2026 Micro Business Accelerator
October 3 – November 6, 2026
Vibe Coworks • Poulsbo, WA
This could be the start of your next chapter.
Running a small business means making big decisions—often without enough time, information or people to help you think them through.
Saturday, October 3
Vibe Coworks I Poulsbo
Plus 1:1 mentorship + Accelerator experiences through November 6
The Matchstick Lab Micro Business Accelerator gives you dedicated time to work on your business with experienced instructors, trusted mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who understand what it takes to build something of their own. Get practical feedback on the challenges in front of you, targeted support for what matters most, and a clear plan for what comes next.
$150 per business
Subsidized and scholarship tickets available
Here’s How It Works.
BEFORE OCT 3 I BUSINESS SNAPSHOT
Start with where you are.
Before we arrive for the Saturday Intensive, you’ll take a quick look at what’s happening in your business right now—what’s working, where you’re stuck and what you most want help moving forward. We’ll use your responses to shape the experience around the real needs in the room.
SATURDAY, OCT 3 I ACCELERATOR INTENSIVE
Get out of the weeds. Work on what matters.
Spend a focused day alongside a small cohort of fellow business owners digging into your business model, your numbers, your customers and the questions that matter most. Expect practical workshops, honest conversation, expert perspectives and plenty of time to actually work on your business.
OCT 4-21 I INDIVIDUALIZED 1:1 MENTORSHIP
Get more brains on your business.
Meet 1:1 with experienced mentors who can help you think through the specific questions and challenges in front of you. Choose from available mentors based on the expertise and perspective you need, and use the time to get targeted feedback, explore options and figure out your next move. Mentor sessions are available in-person or via remote video call.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 21 I CONVERGE! KEDA FALL FORUM
Tap into Kitsap’s collective experience.
The Accelerator continues at the KEDA Fall Forum CONVERGE!, where Matchstick Lab will lead an interactive afternoon of practical business learning, peer problem-solving and connection with 150+ members of Kitsap’s wider business community. You’ll work alongside your Accelerator cohort while tapping into the ideas, experience and perspectives of a much bigger room.
FRIDAY, NOV 6 I MICRO BUSINESS ACCELERATOR SHOWCASE
Take the stage. Share what’s next.
Bring the Accelerator full circle with a public showcase at Vibe Coworks. You and your fellow cohort members will take the stage to share what you’re building, what you’ve learned or changed along the way, and where you’re headed next—with an audience of community members, mentors, business leaders and supporters there to listen, offer feedback and make connections. Once we wrap up, we’ll close out the day over First Friday Happy Hour, with appetizers and a drink included.
SATURDAY, OCT 3
Accelerator Intensive
Spend a focused day alongside a small cohort of fellow business owners digging into your business model, your numbers, your customers and the questions that matter most.
9:00 AM
Welcome + Where Are You Now?
Meet your cohort, get oriented for the day and see the common challenges, questions and opportunities that surfaced through the group’s Business Snapshots.
Matchstick Lab and
Moxie Entrepreneurial Support Services
9:30 AM
Workshop: Your Business, On One Page
Get it out of your head and onto the page.
Map the moving pieces of your business using the Lean Canvas—your customers, the problems you solve, the value you create, how you reach people, how money comes in and where it goes. Then step back and look at the whole picture: What’s working? What’s unclear? And what most needs your attention right now?
11:15 AM
Break + Connection Time
11:30 AM
The Numbers That Help You Make Better Decisions
You don’t need to be a “numbers person” to make better financial decisions. This practical session will help you understand the information that matters, ask better questions and use your numbers to guide what you do next.
12:15 PM
Lunch + Mentor Roundtables
Grab your lunch, then find a seat at any mentor’s table. Each one hosts an informal conversation you can drop into. Stay for one topic or float between a few.
1:00 PM
Workshop 2: Pressure-Test Your Business
What do you know—and what are you assuming?
Take a closer look at the business question or constraint you identified in the morning. Separate evidence from instinct, challenge your assumptions with fellow entrepreneurs, and zero in on what you need to test, change or learn next.
2:30 PM
Break + Connection Time
2:45 PM
Founder Hot Seats:
Help Me Think This Through
Sometimes you don’t need an answer—you need better people to think with.
Bring a real question, challenge or decision you’re wrestling with and put the collective experience of the room to work. Get fresh perspectives, hear what others are seeing, and leave with new possibilities for what to try next.
3:50 PM
Storytelling for Founders
If people don’t understand what you do, they can’t choose it, support it or share it.
Get clearer about who you serve, the problem you solve and why it matters—then practice telling your business story in a way that people can understand, remember and repeat.
4:30 PM
From Today To Your Next 30 Days
Insight is only useful if you do something with it.
Turn what surfaced during the day into a focused plan for what comes next: the business question you’ll keep working on, what you’ll test or change, where you need help, and what progress you want to make before the Accelerator Showcase on Friday, November 6.
OCT 4 – 21
INDIVIDUALIZED 1:1 MENTORSHIP
Tap into a bench of experienced mentors. Choose from available mentors based on the questions you’re working through and the expertise you need. Meet 1:1 in-person or virtually for targeted perspective, feedback and help figuring out your next move.
WEDNESDAY, OCT 21
MATCHSTICK LAB BUSINESS IN ACTION AT THE CONVERGE! KEDA FALL FORUM
The Accelerator continues at the KEDA Fall Forum CONVERGE!, where Matchstick Lab will lead an interactive afternoon of practical business learning, peer problem-solving and connection with 150+ members of Kitsap’s wider business community. You’ll work alongside your Accelerator cohort while tapping into the ideas, experience and perspectives of a much bigger room.
12:00 PM
Lunch + Keynote Speaker
1:00 PM
Prompt Engineering: Getting More Out of AI Tools
1:30 PM
The Answers Are Already In This Room
There’s a lot of experience sitting around these tables. Let’s put it to work.
Meet the people around you, discover what they know—and what they’re hoping to learn—and start tapping into the collective experience, ideas and connections of Kitsap’s business community.
Matchstick Lab
and Vibe Coworks
1:50 PM
Work Smarter
What’s taking more time, energy or attention than it should?
Identify a friction point in your business, get underneath what’s really causing it, and explore whether it could be stopped, simplified, systematized, delegated or automated—with ideas and experience from the people around your table.
Matchstick Lab and
Moxie Entrepreneurial Support Services
2:25 PM
Get Chosen
Can people quickly understand why what you do matters?
Get clearer about who you serve, the value you create and how to talk about it in a way that resonates. Then put it to the test with people at your table—because if they can understand, remember and repeat your story, your customers can too.
Prescient Communications
2:55 PM
Everything Costs More. Now What?
When the numbers change, how should your decisions change with them?
Hear candid, practical perspectives from financial and business experts on rising costs, pricing, margins and the warning signs worth paying attention to—then identify the financial question your business needs you to answer next.
3:20 PM
Give + Get: Put the Room to Work
Everyone has something to offer—and something they could use help with.
Name one thing you can give and one thing you’d like to get, then tap into the people, perspectives, resources and connections in the room to help move each other forward.
Matchstick Lab
and Vibe Coworks
4:00 PM
Networking + Hosted Happy Hour
FRIDAY, NOV 6
Micro Business Accelerator Showcase
2:00 PM
Doors Open to the Public
Friends, family, and community members are welcome to join us as we cheer on this cohort’s founders. Grab a seat before the Pitch Showcase begins at 2:30.
2:30 PM
Welcome + Set the Stage
Bring the community into what you’re building.
Reconnect with your cohort, set the stage for what you’ve been working on throughout the Accelerator, and get ready to share your progress, your next move and where the community might be able to help.
2:40 PM
Meet the Businesses
Hear directly from local entrepreneurs about what they’re building and where they’re headed next.
Presenters will take the stage to share where their business is today, what they’ve learned, changed or tested, their next 90-day move—and where the people in the room might be able to help.
No judges, prizes, or Shark Tank. This is a chance to tell the community what you’re building, where you’re headed and how they might help.
3:45 PM
Celebrate + Connect
Close out the Accelerator by celebrating how far you’ve come, and the people who helped make it possible.
We’ll recognize the cohort, mentors and partners, capture the moment together, and officially wrap up the 2026 Micro Business Accelerator.
4:00 PM
First Friday Happy Hour
Stick around and celebrate.
Vibe First Friday is open to the whole community, so grab a drink, meet some new people and keep the connections going. Accelerator participants get their first drink on us; appetizers are provided, courtesy of Crabtree Kitchen + Bar.
FAQ
Who is the Micro Business Accelerator for?
The Accelerator is designed for people who are already operating a business and ready to work on what comes next. You might be a solopreneur, have a small team or be somewhere in between. You don’t need to have everything figured out—that’s the point! But you should have real customers, real-world experience with your business and real questions you’re ready to work on.
I originally heard about this as a three-day Accelerator Weekend. What changed?
We’ve evolved the format to give participants more time to put the work into practice. Instead of packing everything into a single Friday–Sunday weekend, the Accelerator now centers on a full-day intensive on Saturday, Oct. 3, followed by individualized mentorship, a Matchstick Lab-led afternoon at the CONVERGE! KEDA Fall Forum, and a community Showcase on Nov. 6.
The heart of the Accelerator has not changed: hands-on work on your business, experienced mentors, peer learning, practical business education and meaningful connections. Spreading those experiences out gives you time to test ideas, get targeted support and come back together with real progress to share.
What does my registration include?
Your registration includes the full-day Accelerator Intensive at Vibe Coworks, your Business Snapshot, lunch and refreshments, access to experienced mentors and individualized 1:1 mentor sessions, Matchstick Lab’s interactive afternoon at the KEDA Fall Forum CONVERGE!, the Micro Business Accelerator Showcase and a hosted drink at Vibe Coworks’ First Friday Happy Hour.
How much time should I expect to commit?
The biggest commitment is the Saturday, Oct. 3 Accelerator Intensive from 9 AM–5 PM. From there, you’ll schedule 1:1 mentorship sessions between Oct. 4–21 at your (and your mentors’!) convenience, join us for the Accelerator afternoon at the CONVERGE! KEDA Fall Forum on Oct. 21, and reconvene for the Accelerator Showcase on Nov. 6.
The experience is intentionally spread out so you have time to put what you’re learning to work in your actual business between sessions.
Do I need to attend every part of the Accelerator?
We hope you’ll participate in as much of the experience as possible. The pieces are designed to build on one another. We also know you’re running a business and life happens. Saturday, Oct. 3 is the core Accelerator Intensive; if you have a conflict with another part of the experience it’s no sweat, just talk with us.
How does the 1:1 mentorship work?
You’ll have access to experienced mentors with different areas of expertise. Choose from available mentors based on the questions you’re working through and the perspective you need, then use your time together to get targeted feedback, explore options and figure out your next move. Mentorship sessions can be in-person or virtual.
What is CONVERGE!?
The theme for this year’s KEDA Fall Forum is CONVERGE! It brings together Kitsap’s wider business community for a day of learning and connection. As part of the Accelerator, you’ll participate in a Matchstick Lab-led interactive afternoon that puts the experience and perspectives of the larger room to work through practical business learning, peer problem-solving and new connections.
Do I have to pitch at the Showcase?
No Shark Tank here. The Showcase isn’t a pitch competition—there are no judges or prizes. It’s a chance for local entrepreneurs to share what they’re building, what they’ve learned or changed, where they’re headed next and how the community might be able to help. Accelerator participants will have the opportunity to participate, but presenting is not required.
How much does it cost?
Registration is $150 per business, with a $75 pay-what-you-can option and limited scholarships available. We don’t want cost to be the reason that motivated business owners can’t participate. Talk with us!
The Micro Business Accelerator Weekend is made possible by:
Thank you for backing the small business owners building stronger businesses—and a stronger Kitsap.
Explore Matchstick Lab sponsorship opportunities.
Additional support provided by:
