Longtime Richmond accelerator Lighthouse Labs is rebranding to better reflect its commitment to startup founders.
The organization will now be known as Lighthouse Network and will make a “renewed focus” on long-term, human-centered development of founders, it said in its announcement.
“We’ve always believed that when founders thrive, so do their companies,” Debbie Irwin, who became the organization’s executive director in February 2024, said in a statement. “This transition to Lighthouse Network reflects what we’ve been doing for years — walking alongside founders, helping them navigate the messy middle and building the kind of trust and support systems that aren’t found in a typical accelerator.”
The changes include year-round founder support through mentorship, curated investor connections and targeted programming. That will include strategic events like its Founder Network Summit, Investor Connect and Demo Day. Lighthouse will host just one accelerator cohort per year, something it announced in February when it announced the program’s 18th cohort. It previously hosted two a year.
In the past, companies received $20,000 in equity-free financing for being selected to a cohort. But that ended this year, and it instead expanded what it calls “high-impact services” like fractional CFO support, mental health resources and deeper relationship building with investors.
Lighthouse said it will also work to grow a national network rooted in Richmond of founders, mentors and partners committed more to long-term success as opposed to short-term outcomes.
Along with the new name, the rebrand includes a new visual identity, messaging and website that Lighthouse says better reflects its broader vision and nationwide push.
“This isn’t just a name change,” Irwin said in a statement. “It’s a commitment to the people building bold ideas — and a recognition that founders need more than funding to succeed. They need community, connection and a place that sees them as humans first.”
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