs. They don't see themselves creating a startup but they really are passionate about the idea that they have...It's a really exciting time for us because I think this program really sparked a new flame in our community with entrepreneurship…”
Liz
Iowa City
“We believe in building pathways with people who have historically had limited opportunities for business development and ownership through access to capital and training. Through these new partnerships we hope to help bring aspiring entrepreneurs’ dreams to life.”
Mike Schmidt
Ford Motor Company Fund Economic Mobility Director