Class News

Yale launches a new special-interest group, “Accelerate Yale”

January 14, 2021

During the pandemic, Yale launched a new special interest group, “Accelerate Yale,” a global community of alumni and friends of Yale who are engaged in innovation, tech, and entrepreneurship. Their mission is “to cultivate an active and thoughtful ecosystem that promotes meaningful connections and collaborations – while also serving as a bridge between alumni and current Yale students.” During the past year, Accelerate Yale hosted 20 webinars on a wide range of topics, including digital health, the music industry, investment in diverse entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurship, the impacts of the pandemic on venture capital & the tech industry, and much more. Find the complete list of replays here.

Jeff Hoffman '83
Founder of Priceline

The Accelerate Yale community grew from 900 to over 4,600 people around the globe, including China, Singapore, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Ghana, France, and Italy. They also launched a YouTube channel and developed partnerships with Yale Law School and the Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES).

In January 2021, Tony Lavely joined a webinar which featured Jeff Hoffman ‘83, the founder of Priceline. Jeff shared seven strategies to successfully scale new ventures, a framework he has developed as a founder, CEO, and senior executive of multiple public and private companies. He also shared examples of both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises to illustrate these principles in action.