What is Project Olympus?
Project Olympus offers support and resources for CMU faculty, students, alumni, and staff who want to turn their cutting-edge research and great ideas into startups. Project Olympus is open to CMU entrepreneurs at any stage, from concept to business creation. At Project Olympus you will learn how to find product/market fit and develop a feasible business model to attract funding that will take your venture to the next level.
What Project Olympus has to offer:
- Programming
- Assigned Business Coach who works with you to develop a personalized “roadmap”
- Expert Industry Advice
- Free Startup Space and expanded Maker workshop
- Networking/Community
- Show & Tell
- Peer, Pitch & Pizza
- Global Entrepreneurship Week
- Startup Job Fair
- Funding Opportunities
- Connections
- AWS Credits
Who is eligible?
Project Olympus is open to teams with at least one CMU affiliate founder (faculty, staff, undergrad, grad, postdoc, alumni).
Ready to apply?
Applications are on a rolling basis, click here to get the support to help your startup be a success!
Questions?
You can email Matthew Katsaros, Program Adminstrator if you have questions.
Startup Projects
The startup projects are the centerpiece of the enterprise. Here teams of faculty, students, or staff from across the campus explore the commercial potential of their research and ideas. Guidance is provided at every stage by the Project Olympus in-house entrepreneurs-in-residence and a network of economic development partners.
Project Olympus Show & Tell
Show & Tell 27 was held on Thursday, April 11, 2024 from 4:00-6:00pm in the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.
You can see a video of the event below!
LEARN MORE about Show & Tell
Spark Grants
The Olympus Spark Grant Fund helps Olympus student startup projects kick-start their business ideas. Every semester, students submit proposals and pitch their ideas to investors, with winning projects going on to receive funds. The funds are provided by charitable gifts from alumni and other community donors.
Learn more
Customer Discovery Kickstart Program
In this new program, early-stage startups will explore the feasibility of their business ideas. This program is designed to help early-stage startups determine product – market fit by connecting with potential customers and industry stakeholders. Through the process, teams will quickly gain insights into their intended market and use customer research techniques to inform the next steps in their entrepreneurial journeys.
Learn more
What Are People Saying?
“Project Olympus has been incredibly valuable to us in the infant stages of our company by providing mentoring, advice, a home base location, and connections within the Project Olympus network. Having someone outside of the company to give us unbiased thoughts and opinions from their experiences in entrepreneurship is critical to keeping an open mind and keeping the company on track.”- Kelly Collier, CEO, ActivAided Orthotics *Acquired*
"Incubating Advanced Optronics Inc at Project Olympus has greatly accelerated our growth and development. Olympus gave us the space to develop our product, grow our team, and meet with customers and investors, helping us to secure our first SBIR grant and major investment. Thanks Project Olympus!"- Jay Reddy, Founder, Advanced Optronics Inc
"The Project Olympus Customer Discovery Kickstart program provided invaluable support and guidance. We collaborated with visionary mentors and industry experts, gaining crucial insights that validated our core problem statement and shaped our value proposition. The program's platform allowed us to showcase our progress, build vital connections, and equipped us to navigate the entrepreneurial journey."- Shilpa Jais-Stewart, Co-Founder, Auntie LLC
"The Project Olympus incubator provided me with the much-needed network of truly world-class advisors that helped me start and build my business when I was a student at Carnegie Mellon. It literally felt like having access to a team of superheroes – each with their own area of strength and deep expertise. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur studying at Carnegie Mellon University, you should definitely apply to Project Olympus."
"Project Olympus is an incredible place to build a technology startup. It's wonderful to work alongside other entrepreneurs that are tackling similar challenges, and to be part of a community that's willing to share experiences and help each other out. We've learned and grown a lot since joining Project Olympus."- Bradford Holden, Co-Founder, Resilient Lifescience
"Being a Founder is not a common career pathway for recent graduates of CMU, but Kit and the team go out of their way to help ambitious young people succeed. The generous amount of time that the team pours into the companies of both current students and alumni is unlike any other program in the region."- Michael Gee, Founder, Vetro
More ways to support Project Olympus.
We invite you to join the supporters of Project Olympus. Your contributions will help us support commercialization by our best and brightest as vital to the growth and success of the university, the region, and the nation. Please choose which option works best for you:
Project Olympus - Project Olympus provides startup advice, micro-grants, incubator space, and connections for faculty and students across campus and with the wider regional, national, and global business communities. We help students, faculty, alumni, and staff turn their cutting-edge research and great ideas into startups.
Project Olympus Spark Grant Fund -The Olympus Spark Grant Fund helps Olympus student startup projects kick-start their business ideas. Every semester, students submit proposals and pitch their ideas to investors, with winning projects going on to receive funds. The funds are provided by charitable gifts from alumni and other community donors.
Lenore Blum Innovation Fund - The Lenore Blum Innovation Fund, named in honor of the founder of the Project Olympus Incubator Program, provides support for initiatives promoting diversity within the program. Project Olympus bridges the gap between cutting-edge university research and economy-promoting commercialization for the benefit of our communities.
Sponsors
Blue Tree Capital Group
Duolingo Inc.
Heinz Endowments
Idea Foundry
Innovation Works
K&L Gates
Kauffman Foundation
McCune Foundation
National Science Foundation
Pacven Walden Inc.
Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA)
Stack Exchange Inc.
Supporters
David A. Auerbach
Michael Baum
Tony R. Berkman
Lenore and Manuel Blum
Anthony Burlando
Mary Burlando
Roger Byford
Eric C. Cooper
Marcel D. DePaolis
Michael Donohue
Mark W. and Stephanie Dorgan
Marc C. Guldimann
Samir Gupta
Caddy and John Harper
Adrian Hodges
James Jacob Huttner, M.D., Ph.D.
Andrew S. Langsam Esq.
Roy Levin
Kit and Cliff Needham
Theo Nicholas
The Painter Family
Kelly Sacco
Richard Sanzi
Kyle J. Schriver
Michelle Schriver
Adam Sohnen, M.D.
Carol K. Stockman
Rocco R. Tarasi III
Richard and Nancy Waichler
Justin David Weisz
Robert A. Wooldridge
Phil K. Yoon
Thank you to our Swartz Center Patrons
