The Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst Program is a no-cost, community-driven accelerator for early-stage, Emory-affiliated startups. Offered by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in collaboration with Techstars and The Hatchery Center for Innovation, the ten-week program is designed to help founders achieve investment-readiness. Applications are listed with an October 19 to December 4 window for the upcoming cohort.
Program Overview and Eligibility
• Open to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Designed for idea- and early-stage founders working toward investment readiness.
• Participants sharpen their business models, refine their investor pitches, and gain the tools, mentorship, and connections to move from concept to capital.
• Led by industry experts and supported by Techstars' global network.
• Founders leave the program with greater clarity, confidence, and credibility, ready to take the next step toward fundraising, accelerators, or strategic partnerships.
• The experience is community-driven and free of charge.
• Ideal for founders who have domain expertise and a clear customer problem; are pre-funding and have raised less than $400k; and thrive in collaborative environments.
Key Logistics and Application Timeline
• Cohort: Cohort 7 / Cohort 2027 applications
• Announcement window: October 19 – December 4
• Application opens: October 19, 2026
• Applications close: December 4, 2026 at 11:59 pm
• Shortlist interviews: Mid-to-late December
• Applications open Monday, October 19th: Apply Here
Program Format and Session Details
• The program runs 2.5-hour sessions every Tuesday and Thursday.
• Each session includes optional office hours with Christy Brown and a 1-hour masterclass with guest speakers.
• The program is open to the entire Emory community to help build and enhance the Emory student, faculty, staff, and alumni entrepreneurial spirit by helping create successful startups.
• A team needs at least one Emory community member active in the executive team to qualify the entire team for the program.
• This accelerator currently focuses only on for-profit startup ventures seeking investment readiness.
Curriculum Topics
Topics covered during the program include:
• Use a Startup Business Model Canvas to describe, test and refine a business
• Uncover, refine and confirm buyer/user problems that lead to solutions
• Learn interview tools that test and refine your assumptions with buyers/users
• Define and explore your early adopters (buyers/users)
• Find the buyer/user behavior triggers that signal demand
• Create, deliver and test micro offers with buyers/users to reveal demand
• When and how to apply micro innovations to adjust your business model
• Recognize and utilize useful metrics to show traction in your business model
• How to discover, define and test key words to amplify buyer/user interaction
Research and Testing Methods
The program makes extensive use of in-the-field research and testing by applying methods and processes that include:
• Behavioral economics
• Ethnography
• Qualitative interviews
• Quantitative assessments
• Active listening and observation
• Startup Business Model Canvas
• Pathway development and activation
Doing this work successfully helps teams validate demand, strengthen the team’s understanding of the problem they are solving, develop metrics to support investments, build their resource networks, and strengthen the startup team.
Demo Day and Outcomes
• A Demo Day event will be held at the completion of the program.
• Successful teams will be invited to present their startups to the Emory and Atlanta community.
Program Team
• Christy Brown: Serial entrepreneur, investor, ecosystem builder, philanthropist, and Goizueta Entrepreneur in Residence. Christy is President & CEO of Launchpad2X, a venture-ready accelerator for female founders, and a long-time member of the Atlanta startup community. She is also an angel investor in female-led startups and an LP in multiple venture funds.
• Brian Cayce: Listed program team member.
• Ben Garrett: Listed program team member.
Alumni Founders and Demo Day Lookbook
The Demo Day Lookbook includes the following alumni founders:
• DEMO DAY Lookbook
• Beor: George Allen (Goizueta Business School, EMBA '27)
• BizGuider: Ornella Yovo (Goizueta Business School, MBA '27)
• Diamensions: Abhya Ambati (Laney Graduate School, computer science)
• Fetch Files: Vince Harvey (Goizueta Business School, MBA '26)
• Fl0: Mekhi Hill (Rollins School of Public Health, MPH Alumnus)
• Focus EndoTech: Anand Jain (Emory School of Medicine Faculty, Associate Professor of Medicine)
• Giggity: Kennard Liong (Emory College of Arts and Sciences, biology '27)
• Huddle Surety: Hunter DeCristo (Goizueta Business School, BBA '26)
• LINCR: Anish Joseph (Emory Healthcare, Anesthesiologist)
• ManagerEQ: Samuel Wakefield (Emory College of Arts and Science, political science Alumnus)
• Misfit Adventure: Harman Lindsey (Goizueta Business School, MBA Alumnus)
• Pi9eon: Madalyn Tolbert (Emory College of Arts and Science, international relations Alumnus)
• Pipeline AI: Andrew Jarzyna (Goizueta Business School, BBA)
• Quency: Isabella Yujin Kwon (Emory College of Arts and Sciences, computer science alumnus)
• Smush: Helen Khuri (Emory College of Arts and Sciences, art history '26)
• Solene: Jovan Brockett (Goizueta Business School, MBA 2026)
• The Elephant Room: Varun Sheel (Goizueta Business School, MBA '27)
• Trivia Chest: Eliana Liporace (Emory College of Arts and Science, Neuroscience '27)
• Urineluck: Tera Hornbeck (Emory Healthcare, Clinical Nurse)
• VirTuCell: David Gordon (Emory School of Medicine, Assistant Professor)
• DEMO DAY Lookbook
• Appetite Ventures: Joel Offin (Emory College senior, computer science and economics)
• Blood Rheology Solutions: Erica Evans (Goizueta Business School, MBA program)
• ClariFi: Malia Wakesho Ajiwang (Emory College junior, computer science)
• Commonology AI: Sam Liu (Goizueta Business School sophomore, business)
• Connectogen: Joshua Brown (School of Medicine, radiology program resident)
• Corridor: Albert Dijkeng (Goizueta Business School, MBA program)
• Could Be Pretty Cool: Kacie Luaders (Emory College, Arts and Social Justice Program fellow)
• Luksai: Telita Meira (Goizueta Business School, visiting scholar)
• Moji: Tyki Wada (Goizueta Business School, MBA program)
• My Advisor AI: Hussain Punjani (Goizueta Business School, MBA Alumnus)
• On the Level: Sri Harsha Soma (Rollins School of Public Health, MPH program)
• Papercuts: Mecko Gibson (Candler School of Theology, MDiv program)
• Safe Squeeze Headgear: Anthony Vargas (Emory College junior, psychology and pre-med)
• Seamlist: Dimi Deju (Goizueta Business School sophomore, business)
• VocAlert: Adam Klein (School of Medicine, Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor in Voice)
• Subscription Inter: Emilio Van Cotthem (Emory College senior, history)
• Uni-IP: Rishav Kumar (Emory College and Goizueta Business School senior, biology and business)
• Workforce IQ: Omid Rasmpour (Goizueta Business School and School of Nursing, MBA and PhD programs)
Program Partners
• Techstars: Techstars is the most active pre-seed investor in the world, having invested through its accelerators in more than 3,700 companies that have a combined market cap of over $99 billion. Founded in 2006, Techstars believes that entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, and great ideas can come from anywhere. Its mission is to invest in an unprecedented number of startups per year, enabling more capital to flow to more entrepreneurs around the world. Techstars operates accelerator programs and venture capital funds and connects startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. https://www.techstars.com
• The Hatchery: The Hatchery supports innovators and entrepreneurs from all Emory schools and serves as Emory’s epicenter for exploring what’s possible. It empowers students with the skillsets and mindsets to be purpose-driven and effective innovators and entrepreneurs who drive demonstrable social and economic impact. Housed within a 15,000-square-foot creativity and collaboration space, The Hatchery offers mentoring and program support for all stages of innovation, from inspiration and learning to startups. https://hatchery.emory.edu
• The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: A leading resource for entrepreneurial education at Emory University, meeting students, faculty, and staff where they are in their development. With access points and general exposure for the curious, as well as skill development and in-depth learning opportunities for the highly engaged, the center offers academic and experiential pathways for founders, connectors, investors, and disruptors. The Center seeks to foster entrepreneurship and innovation for Goizueta and the greater Emory community through critical inquiry, service to fundamental societal needs, execution of sound business principles, and possibilities that spark the imagination. https://goizueta.emory.edu/faculty/entrepreneurship-innovation
Frequently Asked Questions
• When do applications open? Applications open Monday, October 19th. Apply Here.
• What is the program schedule? The program runs 2.5-hour sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. Sessions include optional office hours with Christy Brown and a 1-hour masterclass with guest speakers.
• Who is eligible? The program is open to the entire Emory community to help build and enhance the Emory student, faculty, staff, and alumni entrepreneurial spirit by helping create successful startups. Your team needs at least one Emory community member active in the executive team to qualify the entire team for the program.
• What types of ventures are eligible? This accelerator currently focuses only on for-profit startup ventures seeking investment readiness.
• What if my idea is still early-stage? Completing the application will help you focus your idea and move it from a napkin to a page, and that will be helpful. Chances are if you aren’t ready this round, you might be on the next.
• Does the program take IP or equity? No, the program does not take any ownership of IP or equity in the teams in the program.
• Is there a fee? Yes, this program is free. Thanks, Goizueta!
For Emory-affiliated founders pursuing a structured path toward investment readiness, the Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst Program offers a no-cost opportunity to sharpen business models, validate demand, build networks, and work toward a Demo Day presentation. The upcoming cohort dates, eligibility criteria, and program details are listed above for reference.