i-Corps
The NSF i-Corps program introduces scientists and engineers to real-world, hands-on training that helps move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace. Program participants can apply for up to $2,700 in grant funding to conduct customer discovery, market research or purchase supplies to create a prototype. Successful teams become eligible to apply for the NSF National I-Corps Program, an intensive seven-week program that provides up to $50,000 in grant funding.
Venture Lab
The VentureLab Incubator supports the development of new entrepreneurs and the growth of promising early-stage ventures. Since its first cohort in 2000, VentureLab has provided nearly $1.5 million in grants to upwards of 275 companies, supporting nearly 450 founding team members.
VentureLab welcomes applications from any team with at least one founder who is a current student, faculty, or staff at UVA, including College at Wise. Submissions by UVA alumni from the past three years will also be considered. Cofounders not affiliated and alumni who graduated in 2016 or prior may participate in VentureLab as long as the primary cofounder remains an active participant.
VentureLab is an initiative of the Batten Institute at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, which has sponsored an early-stage, summer incubator program for more than twenty years. VentureLab represents the latest evolution of this program, which was previously housed at the UVA i.Lab. If you have any specific questions about the program or the selection process, please contact Jason Brewster, the program’s director.
Catalyst
Catalyst is a long-format accelerator, providing high-potential startups in central Virginia with nine months of program support, including: $20,000 in grant funding, dedicated workspace, experienced founders-in-residence, monthly programming, dedicated staff, a large network of industry experts, and access to nearly $50,000 in additional resources.