We help student inventors make an impact on the world
The E-Team Program, part of the VentureWell Accelerator, supports student ventures as you embark down the path you’re likely to take as an innovator and entrepreneur. We help you advance your invention through a powerful mix of up to $25,000 in grant funding, entrepreneurship training, mentorship by dedicated staff, national recognition, and networking with peers and industry experts.
Do you have an idea that can change the world? Every year, we award over $800,000 in non-dilutive E-Team Program grants to early-stage innovator teams that develop scalable innovations which aim to solve a large social, health, or environmental challenge.
Applications for the spring 2026 cohort of the E-Team Program are now open! Application deadline: January 27, 2026. Sign up to receive updates.
Apply now for Pioneer:
Apply now for Propel:
Pioneer for the E-Team Program: The First Stop in Bringing Your Innovation to Life
You’ll start your entrepreneurship journey with Pioneer, the first stage of the E-Team Program. Through $5,000 in non-dilutive funding and an entrepreneurship training workshop designed to help you discover the best market for your invention, we kickstart your potential and outline the possible pathways for your invention.
Read more about our Summer 2025 E-Team Program cohort!
“Our journey of stepping out of the laboratory began with the Pioneer workshop. They challenged us to question the value that we bring to the customer. Through this questioning, we realized that we needed to do significant customer discovery research to build a viable business model. We now have a different beachhead market than when we started the Pioneer program. We went from developing a slaughter-free beef jerky to a variety of slaughter-free beef cuts, like tenderloin, to be sold in restaurants.”
—Jordan Jones, Leef Jerky
Propel for the E-Team Program: Build and Test Your Business Model
Once you have successfully completed Pioneer and built a strong foundation for advancing your innovation, you’re eligible to level up and apply for Propel. Propel offers an additional $20,000 in non-dilutive funding and three months of training focused on supporting you as you build your business model canvas and make plans for testing your business hypotheses. Your new discovery can change the world.
Read more about our Spring 2025 E-Team Program cohort!
“The early-stage innovator training program truly showed us the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of growing an idea from the lab into a real product. The program was more powerful than just assessing market potential or better understanding customers; it taught us how to think and cultivate our work as individuals into high-impact results. The teaching team, cohort fellows, and curriculum uniquely brought us together with a strong path forward, getting us one step closer to realizing our vision for AeroShield!”
—Elise Strobach, AeroShield, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Why Apply?
Up to $25,000 in Grant Funding
Unlock up to $25,000 to launch your venture. Our grants are competitive, recognized nationally as a source of non-dilutive funding, and empower innovators to explore commercialization.
Sponsored Training
Attend our fully funded training workshops with our early-stage innovator teaching team and explore possible pathways for your venture. We have a bank of innovation curricula that combine lean startup principles with company building, professional development, and individual cultivation.
Networking & Mentorship
Tap into the VentureWell mentor and E-Team Program network, with the potential to connect with investors and strategic partners who can transform your venture.
National Exposure & Recognition
E-Team Program participants have been named to the Time Magazine “Best Inventions” list and Forbes’ “30 Under 30”; appointed as an AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador; and appeared in many other publications.
Is Your Innovation a Good Fit?
- Social/Environmental Impact: Inventions that will scale to address a pressing social, health, or environmental need. We fund innovations that can solve challenges in areas including health, food security, energy, and climate change.
- Science- and Engineering-Based Inventions: An innovation that is different from other competing technologies.
- Intent To Commercialize: A strong commitment to exploring commercialization of your innovation.
- Student Team Identified: Teams that include two or more students and a faculty advisor.
The E-Team Program Impact
- VentureWell has trained 2,000+ early-stage innovators in 620+ teams.
- Teams that have taken part in the E-Team Program have raised more than $607 million in follow-on funding.
- E-Team Program participants have launched over 260 ventures since taking part in our program.
Important E-Team Program Dates*
Spring 2026
Applications open: November 10, 2025
Deadline to apply: January 27, 2026
Pioneer workshop dates: April 22-23, 2026
Propel workshop dates: May 13-14, 2026
Summer 2026
Applications open: February 23, 2026
Deadline to apply: April 28, 2026
Pioneer workshop dates: July 22-23, 2026
Propel workshop dates: August 5-6, 2026
Winter 2027
Applications open: July 27, 2026
Deadline to apply: September 29, 2026
Pioneer workshop dates: January 13-14, 2027
Propel workshop dates: January 27-28, 2027
*All dates subject to change.
VentureWell’s Organizational Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The E-Team Program is open to all applicants who are currently enrolled at a U.S.-based institution. We encourage applicants from those underrepresented in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, especially those who identify as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous; women of all backgrounds; and individuals from low-income backgrounds. VentureWell does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, religion (creed), gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, or military status.
VentureWell is on a mission to cultivate a pipeline of inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs driven to solve the world’s biggest challenges and to create lasting impact. We believe that good ideas come from everywhere, and that no one should be systematically shut out of the opportunity to cultivate their ideas and innovations. Including broad perspectives will support us in solving the world’s greatest problems.
The E-Team Program is presented through the generous support of The Lemelson Foundation, Cooley LLC, and Qualcomm.
