StartX is the startup accelerator, fellowship, and community for Stanford students, professors, and alumni. We provide resources, mentorship, and support to early-stage startups founded by Stanford-affiliated entrepreneurs.
StartX is open to startups from a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, biotech, and more. The program is looking for innovative and scalable ideas. We are vertical agnostic and tend to have companies in AI, Med, Sustainability, Consumer, Hardware, Enterprise, Web3, Education.
Yes, there is a selection process, and it can be competitive. StartX evaluates applications based on various criteria, including the team, the market opportunity, and the startup's potential for growth.
StartX does not take equity in the startups that go through our accelerator or fellowship program.
A Stanford-affiliated founder is someone who was/is a Stanford alumni, undergraduate student, graduate student, faculty member, post doctoral scholar, academic staff member, or fellow in a recognized Stanford fellowship program. Additionally, the Stanford founder(s) must hold a significant equity stake in the company. We make exceptions on a case by case basis if you are recommended by multiple members of the StartX community.
Applications are open from mid-January to mid-February for the Summer cohort, from mid-May to mid-June for the Fall cohort, and from early September to early October for the Spring cohort.
Pre-register on startx.com/apply to receive all the information in due time.
Yes! You can apply to the accelerator or Student in Residence program, and you can apply multiple times!
If you're an especially high-potential first-time founder that we've admitted into the StartX Community, we'll start you our right away with 1-1 mentorship and educational seminars on the topics that affect you most. First-time founders also greatly benefit from our community of founders of different stages, board of advisors, fundraising coach, etc.
Plus, all companies receive $1.2M+ of free resources, as well as drop-in office space, legal advice, etc.
Experienced founders often rely on StartX's ability to provide educational training for their employees, access to industry & domain experts, and are given a peer group of other experienced founders in the same stage/role/industry to compare notes with.
We’ve had a ton of successful StartX repeat founders. Repeat founders often appreciate the value of community, and the program is customized each time and a different and more advanced program is provided for second / third time founders.
Engage at whatever level makes the most sense for you. The judges have a recommendation for you based on their assessment during the admissions process. We have biweekly neighborhood dinners with members of your batch and various in-person and virtual community events.
We're looking for the best entrepreneurs who believe in the model of what we're trying to build at StartX. Our approach is less about the company and more about the founders that build them.
Good question! The Student in Residence (SIR) Scholarship is a great stepping stone on your entrepreneurial journey, and can often help prepare you to apply to StartX. The SIR Scholarship provides financial aid to student entrepreneurs, as well as temporary 6 month access to select StartX resources.
Applications are reviewed by StartX alumni and trusted expert judges in our network.
Yes! StartX has one of the best medical programs in the world.
StartX Med companies include GigaGen, Lark, Gauss Surgical, Purigen Biosystems, AccuraGen, Freenome, Breathometer, Arterys, Eko device and many more! To learn more, visit StartX Med
Yes, please submit separate application for each of your companies.
Every company that applies is offered customized advice & feedback on their specific company (from VCs, serial entrepreneurs, and StartX alumni) regardless of the outcome of the application!
You’ll receive an e-mail near the end of the application process with the details.
Yes! We always encourage you to apply again. Our judges love being proven wrong. The application process itself can a learning opportunity of its own. Incorporate the advice & feedback that you receive, and continue to make progress in those areas!
An applicant mixer is an exclusive event for the founders that have submitted an application. It’s a unique opportunity to not only learn more about the program but also to meet and interact with StartX startups, staff and other fellow applicants.
Only applicants who've submitted an application are granted entrance.
We're looking for the best entrepreneurs who believe in the model of what we're trying to build at StartX. A great way to find out what you need to be admitted is to have applied in a previous session. Teams not admitted are always offered customized advice & feedback on what steps they can take to reach the next level. For companies earlier in their journey we recommend joining our Student in Resident, Professor in Resident, or Entrepreneur in Resident programs.