How an early-stage accelerator raised $110K in eight months - while staying focused on its founders.
A lean, early-stage accelerator with big ambitions and limited bandwidth turned its grant pipeline over to Boon. Eight months later, six figures in the door, wins from eBay Foundation and Truist, and a founding team still spending its time on what matters.
The first nonprofit accelerator dedicated to autism innovation.
The accelerator identifies and supports founders building transformative tech solutions for neurodivergent individuals. With a bold vision to shift the autism innovation landscape, the team blends advocacy, capital, and community to empower the next generation of change-makers.
A big vision, a small team, and an inconsistent pipeline.
As a lean early-stage nonprofit, the team faced the classic startup problem: a big vision with limited bandwidth. They had strong storytelling and founder relationships, but needed structured systems to scale their funding pipeline.
They had experimented with writing grants in-house, but it was slow, inconsistent, and often deprioritized in favor of more urgent day-to-day operations. They needed a partner who could act like an extension of their team - a system that could consistently source and apply to aligned funders without draining internal resources.
Not more grant writers. A delivery engine.
The team chose Boon for its blend of high-touch strategy and AI-powered efficiency. The appeal was not just more grant writers. It was a structured delivery engine that combined expert vetting, intelligent automation, and a consistent workflow.
The team was particularly drawn to Boon's ability to build a personalized funder network of mission-aligned prospects - funders with a history of supporting autism, tech innovation, or adjacent health equity causes.
Eight months. One full funding engine.
Over the course of 8 months, Boon created and managed the accelerator's full funding strategy:
- Built a personalized funder list of 500+ aligned prospects
- Managed a shared grant calendar with priorities, deadlines, and strategies
- Drafted, refined, and submitted multiple grant proposals
- Supported funder introductions and follow-up communication
The internal team spent minimal time managing the process. Most weeks involved light reviews and strategic input, freeing up their bandwidth for founder support and ecosystem development.
Working with Boon allowed us to punch above our weight.
Founding Team · Autism InnovationBy the numbers.
A repeatable funding process, built for what comes next.
With momentum in hand, the organization is now entering a new funding phase - supported by a clear system, tested messaging, and a repeatable grant process. Boon continues to serve as a core operational partner as they expand nationally and deepen their funder relationships.
“We were able to raise six figures while staying focused on our mission and founders.”
Founding Team
Easily the highest ROI of anything we've done.
For a team at this stage, every operational decision is also a financial one. Choosing Boon meant turning one fixed line item into a pipeline that keeps producing - long after the first six figures.
Let's build your funder pipeline.
Book a 30-minute intro. We'll show you the funders most likely to align with your mission and what a Boon engagement looks like for an early-stage team.