SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will announce the student-founded startups selected for the SLO HotHouse Summer Accelerator program during an entrepreneurship forum on Tuesday, May 15, in the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on the university campus.

Entrepreneurs from each Cal Poly startup will introduce to the community the business ideas they expect to hone over the 13-week program. The Summer Accelerator gives Cal Poly students and recent alumni access to hands-on mentorship, weekly workshops and access to $10,000 in seed funding to start building their business.

The student entrepreneurs will be joined by panelist Joel Flory, a Cal Poly alumnus who co
-founded VSCO, a smartphone photo application. VSCO has been named Apple’s “App of the Year,” Google Play’s “Best Apps of 2015” and Fast Company’s “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Social Media.”

Flory, the Oakland-based company’s CEO, leads the firm on its mission to “equip, educate and inspire anyone on the journey toward reaching their creative potential.” According to Business Insider, “VSCO is the app professional Instagrammers use to make their photos look amazing.”

Flory and his co-founder, Greg Lutze, combined their passions for photography and technology to build VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Co., in 2011. Flory was integral in growing VSCO to over 1 million paying subscribers and securing more than $70 million in funding. He understands the complex nature of building and sustaining a brand in the creative industry.

The forum is free, open to the public and held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

During the P.E.N. (Pitches, Exhibits, Networking) portion of the evening, the 2018 SLO HotHouse Accelerator companies will be introduced, followed by the “Business Card Hustle,” a game where accelerator companies compete for resources by collecting as many business cards from attendees.

The quarterly Entrepreneurship Forum Series is presented by Sambazon. Advanced registration is required. For more details to register, visit https://ciemayforum.eventbrite.com.