The E-Team Program, a component of the VentureWell Accelerator, is designed to support student inventors in making a global impact. The program assists student ventures on their entrepreneurial journey by providing a combination of grant funding, specialized training, dedicated mentorship, national recognition, and networking opportunities with peers and industry leaders. Annually, the program awards over $800,000 in non-dilutive grants to early-stage teams developing scalable innovations aimed at solving significant social, health, or environmental challenges.
Program Structure
• Pioneer (Stage 1): This is the initial stage of the E-Team Program. Participants receive $5,000 in non-dilutive funding and attend an entrepreneurship training workshop designed to help them identify the optimal market for their invention. All teams, regardless of their development stage, must begin with the Pioneer program.
• Propel (Stage 2): Upon successful completion of the Pioneer stage, teams are eligible to apply for Propel. This second stage offers an additional $20,000 in non-dilutive funding and includes a three-month training program focused on building and testing the venture's business model canvas.
Program Benefits
• Grant Funding: Teams can receive up to $25,000 in non-dilutive funding to help launch their venture. These grants are nationally recognized and enable innovators to pursue commercialization.
• Sponsored Training: Participants attend fully funded training workshops led by an experienced teaching team. The curriculum combines lean startup principles with company building and professional development.
• Networking & Mentorship: The program provides access to the VentureWell mentor and E-Team network, creating opportunities to connect with investors and strategic partners.
• National Exposure & Recognition: E-Team participants have gained significant recognition, including features in Time Magazine's "Best Inventions" list, Forbes' "30 Under 30," and appointments as AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors.
Eligibility and Innovation Fit
• Social/Environmental Impact: The program seeks inventions that can scale to address pressing social, health, or environmental needs, such as challenges in healthcare, food security, energy, and climate change.
• Science- and Engineering-Based Inventions: Innovations should be distinct from competing technologies.
• Intent to Commercialize: Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to exploring the commercialization of their innovation.
• Team Composition: Teams must consist of two or more students and a faculty advisor.
Funded and Unfunded Project Types
• Projects Funded: The program supports biomedical devices, health diagnostics, global health tech, clean technologies (renewable energy, agriculture, water), green chemistry, sustainable materials, and technologies for low-resource settings.
• Projects Not Funded: The program does not fund web or mobile apps without strong innovation or impact, faculty-driven projects where students are not in leadership roles, pure research without a clear market path, therapeutics or drugs, projects without a defined invention, ventures with no path to commercialization, non-scalable projects, or those lacking clear social or environmental impact.
Application Process
• Submission: Applications are accepted through the VentureWell web portal. Applicants must create or sign in to a VentureWell account to submit a proposal.
• Minimum Requirements: A team must be student-led with at least two enrolled students, possess a technology innovation with societal or environmental benefits, have a Principal Investigator (PI) for project oversight, and secure the support of their university's Administrative Contact and Department Chair.
• Application Materials: A complete application includes a 5-page narrative, at least one letter of support (up to three), team member resumes (up to four), and online verification of support from the PI, Administrative Contact, and Department Chair.
• Review and Selection: Proposals are reviewed by VentureWell staff and external experts. Approximately 50 Stage 1 teams and 20 Stage 2 teams are funded each year. All applicants are notified of their status via email within 60 days of the deadline.
Important Dates
• Summer 2026 Cycle:
- Applications Open: February 23, 2026
- Application Deadline: April 28, 2026
- Pioneer Workshop: July 22-23, 2026
- Propel Workshop: August 5-6, 2026
• Winter 2027 Cycle:
- Applications Open: July 27, 2026
- Application Deadline: September 29, 2026
- Pioneer Workshop: January 13-14, 2027
- Propel Workshop: January 27-28, 2027
• Spring 2027 Cycle:
- Applications Open: November 9, 2026
- Application Deadline: January 25, 2027
- Pioneer Workshop: April 21-22, 2027
- Propel Workshop: May 12-13, 2027
*All dates are subject to change.
Funding and Grantee Responsibilities
• Grant Administration: Funding is awarded to the team's U.S.-based college or university, not directly to individuals or ventures. Funds are administered by the institution's office of sponsored programs.
• Use of Funds: A portion of the grant covers expenses for the required workshops. Remaining funds can be used for product development. Stage 2 applications require a proposed budget. VentureWell does not permit institutional overhead to be taken from grant funds.
• Workshop Attendance: Accepted teams are required to attend the workshop corresponding to their application cycle and funding stage. Availability for these dates should be confirmed prior to applying.
• Reporting: At the end of the grant period, the Principal Investigator, with contributions from student team members, must complete a final report on the project's status, milestones, and use of funds.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The E-Team Program is open to all applicants currently enrolled at a U.S.-based institution. Applications are encouraged from individuals underrepresented in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, including those who identify as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous; women of all backgrounds; and individuals from low-income backgrounds. VentureWell is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, or military status.
VentureWell is dedicated to cultivating a pipeline of innovators and entrepreneurs driven to solve the world's most significant challenges. The E-Team Program has a proven track record of impact, having trained over 2,200 innovators in more than 630 teams. Ventures that have participated in the program have collectively raised over $623 million in follow-on funding and have launched more than 270 new enterprises, demonstrating the program's role in fostering high-impact results.