
Las Cruces BizSprint
As a response to COVID-19, NMSU’s Arrowhead Center and the City of Las Cruces have partnered to offer a business accelerator that incorporates a tailored curriculum geared to address transitioning your business to online spaces and focus on recovery from COVID-19. This accelerator will help participants explore potential new markets through a customer discovery process and access a network of true experts in a variety of fields for FREE advising. Gain a whole team of consultants, one-on-one sessions, and connections to industry!



Some of our Expert Advisors

David King
Financial Projections & Modeling
David has over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience and hands-on expertise in managing all aspects of financial, legal, accounting, and HR activities for small companies from start-up to exit. A serial entrepreneur, David has helped start and found numerous startups, and worked with businesses across a wide range of industry including tech startups, banking and legal services, and software development. He was Co-Founder of Fusion Mobile, a prepaid cellular service company that specialized in providing turnkey programs to retailers. David has served as COO and VP of Finance for several companies. He is a graduate of the University of Texas, speaks Spanish, a little German and Italian, and enjoys playing the guitar. David can advise on strategic and logistical consulting, including business plan development, financial analysis, HR, and administrative development.

Elizabeth Mata
Protecting & Selling Your Idea
After graduating with honors from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Molecular Biology and obtaining her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Wechsler Mata practiced patent law for twenty-two years with Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C., an intellectual property law firm based in Concord, Massachusetts. For seventeen of those years, she telecommuted from her home office in El Paso, Texas. Ms. Mata assisted clients in the biotechnology field and counseled on strategic patent prosecution and enforcement internationally as well as in the United States, and on patentability, patent validity, patent term extension, freedom-to-operate, interference, and infringement matters. Ms. Mata is currently with the El Paso firm of Blanco Ordonez Mata & Wallace, P.C., where she works in the firm’s business and real estate practice in the areas of business organizations and commercial transactions and is an adjunct professor at NMSU, teaching Intellectual Property for Engineers and Scientists.

Leah Messina
Digital Marketing & Social Media Management
Leah Messina has more than 18 years of experience in developing digital marketing strategies and campaigns for a wide range of brands including GEICO, Black & Decker, Ace Hardware, and A&E Television. In 2006, Leah launched Sinuate Media, a marketing technology consulting firm that develops and implements modern communications strategies. Located in Mesilla, NM, Sinuate Media works with clients nationwide including local leaders Spaceport America and Electronic Caregiver. She is a frequent speaker on digital marketing, having led workshops and talks for organizations including the National Sales Network and City University of New York. Leah has also developed and taught an e-commerce curriculum for New Mexico State University. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and Johns Hopkins University. Leah can advise on marketing strategies, branding, web development, SEO, social media, and digital advertising.

Bill Smith
Accounting, Entrepreneurship & Local Business
Bill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at NMSU. His current areas of research include organizational structures, firm performance, strategy, critical theory, and financial analysis. He is a licensed CPA and can advise on entity structure options, taxes, business operations and financials.
See a full List of Free Expert advisors through the Arrowhead Network Here:
what you’ll gain
Business Support
Access to and support from an elite group of entrepreneurs, investors, industry gurus, and academic faculty who share their knowledge and experience
Entrepreneurial Education
- Guided curriculum on customer discovery, value propositions, scaling, and digital marketing
- Guest speakers that discuss a variety of topics, including resources and tools available to our participants
Peer Support & Networking
Virtual connections with an onsite peer group of entrepreneurs, and prospective partners and customers