VentureBridge Program
CMU VentureBridge (VB) is a pre-seed fund and an accelerator program, part of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, focused on supporting Carnegie Mellon founders working on their startups full-time.
The program supports CMU founders globally via funding, office space, benefits via legal, banking, cloud credits partners, access to a large network of mentors and investors, and help with startup growth and future larger scale fundraising rounds.
Application for funding is open. Apply Today.
To be eligible for funding, one person on the startup founding team must have a CMU affiliation and the startup must be a US-incorporated entity.
Please note investment decisions are made on a rolling basis. Once you fill out the application, the investment committee will review, and you will be called for an interview.
The VB ‘25 accelerator will run from May to October. For a full list of benefits, please see below.
If you are a vendor who’d like to provide your services to the CMU VB portfolio of startups or become a Swartz Center Patron, 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)
“I can honestly state that closing our Seed Round was directly correlated to joining the CMU VentureBridge Program. Firstly, the CMU connection opened doors to many new introductions within the alumni network. Additionally it paved the way to meeting several of the larger firms in our round. Finally, it gave us an opportunity to work with mentors and peers to rapidly iterate and improve our pitch. Thanks CMU!" - Jeremy Toeman, AugX Labs (VB '23)
VentureBridge Accelerator Info Sessions
A Special Thanks to
VentureBridge Accelerator
Introduction
Each year through its accelerator the CMU VB program invests in select startups building for a wide variety of industries. Since 2018 the startups supported by the program have collectively raised over $210 million in funding and are valued at over half a billion dollars.
The accelerator program is run in a hybrid format with virtual and in-person programming and Demo Days in 3 cities - San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, and Pittsburgh.
The deadline to apply for VB ‘25 accelerator is March 31st, 2025.
Main Components of Accelerator Program
- Capital - $25K investment from CMU
- Speaker Series - Inspiring conversations with industry leaders, Founders, and VCs
- 1:1 Support - Mentorship from experienced founders and experts
- Access to Investors - Connections to angels and early stage Venture Capitalists (VCs)
- Founder Circles: A peer advisory meeting of CMU VB founders.
- Office Space and Infrastructure - Access to co-working space in San Francisco, New York, and space in the Swartz Center space in Pittsburgh
- Networking and Recruiting - Events and meetups to forge community connections and help with hiring
- Demo Day - Opportunity to pitch and showcase progress to a room full of investors and partners in San Francisco, New York City, and Pittsburgh.
- Support services - Discounts to legal, banking, accounting, HR, insurance, cloud service providers through CMU VB partnerships and Swartz Center Patron program
- Lifelong engagement - Ongoing support in future fundraising rounds, recruiting, and marketing
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for VentureBridge:
- Teams must have at least one CMU affiliated alumni founder who is full-time on the startup.
- If the affiliated founder is a CMU student they need to be eligible to and graduate by end of Spring 2025.
- 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.- 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.
Thank you to our VC Speakers
CMU Open Mic Pitch Nights
Introduction
The VentureBridge program hosts multiple CMU Open Mic Pitch Night events throughout the year. These events bring founders (student and alumni) together with a network of experienced and vetted alumni. Startups of all stages are encouraged to apply to be a part of these sessions.
Benefits
- Opportunities to network and connect with CMU Alumni, mentors, and prominent entrepreneurs.
- Engage and connect with fellow CMU entrepreneurs
- Hosted in Pittsburgh, New York, and San Francisco.
Eligibility Criteria
- Startups must have one CMU affiliated (Student, Faculty, Staff, Alumni) founder
Application Process
- Sign up for the CMU Swartz Center Newsletter to not miss the next one.
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)
Thank you to our Swartz Center Patrons
