Carnegie Mellon University
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VentureBridge Program

The VentureBridge program is an initiative of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship exclusively focused on helping Carnegie Mellon alumni founders succeed in their entrepreneurial ventures. The program provides seed funding, office space, access to a large network of mentors and innovators, and help with startup growth and future larger scale fundraising rounds.
  • If you are a founding team, with a CMU co-founder, working on an idea, we’d love to hear from you.
  • The application cycle for the VB '24 cohort is open from January 15, 2024 until March 29, 2024. Early application deadline is February 29, 2024. 
  • If you’d like to partner with Swartz Center as a sponsor, please contact Aleksandar Petkov, VentureBridge Program Manager.

"We've loved working with VentureBridge to grow ViralMoment. They supported us with finances, mentorship and a community as we took the company from 0-1, they helped us with customer, VC, and team networking as we built from 1-10, and now we're excited to keep scaling from 10-1000 with the VB team's support." - Chelsie Hall, ViralMoment (VB '21)

"To me, the most valuable aspects of this program were the relationships we built with like-minded individuals and mentors and the privilege of receiving real-time feedback from world-class experts across multiple fields." - Ricardo Londono, Organoid Therapeutics (VB '20)


A Special Thanks to

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Summer Accelerator

Introduction

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The summer programming (virtual and in-person in SF and NY) includes talks by prominent investor & founders, such as Jim Swartz (Accel Partners), Lane Bess (Bess Ventures), Scott Dietzen (Pure Storage), Bill Gurley (Benchmark), Matt Rogers (Incite), Matt Humphrey (Quiet Capital), and many others, introductions to successful experts, and a number of founder roundtables, mixers, and dinners.

Companies also receive investment in the form of a SAFE note and in-kind services, read the Benefits column.

Benefits

  • 12 Week Summer Programming
  • $25,000 Investment by Carnegie Mellon
  • Introductions to angel investors, venture capital firms, accelerators. customers, suppliers, and CMU-affiliated companies
  • Matching with specific mentors
  • Incubation space in San Francisco, New York, and/or Pittsburgh. 
  • Invitations to attend different workshops and events located in the heart of Silicon Valley, New York, and Pittsburgh. 
  • Cloud Credits through AWS or GCP.
  • HubSpot for Startups Partner benefits (All-in-one CRM, Sales, Marketing, and Services plans)
  • Additional Benefits from RetoolVouch, Rippling, and Brex
  • Introductions and opportunities to work with Swartz Center patrons

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for VentureBridge:

  • Teams must have at least one CMU affiliated alumni founder. 
  • If the affiliated founder is a CMU student they need to be eligible to and graduate by end of Spring 2024.
  • If accepted the team must commit to the full summer programming (in-person and virtual events) and attend Demo Day.

Application Process

The application cycle for VentureBridge is open from January 15, 2024 until March 29, 2024. Early application deadline is February 29, 2024.
  • All applications must be fully completed and submitted by the final application deadline and late entries will not be considered. Applications must include a pitch deck and a 2 minute video pitch.
  • Applications are reviewed by the VentureBridge Selection Committee and the strongest startup candidates are invited to present virtually to the VB Selection committee.
  • After the selected teams have presented the VB Selection Committee evaluates the best candidates and 5 - 8 teams are selected and invited to participate in the Summer Accelerator program.
  • Candidates invited to the program have a week to confirm their acceptance of the invitation.

Mentor Matching

Introduction

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The VentureBridge program hosts multiple Mentor Matching events throughout the year. These events bring founders (student and alumni) together with a network of experienced and vetted alumni who have agreed to mentor founders. Startups of all stages are encouraged to apply to be a part of these sessions. 

The Mentor Matching sessions take place in the Spring, Summer and Fall.

Benefits

Nabla Ascent Venture Bridge

  • Opportunities to network and connect with CMU Alumni, mentors, and prominent entrepreneurs. 
  • Each startup is paired and matched with 2 - 3 Mentors
  • Engage and connect with fellow CMU entrepreneurs 

Eligibility Criteria

  • Startups must have one CMU affiliated (Student, Faculty, Staff, Alumni) founder
  • If selected you must present and follow through with the mentor matching process. 

Application Process

  • Mentor Matching Sessions are hosted in the spring semester.  
  • Startups are required to apply and provide information on their team and startup to facilitate the mentor matching process. 
  • Once selected all startups will pitch their idea and startup in 2 - 3 minutes in person followed by opportunities to network and connect with the mentors. 
  • Following the event startups will select a group of mentors they would like to work with and if the mentors are interested the pair will be matched.
     

VentureBridge Team

VentureBridge Team

  • Namrata Banerjee, VentureBridge Director, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Aleksandar Petkov, VentureBridge Program Manager, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Dave Mawhinney, Executive Director, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship; Executive Director, Donald H. Jones Center for Entrepreneurship; Associate Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship

Testimonials

"When we first entered the VentureBridge summer accelerator, we had just incorporated our company and were not much more than an idea and barebones pitch. Through the program's weekly seminars and extensive mentorship, we were able to build a coherent company business strategy, access resources for our R&D work, and transform our idea into an exciting and growing start-up. VentureBridge was transformative for Refiberd, and we would definitely recommend the experience for anyone in the early stages of their start-up." - Sarika Bajaj, Refiberd (VB '20)

"The VentureBridge program supported the EKTO VR team through a substantial market pivot during a time of complete global uncertainty. By participating in the program, we were able to execute a live stream product reveal that received worldwide attention and put us on the path to building strong relationships with partners, customers, and investors alike." - Brad Factor, EKTO VR (VB '20)

"The CMU network is very powerful and VentureBridge has made it extremely accessible for us. The entire team is always available to help us out, be it with introductions, reviewing content, or offering us advice across the various startup dimensions." - Vishakha Gupta, ApertureData (VB '20)

“VentureBridge contributed momentum and structure during Onyx’s critical early days; they also introduced key investors who were part of our first round.” - Andrew Seid, Onyx (VB '19)

"VentureBridge provided us with a lot essential resources a startup needs to grow from 0 to 1. The right mindset we developed during the VB program has been benefiting us ever since." - JJ Xu, TalkMeUp (VB '18)