Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — According to a Monday press release, Startup Junkie Foundation’s Fuel Accelerator will kick off its Fall 2026 AI/ML cohort, welcoming 12 artificial intelligence and machine learning ventures for 10 weeks of expert-led curriculum, starting Tuesday, Aug. 25
The release said Startup Junkie launched the program in 2018 with companies coming from seven U. S. states, including three in Arkansas, as well as Argentina. The class is Fuel’s seventh AI/ML cohort and its 13th overall since its launch nearly 10 years ago.
Startup Junkie is inviting the entrepreneurial and enterprise community to welcome the cohort at the kickoff event on Aug. 25, at 5:30 p.m. at Compton Gardens, located at 312 N. Main St. in Bentonville.
The kickoff event is free, but RSVP is required.
The release said the evening will feature brief introductions from each founder as well as an opportunity for networking and refreshments at the end.
The 10-week program will be hosted in person at the Fuel program headquarters inside the Learning Lab at The Collaborative, a University of Arkansas facility in the Greenway Office Park campus located in downtown Bentonville. The program will commence with the Showcase Day on Oct. 28, the release noted.
“Many leaders in both startup and corporate are invested in the ongoing wave of AI innovation but these stakeholders are not often enough in the same room,” Program Director Grace Gill said. “This group of innovators have developed impressive, enterprise-ready solutions and we are thrilled to be a conduit to commercial success, addressing real enterprise problems here in Arkansas.”
“This cohort spans legacy focus, including supply chain, retail and logistics, as well as cutting edge solutions across cybersecurity, development and public safety.”
See the list of companies in attached release.
The release said Gill has supported 10 Fuel cohorts since joining the Startup Junkie team, and she is entering her second year leading the Fuel program.
Alongside Gill is Operations Manager Danny Duong, a project management professional who is also an alumnus of an early Startup Junkie accelerator.
Moreover, the release said Mentor in Residence Permjot Valia, a globally recognized pitch coach and serial entrepreneur who also founded MentorCamp, will return this year.
The release noted that MentorCamp was hosted in Arkansas for the first time in over a decade this summer.
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Also returning is curriculum advisor Andrew Goldner, co-founder and CEO of GrowthX.
Startup Junkie Executive Director Caleb Talley said the company knows how valuable time is and what a commitment the program is.
“These founders, most of whom will be traveling in from all over the country, are committing 10 weeks of that time to participate in this program,” Talley said. “We don’t take that for granted, and we appreciate the trust they’re putting into Fuel and our team, and we’re eager to show up, deliver an impactful experience, and allow our ecosystem to exceed their expectations.”
The release noted that Fuel is a no-cost, equity-free program made possible by the financial support of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Walton Family Foundation.
“We’re so grateful, too, to AEDC and the Walton Family Foundation for making the work possible,” Talley said.
The release added that Startup Junkie was one of two organizations to receive multiple accelerator grants from AEDC in 2026, and Fuel was the only program to earn two of the twelve awards issued by the Arkansas Business and Technology Accelerator Grant Program.
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