Organization:StartX

Overview

StartX is an educational, non-profit program associated with Stanford University with goals to accelerate the development of top entrepreneurs through education and collective intelligence. 

This program was developed in 2011 by Cameron Teitelman and Dan Ha as a spin-off program of the Stanford Student Enterprises, which is the non-profit financial arm of the Associated Students of Stanford University. In February 2012, Silicon Valley companies contributed $400,000 towards the advancement of StartX, just prior to an $800,000 grant awarded in August 2012 from the Kauffman Foundation (a nationally recognized center for entrepreneurship and education) to again further advance the program’s success.  StartX is operated with the core components of community, mentorship, education, and resources. Sufficient funding exists such that StartX does not require fees and takes zero equity.

StartX Visiting Founders Program, applicants from any university can be accepted. This program allows for non-Stanford start-up companies to spend three months (during a summer accelerator program from June through September) in the Silicon Valley working under the mentorship and education of StartX to accelerate their developing company. The VFP companies are treated no differently from those affiliated with Stanford University, have access to all but the Stanford-StartX Fund, and are offered additional financial support to offset costs of moving to Silicon Valley.

StartX Med is a program within StartX focused on accelerating the development of Stanford’s top medical entrepreneurs. With a focus on advancing breakthrough healthcare technologies through StartX Med, this branch of StartX affords a unique opportunity for those seeking innovation in the medical field.  StartX partners with companies like Johnson&Johnson and Merck to foster young entrepreneurs.

StartX seeks founders at all stages.  Among their core values, it is stated that StartX puts "founders first." The wide support for this program from Stanford affiliates, industry, and social entrepreneurs speaks to its ability to affect positive change.

Purpose

The purpose of StartX is to accelerate the development for the highest potential of start-up founders through education and collective intelligence that strives to support start-up founders.

First-time Founders

First-time Founders will receive 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 $600k+ of free resources, as well as drop-in office space, legal advice, etc.

Experienced Founders

Experienced Founders are given a peer group of other experienced founders in the same stage/role/industry, as well as educational training for their employees, and access to industry experts.

StartX also handles recruiting from Stanford University’s best students, offers PR & BD resources, and much more.

What else can be expect from the accelerator program?

StartX is a home to some of the best Stanford affiliated (and non-Stanford) founders, mentors and advisors. StartX offers tactical help & resources, experiential education, funding and a vast network of mentors, investors, and domain experts.

Through the StatX community, you can get access to 1000+ alumni founders, world class coaches and advisors, on demand access to experts, and customized educational programming based your team + industry + stage.

Plus, all companies receive $600k+ of free resources, as well as drop-in office space, legal advice, etc.

Distinct Differences From Other Offerings

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1. StartX requires no fees
2. StartX takes no equity (ZERO EQUITY) in the technologies and companies that it helps get off the ground.

Impact Achieved For Students and Campus

1. Alphonso Labs developed the Pulse App.
2. Apple, Inc. acquired WifiSlam for approximately $20 million.
3. If your innovation is medically focused, a new track within StartX called StartX Med was launched in May 2012 to focus on medical-related start-up companies.
4. As of 2013, StartX has helped 6 start-up companies achieve greatness.
5. StartX founder’s companies have been acquired by a collection like Apple, Instragram and Yahoo, and have been featured in all major news publications, TEDtalks and Harvard Review articles.

Steps Required To Bring Resource to Campus

1. StartX holds three sessions per year; Fall (November - February), Spring (March - June) and Summer (June - September). Note: Applications for each session are due one month prior to each session.
2. Teams typically consist of two to three founders, but all sizes are accepted. Teams come from all industries and departments (biotechnology, cleantech, hardward, medical devices, nonprofits, music, finance, IT, etc.)
3. Requirements for teams considering to apply for the StartX Accelerator Program: (1) Passion in an Idea (2) Committment- this will be a full-time job (3) Good team dynamics (4) Technical Skills and Domain Expertise (4) Idea Quality
4. Following a submitted application, the first round of interviews is conducted at the StartX office. (*Note: The acceptance rate to this stage alone is 10%.)  These interviews are conducted in front of a panel of judges comprising StartX mentors, venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs and other StartX staff.
5. A second round of interviews are conducted during which applicants will meet with StartX alumni and staff members who assess the team's cultural fit with the community, after which, final decisions are made.

Inspired University of Maryland's Startup Shell: Non-profit, student-run incubator

University Innovation Fellow Special Opportunities

1. Thought Leadership Bootcamp at StartX: University Innovations Fellows (UIF) travel to Silicon Valley where they have the opportunity to learn how to StartX was created, and share in student-led sessions of incubator ideas and best practices. This interactive bootcamp will introduce UIFs to the customized education and opportunities available through StartX.
2. Webinar Sessions: Over the course of a year, UIFs will share topics and challenges encountered on their campuses. Webinar sessions will then be organized and occur three times per year by StartX, in which feedback from the StartX community will provide recommendations, advice and solutions for the UIFs challenges.
3. Special Programs: StartX offers many programs for every level such as their accelerator and student-in-recidence program.

All of these opportunities seek to provide the most customized education for students looking to change the world.

Contact Information

Pooja Garg
(818) 297 - 7508
pooja@startx.stanford.edu

Elise Westhoff

elise.westhoff@slu.edu