gBETA Distillery Labs Spring 2026

gBETA Distillery Labs Spring 2026 is a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies with local roots in the Greater Peoria Area. The program is capped at five teams and requires no fees and no equity. Participating companies receive individualized coaching, mentor support, investor readiness support, and pitch opportunities. The program is designed to help graduates move toward an investment accelerator or seed round.

Key Benefits

• Free seven-week accelerator
• No fees and no equity
• Individualized coaching and mentorship from gener8tor
• Weekly Lunch & Learns and Mentor Swarms
• Investor and accelerator pitches
• $1M+ in vendor deals and perks
• Ongoing post-program support

Eligibility

• Early-stage companies with local roots in the Greater Peoria Area
• Companies must be based in the Greater Peoria Area
• Founders must commit to at least 85% of programming, with 100% being ideal
• Founders must be open, coachable, responsive, and prepared to discuss their business with mentors and investors
• Raising capital should be on the founder’s radar
• Companies should either be selling already or ready to scale sales

Program Structure

• Program kick-off includes a 1.5-day event with team-building, program content, and introductory 1:1 meetings
• Weeks 1–6 include two 1-hour strategy meetings each week with the founding team and Program Manager
• Weekly 1-hour Lunch & Learns cover Market and Competition, Revenue Models, Financing and Milestones, Comparables, Pitching, How to Get into an Accelerator, and more
• Weekly 2-hour Mentor Swarms provide approximately 30 mentor introductions over six weeks
• Week 7 includes curated 1:1 Investor Swarms with 25+ investors
• Showcase includes live pitches and networking with mentors, investors, and customers

Dates & Duration

• Program duration: 7 weeks
• Program start date: May 20th, 2026
• Application deadline: May 3rd, 2026
• Program end: July 10th, 2026

Director: Danielle Scarzello | [email protected]