Two students affiliated with Stanford University have raised $2 million to expand an accelerator program designed for entrepreneurs who are still in college or who have recently graduated. The initiative, called Breakthrough Ventures, focuses on helping early-stage founders move from rough ideas to viable businesses by providing capital, guidance, and access to professional networks.
The program was created by Roman Scott, a recent graduate, and Itbaan Nafi, a current master’s student. Their work began with small-scale demo days held at Stanford in 2024, where student teams presented early concepts and received feedback. Interest from participants and observers revealed a clear gap. Many students had promising ideas but lacked practical support, legal guidance, and introductions to investors. The founders then formalized the effort into a structured accelerator and raised funding to scale it.
Breakthrough Ventures aims to address two common obstacles faced by student founders. First, early funding is difficult to access before a product or revenue exists. Second, students often do not have reliable access to mentors and industry networks. The program responds to both challenges through a combination of financial support and hands-on assistance.
Selected teams receive grant funding of up to $10,000 without giving up ownership in their companies. Participants also gain access to legal support and structured mentorship from experienced professionals. The program includes technical resources such as compute credits from technology partners, which can lower early development costs for startups building software or data-driven products. At the end of the program, founders who demonstrate progress may be considered for additional investment of up to $50,000.
The accelerator operates through a hybrid format. Founders participate in a mix of online sessions and in-person meetups, and the program concludes with a demo day at Stanford, where teams present their progress to potential investors and collaborators. This structure is intended to keep participation accessible while still offering in-person exposure to the startup ecosystem.
Over the next three years, the organizers plan to deploy the $2 million fund to support at least 100 student-led companies across areas such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, consumer products, sustainability, and deep technology. By targeting founders at an early stage, the program aims to reduce the friction between having an idea and building a credible company, while promoting responsible, well-supported innovation within the student community.
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