A highly selective, zero-equity, no-fee accelerator for Stanford-affiliated founders backed by the Stanford-StartX Fund.
- The offer:
- $10k per company
- Location:
- Palo Alto, CA, United States
- Duration:
- 12 weeks
What you need to qualify
- At least one founder holding a meaningful equity stake must be Stanford-affiliated: a degree-seeking student, an alum of three or more quarters, faculty, a postdoc, academic staff or research scientist, or a fellow in a recognised Stanford fellowship program.
- Non-degree certificates, short-term executive education, online-only and similar programs do not count as a qualifying Stanford affiliation. Stanford Online certificates and temporary research roles without a qualifying appointment are excluded.
- Full-Time Accelerator founders must be fully committed to the startup, not employed elsewhere and not managing a side venture, unless the company demonstrates top 10 percent traction.
- The Student Immersive is a separate track and is open to Stanford students, who work on the startup part-time during the academic year.
Eligibility
- Eligible stages
- All stages
- Countries
- Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval
How to apply
- 1
Confirm your Stanford affiliation qualifies
StartX only takes companies with a Stanford-affiliated founder who holds a meaningful equity stake. Degree-seeking students, alumni of three or more quarters, faculty, postdocs, academic staff and research scientists, and fellows in recognised Stanford fellowship programs qualify. Non-degree certificates, short-term executive education and online-only programs do not.
- 2
Apply during an open window
StartX runs three cohorts a year and the application form is only open during each window. Applications are open from mid-January to mid-February for the Summer cohort, from mid-May to mid-June for the Fall cohort, and from early September to early October for the Spring cohort.
- 3
Reserve your spot on the application form
Submit the short form at startx.com/apply with first name, last name, company name, email, your Stanford affiliation and, optionally, the name of whoever referred you.
- 4
Interview
StartX describes a three step process of apply, interview, then join. Selection weighs team strength, the idea, founder commitment, market opportunity and growth potential.
- 5
Join at kickoff
Accepted companies start with the cohort at kickoff and keep community access after the three month program ends.