Louisville-based nonprofit unveils innovative learning platform featuring WILLA, a proprietary AI business coach, designed to serve thousands of founders globally
Wild Accelerator announced today the official launch of Wild Academy, a comprehensive virtual entrepreneurship platform designed to serve founders from historically marginalized communities at scale. The platform features WILLA, a proprietary AI coach trained exclusively on Wild’s proven curriculum, and represents a significant leap in making quality entrepreneurship education accessible to undeniable founders everywhere.
Wild Academy addresses a critical gap: while marginalized founders—especially women, Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs—represent the fastest-growing segment of new business owners, they continue to receive less than 2% of venture capital funding and face systemic barriers to quality entrepreneurship education, resources, and mentorship.
Natalia Bishop, Board Chair of Wild Accelerator and founder of Story, Louisville’s first equity-focused coworking space, brings a Latina immigrant founder perspective to Wild’s mission. Originally from Colombia, Bishop understands firsthand what it means to pursue entrepreneurship without access to the networks, resources, or mentorship that make growth possible.
“We’re not just teaching business fundamentals—we’re reimagining what entrepreneurship support looks like when it’s built for and by people who’ve been historically excluded from these spaces,” Bishop said. “I came to the United States from Colombia when I was 17 years old with my family, a suitcase, and about $400. Like many entrepreneurs, I had ambition and drive, but very little access. I didn’t always know who to ask for help, or how to navigate the systems and networks that make growth possible.”
Over time, Bishop built companies, became both a startup and lifestyle founder, and later worked as a commercial real estate developer and investor—but much of that path was learned through trial, error, and years of figuring things out on her own. That experience helped inspire Wild Academy’s mission: ensuring today’s founders don’t have to build without guidance, community, or access.
“Wild Academy meets founders where they are,” Bishop added, “whether that’s idea stage or ready to scale, urban or rural, with or without traditional credentials.”
Two Breakthrough Innovations
Wild Academy introduces two game-changing features to entrepreneurship support:
- WILLA (Wild Intelligent Learning & Leadership Assistant): A proprietary AI business coach providing 24/7 personalized guidance, trained exclusively on Wild’s curriculum and designed to offer strategic thinking support, pressure-test decisions, and provide accountability when founders need it most.
- AI Path Generator: A proprietary AI algorithm designed to offer personalized learning roadmaps that adapt to each founder’s unique business stage, goals, and learning style, ensuring relevant, actionable education from day one.
The platform features bite-sized video modules, hands-on frameworks, and practical work guides covering everything from product-market fit and customer discovery to storytelling, metrics that matter, and funding strategies. Content is delivered in Wild’s distinctive voice: encouraging, feisty, simple, approachable, and lively.
Built on Proven Impact
Wild Academy builds on the organization’s track record since 2018. Wild’s programs have supported more than 100 founders. Program data shows:
- 70% of participants identify as women or nonbinary
- 80% identify as BIPOC
- Alumni have launched businesses, secured funding, and been accepted into competitive national and regional accelerators, including Google for Startups, Techstars, Vogt, and Awesome Inc Fellowship
- Strong community connections and peer networks formed across cohorts
Wild Academy expands this proven model through a virtual, self-paced format that removes traditional barriers—geography, rigid schedules, childcare conflicts, financial constraints—that have historically prevented marginalized founders from accessing quality entrepreneurship education.
“We built this platform because we kept hearing the same thing: ‘I can’t come to Louisville for 12 weeks,’ or ‘I can’t make Tuesday evenings work,’ or ‘I need help now at 11pm when I’m stuck,'” Bishop explained. “Wild Academy removes those barriers while maintaining the quality and values-driven approach that’s made our in-person programs successful.”
Designed for Diverse Entrepreneurial Paths
Wild Academy supports a wide range of founders and business models—from idea-stage entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to service-based businesses and tech startups. The platform helps participants clarify vision, validate ideas, build products people want, develop authentic brand stories, and make informed decisions about funding and growth.
For founders unsure about what kind of business they want to build, the platform provides frameworks to explore options and identify meaningful next steps aligned with their skills, passions, and market needs.
Scaling Through Partnership
Wild Academy also employs a “train-the-trainer” model, partnering with community organizations, HBCUs (including Simmons College of Kentucky and the University of Memphis), and mission-aligned institutions to implement the program within their communities. This approach allows Wild to serve as an aggregator and capacity-builder, amplifying impact through partner networks.
Current strategic partnerships include The Well Incubator, Louisville Urban League, and backing from JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Louisville Water Company, Breva, and Story.
From Louisville to Global Impact
While rooted in Louisville, Wild’s vision extends nationally and globally. The organization aims to serve 20000+ founders annually within five years while maintaining its commitment to holistic support, mental health resources, and values-driven growth over extractive startup culture.
Wild positions identity not as a barrier to overcome, but as a strategic advantage. The organization’s model centers lived experience, community wealth building, and long-term sustainability.
“Louisville showed us there was demand and helped us refine our model,” Bishop said. “Wild Academy lets us meet that demand wherever founders are—and prove that investing in undeniable founders isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart business. We’re building the platform we wish had existed when we were starting out.”
