Most professional groups and industry associations provide a platform to engage with colleagues and networking opportunities. Rarely do they have the leadership, talent, and commitment to actually drive change and propel the industry or profession forward. The AICPA is one of these rare professional institutions. More than just a platform for networking, the AICPA aggressively drives values for its members by committing talented professionals and real capital toward impactful initiatives.
Take for example the AICPA and CPA.com Accelerator Program. It's a startup accelerator open to early-stage businesses deemed to help transform the Accounting profession. Companies are vetted by a panel of judges and the few that get accepted not only receive investment, but attend a program over multiple months where industry evangelists, leaders, mentors and technologist provide help and guidance on how best to transform and push the accounting profession forward. Believe me, there's a lot of accelerator programs out there, but very few are driven from the profession/industry itself.
Full disclosure: Valid8 has been selected to participate in the 2021 AICPA and CPA.com Accelerator Program, so for all you auditors out there, the opinion in this blog does not rely on independently sourced, 3rd party verified evidence. Valid8 is excited to be a part of the program but more than that, the AICPA and CPA.com have consistently helped Valid8 along our journey. Here are some examples:
With our collective experience at Valid8, we've never encountered any professional group or industry association that has as much vision or adds as much value as the AICPA and CPA.com. They care about the profession and are actively working to transform accounting by elevating their members and the work they do.
Accountants, take pride in your profession.