About the Program
Helping early stage startups
The Emory Startup Launch accelerator program is offered this spring (2018) to guide early stage founders through a defined process that will help teams rapidly take their ideas and test them with customers to discard, change and build a business model to move the startup forward. Some of the teams accepted in the program will receive funding grants during the program. The 10 week program begins in January and is accepting team applications now. The program is open to the entire Emory community, to help build and enhance the Emory student/faculty/staff/alumni entrepreneurial spirit by helping create successful startups.
There is no cost to attend.
This startup accelerator program is funded by a grant from the Goizueta Creativity and Innovation Initiative.
Program Requirements
Maximum team size is four members with at least one member of the team being a current Emory student, alumni, faculty or staff member. The program instructor chooses participating teams. Preference will be given to healthcare related startups.
All team members will be required to attend on a weekly basis: a three-hour night session, present a weekly team update, attend a thirty-minute progress meeting (with the instructor) and complete in-person, documented customer interviews.
The Emory Startup Launch program will begin in January, 2018 and run on Thursday nights from 6pm-9pm.
Jan 25
Feb 1, 8, 15, 22
Mar 29
Apr 5, 12, 19, 26
Please consider that this is a highly-interactive program that requires substantial time outside the classroom interacting with your potential buyers/users each week.
What you will learn
Topics covered during the program include:
- Use a Startup Business Model Canvas to describe, test and refine a business
- Uncover, refine and confirm buyer/user problems that lead to solutions
- Learn interview tools that test and refine your assumptions with buyer/users
- Define and explore your early adopters (buyers/users)
- Find the buyer/user behavior triggers that signal demand
- Create, deliver and test micro offers with buyers/users to reveal demand
- When and how to apply micro innovations to adjust your business model
- Recognize and utilize useful metrics to show traction in your business model
- How to discover, define and test key words to amplify buyer/user interaction
- Create an effective early stage company presentation for Demo Day
Mentors from the Atlanta startup community and GBS alumni will be invited to attend the program and help the teams during portions of the program.
Some teams will receive funding to assist with the costs associated with customer interviews and creating/testing micro offers. Teams will need to successfully complete all assignments through week five of the program to be eligible to receive the funding.
A Demo Day event will be held at the completion of the program. Successful teams will be invited to present their startups to the Emory and Atlanta community. To apply for the Emory Startup Launch please complete and submit the program application
Application Deadlines for Emory Startup Launch Spring 2018
Application Deadlines for Emory Startup Launch Spring 2018
To apply for the spring 2018 program all startup teams must apply online and compete an in-person interview before they will be admitted to the program. Space is limited to 12 startup teams.
Two application dates:
1. The Early Admission Deadline is Friday, December 8th. Teams applying by this deadline will have an opportunity to complete the in-person interview early and receive and early decision on acceptance to the program. After completing the interviews, we will make a decision on eight teams to be admitted to the program by Friday, December 22nd. This early admittance will give teams more time to integrate the upcoming program into their schedules and to complete some required pre-work.
2. The Final Admission Deadline is Friday, January 5th, the last day to apply. We will interview any remaining startups and announce the final teams by Friday, January 19th. The program begins the next week, Thursday, January 25th.
We look forward to receiving your application, meeting your team and learning how we can accelerate your success. Please contact us if you have any questions.
The Emory Startup Launch Team