Wealth building and family alignment
Grow what the family built, and get every generation working from the same plan, the same numbers and the same goals.
Cohort I · Winter 2026 · 20 projects · Austin, Texas
From inheritance to enterprise.
A private circle of families turning inherited wealth into the next generation's ventures.
A 12-week hybrid accelerator program for the next generation of entrepreneurial families from the U.S. and around the world. Understand new business models, navigate industry transformation, and leverage the power of AI to launch a new venture or reinvent the family business, with your family behind you and without sacrificing equity.
Our model
0%equity taken
Founders and their families keep ownership of the company. You pay a program fee, not a share of your future.
See how it compares →12Weeks
20Projects in Cohort I
0%Equity taken
2Paths: launch or reinvent
Why the Family Accelerator
Five things no other accelerator puts together.
Most accelerators are built for first-time founders. This one is built for families: the people building the company and the people backing it.
An accelerator for new ventures and family businesses
Launch an innovative company or modernize the one your family already runs. We train founders to use AI strategically: to rethink the business, find new value and build a smarter operating model.
Ownership stays with the founder and family
No equity taken to join. You keep your company.
Austin: the place to be
Music, technology, natural beauty and one of the fastest-growing communities of wealth in the country.
Balanced leaders, strong teams
Physical and mental wellness, leadership and team building, so founders grow as fast as their companies do.
Two ways in
Start something new, or take the family business into its next era.
Launch a new venture
For next-generation founders with an idea of their own, from first concept to an investable company.
- Business plan and go-to-market strategy
- An AI-first product and operating model
- Financial plan and fundraising roadmap
- Investor pitch at Family Pitch Day
Reinvent the family business
For heirs ready to modernize an established family company: new markets, new products and new ways of working.
- A clear-eyed review of the business today
- An AI and digital transformation roadmap
- Growth plan, financing and governance
- A plan the whole family can back
The reset
Every organization needs a reset: to rethink, innovate and adapt to a changing world.
AI is changing how companies are built, run and valued, and family businesses are no exception. Our board brings deep expertise in AI and decision science, and the program dedicates a full module to it. Whether you are building an AI-first startup or bringing AI into a company your family has run for decades, you leave with a practical AI roadmap.
Rethink
How the business works today
Processes, data, decisions and the customer experience, examined with fresh eyes.
Innovate
With AI at the core
AI-powered products, services and business models, not just new tools added on top.
Adapt
People, governance and family
Bring the team, the board and the family along, so the change actually lasts.
Module 2 · Weeks 5–6 · Digital Transformation & AI. See the full program →
Our model
Keep your company.
Many accelerators take equity in exchange for capital and access, so founders are diluted before their first funding round. We work the other way around.
Typical equity-based accelerator
Pays in capital. Charges in ownership.
- Takes an equity stake in your company
- Founders are diluted from day one
- Built for first-time founders with limited capital and networks
- One generation in the room
Family Accelerator™
A program fee. Ownership stays with you.
- No equity taken: ownership stays with the founder and family
- A fixed, transparent fee: $5,000 to apply and a $20,000 program fee
- Built for families with capital, experience and networks
- Both generations at the table: Family Founders and Family Sponsors
Each venture is backed by a Family Sponsor who commits a pre-seed investment of at least $200,000, so the capital comes from the family, on the family's terms.
Based in Austin. Open to the world.
Austin is the place to be.
Live music any night of the week. Lakes, springs and Hill Country trails minutes from downtown. World-famous festivals and Grand Prix race weekends that bring the world to town. And a startup and investor community that keeps attracting founders, families and capital from across the U.S. and abroad.
ACL FestZilker Park, every October
Formula 1 at COTAU.S. Grand Prix weekend
MotoGP at COTAGrand Prix of the Americas
SXSWMusic, film and tech every March
Texas State CapitolSouth Congress at night
Art & cultureMuseums, galleries and public art
Lady Bird LakePaddling in the heart of the city
Wine countryTexas Hill Country vineyards
+90%Millionaire growth in Austin over the past decade
#5Largest venture capital market in the U.S.
$7.2BVenture capital raised by Austin companies in 2025
#2Job growth among the 50 largest U.S. metros
U.S. or international, you can take part.
A hybrid format: online sessions from anywhere and in-person time in Austin, in English and Spanish. For international founders, our immigration partners can walk you through options for building a U.S. presence.
Sources: Henley & Partners, USA Wealth Report 2025; Opportunity Austin, Austin Monthly Economic Indicators (Sept. 2026); U.S. Census Bureau metro estimates; CommercialCafe Best Cities for Startups (Dec. 2025).
For Family Sponsors
For the family behind the founder.
The Family Accelerator brings the governance and discipline of its parent company to the goal, the plan and every decision. Sponsors get a real plan to review, with real numbers that show how investable their heir's business idea is, and ownership stays in the family.
“We help families actively convert wealth into a venture capital platform that funds their own ideas and entrepreneurial ambitions.”JC Prieto Williams, Founder, Family Accelerator
Generational wealth
How do we make sure what we built grows with the next generation?
Instead of being spent down by it, family capital funds ventures the next generation builds and owns.
Succession
How do we prepare our heirs to lead and to own, not only to inherit?
Twelve weeks of building a real company is the most practical leadership training there is.
Family communication
How do we talk about money, risk and ambition?
A shared language and a clear process: the same plan, the same numbers and the same pitch for every generation.
The program · 5 modules · 12 weeks
What you'll build in 12 weeks.
Every founder leaves with a completed business plan, a clear go-to-market strategy, an AI roadmap, a fundraising roadmap and a delivered investor pitch.
01Weeks 1–4
Business Plan & Go-to-Market
Product, structure and go-to-market, built into a full plan.
Business plan02Weeks 5–6
Digital Transformation & AI
The reset: AI for the family business and AI-first new ventures.
AI roadmap03Weeks 7–9
Financial Fluency & Fundraising
Pro forma, term sheets, valuation and the raise.
Financial plan04Weeks 10–11
Wellness, Leadership & Legacy
Physical and mental wellness, strong teams, the family charter and legacy.
Family charter05Week 12
Final Pitch Preparation
The final plan, public speaking and the pitch deck.
Investor pitchFocus sectors
Where experienced families hold an edge
Seven sectors with strong tailwinds, each with its own investment thesis.
How it works
From first webinar to your first payment, in six steps.
Join a webinar
Recommended: a free, live program overview on Zoom with Q&A. Register.
Private intro call
A one-to-one conversation with our team about your venture, your family and your Family Sponsor.
Submit application
Send your application materials with the $5,000 application fee.
Board evaluation
Our board reviews your application and sends in-depth written feedback within 10 business days.
Acceptance
Our board confirms your place in Cohort I. If not accepted, your fee covers up to two reapplications.
Payment schedule
$20,000 program fee: $10,000 on acceptance, $5,000 after week 3 and $5,000 after week 6.
Board & mentors
The people behind Cohort I.
A board that oversees governance and investment, with expertise in AI, venture capital and growth, and mentors who work alongside founders on operations, legal, finance and people.
Board
Dr. Dipesh Sitaram
Chief Executive OfficerAcuere Capital Partners
LinkedIn →
David Valentino
Growth ExecutiveSenior Consultant
LinkedIn →
Sean Bauld
Decision ScientistAustin AI Alliance
LinkedIn →
Hernán Fernández Lamadrid
Managing PartnerAngel Ventures México
LinkedIn →
Robert D. Colvin
PrincipalRobert D. Colvin & Associates
LinkedIn →Mentors
Osvaldo “Ozzie” Cortes
HR, People Ops & Talent
LinkedIn →
Anum Hayat
Succession AdvisorThe Platinum CEO
LinkedIn →
Carlos De León
Founder & CEODelxico Consulting
LinkedIn →
Dave Ziozios
PartnerB2B CFO®
LinkedIn →
Denise McGettrick
Immigration AttorneyMcGettrick Law
LinkedIn →
Enrique Cordero
Senior AdvisorEMCOR Consulting Group
LinkedIn →
Dr. Jana Minifie
Valuation & M&AMinifie LLC
LinkedIn →
David Pérez Hernández
Partner · AI Seed InvestorRoble Ventures
LinkedIn →
Founder & Principal
JC Prieto Williams
JC has spent two decades building a career in business diplomacy, fiduciary advisory, and creative long-term thinking about wealth, investments and global markets. He founded Williams Advisers International to give entrepreneurial families what large family offices provide (a trusted Chief of Staff, institutional discipline and global access) with the personal, hands-on attention of a boutique.
Download the deck and the curriculum
The program overview for Cohort I and the full 12-week curriculum, as PDFs.
Ready to build?
Applications for Cohort I are open. Limited to 20 projects.