NMSU to establish business accelerators in Las Vegas, Taos

New Mexico State University will open business accelerator locations in Las Vegas, N.M., Taos, Farmington and Deming.

These community-based accelerators fall under NMSU’s Arrowhead Center, the university’s economic development arm. Until now, the Arrowhead Accelerator Programs have been virtual fiveweek programs statewide, with the only physical location in Las Cruces.

Arrowhead is establishing the four accelerator locations because of high demand in those cities, said Zetdi Sloan, director of the NMSU Arrowhead Accelerator Programs.

Arrowhead, with the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service taking the lead, will open an NMSU Agribusiness Accelerator Training Farm in Las Vegas on the former Memorial Middle School campus. Agribusiness entrepreneurs will be able to demonstrate and validate new agricultural concepts there, Sloan said.

Also in Las Vegas, Arrowhead will partner with the local Small Business Development Center to set up a Northeast New Mexico Agribusiness Accelerator, a one-stop shop for local entrepreneurship and economic entities. The Arrowhead Accelerator will provide assistance and resources to find funding for agribusiness as well as access to agribusiness networks.

In Taos, Arrowhead will add the accelerator element to The Hive, the coworking office and small business incubator on the University of New Mexico-Taos campus. Arrowhead will provide access to its enterprise adviser network, Sloan said.