Running List of Funding Opportunities for Founders

Across the country, aspiring student-entrepreneurs have leveraged emerging technologies to build innovative products and utilized findings from their on-campus research to start companies that address a wide array of pain points (both on and off-campus). In response to this growing demographic of entrepreneurs, universities, venture capital firms and accelerators/incubators have created programming to mentor and fund student ventures. In this post, Ashlyn Lackey and I have compiled a list of funding resources to jumpstart your next venture!

General Funding

YC Build Sprint and 20 Equity-Free Grants

“This is a 4-week period to work intensively towards a defined goal alongside a community of thousands of other founders.”

InnovateMass

“The InnovateMass program provides up to $250,000 in grant funding and technical support to applicant teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with a strong potential for commercialization. Successful applicants will propose projects that address important energy challenges, help to grow the state’s clean energy economy, and contribute to Massachusetts’ continued clean energy leadership.”

Alumni Angel Investors (e.g. Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York)

“Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation. HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York is the largest angel investor network in the NY metro area with 300+ alumni investor members. In a typical year, our members invest $3 million across about 20 companies, and members have invested over $15 million in more than 100 companies since 2011. The companies in which we invest are NOT required to have any ties to Harvard University.”

Garage by Pear VC

“Pear Garage is our community for the top 25 entrepreneurial engineering students in the US.

This is an opportunity for you as students to take risks on big ideas and to learn about company building from the Pear team and other outstanding engineers. Garage will help you go from idea to MVP, and the program will culminate with a pitch to the Pear team.”

Facebook Accelerator

“Facebook Accelerator: Connectivity is for startups in the Americas that are focused on improving connectivity through technologies, solutions, and new models that address the availability and affordability of internet access. Selected startups will have the opportunity to receive mentorship from Facebook Connectivity to help scale their impact. For example, during Facebook Accelerator London, at LDN_LAB earlier this year, Gaius Networks, a social media startup providing connectivity and access to hyper-localized content in emerging markets, worked closely with our Facebook Connectivity team and industry experts to bring connectivity to over 100,000 people. Applications for Facebook Accelerator: Connectivity open on August 3rd, and we’re looking forward to providing this new innovative cohort with access to resources, industry experts, mentors, and potential investors.”

Funding for STUDENT Founders

Student Entrepreneur looking for Money? | by Ali Afridi

Gap Year 2020 by Contrary Capital

Contrary is investing “$100,000* in up to 5 companies who choose to build rather than pay high prices for online classes.”

Delta Fellowship by Human Capital

“Dedicate the fall semester to exploring a new venture. Get the capital and resources you need to start building. $50k to start building something meaningful … We’ll give you the funds and resources you need to explore your ideas and learn how to be a better founder. This isn’t just about the money — it’s about helping you understand and navigate the venture world.

• A $50k grant
• Hands-on support from our cofounders
• Introductions to leaders at our portfolio companies, who can teach you about data infrastructure, hiring your first 5 employees, and other topics you’re interested in
• Access to a network of college students who are as ambitious and eager to build as you are
• Exposure to the venture capital world — you’ll see firsthand how Human Capital’s people-first investment approach allows us to evaluate and work with founders across stages
• Mentorship from other founders, many of whom started their companies in college and went on to raise funding from top tier venture funds”

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Let us know about any other funding opportunities and we will amend the list accordingly.

This article is our thoughts and does not reflect our places of work