Vanderbilt Innovation Corps

Upcoming Cohort Dates: 

• August 26 - September 30

• October 20 - November 24

The Innovator Program is an immersive launchpad for turning bold ideas into fundable ventures. As the flagship ideation program of the Vanderbilt Innovation Corps, Innovator brings aspiring entrepreneurs together for five dynamic virtual sessions designed to sharpen thinking, stress-test assumptions, and accelerate the path from concept to customer.

The program culminates in Pitch Day, where participants present to a distinguished panel of business leaders, investors, and accomplished entrepreneurs. Standout teams earn microgrants to fuel their next chapter.
This is where your next big thing begins.

Upcoming Cohort Dates: 

• August 26 - October 7

Build on your progress. The virtual Builder Program at Vanderbilt provides a step-by-step guide for aspiring university-affiliated entrepreneurs (students, faculty, staff, and alumni) with a viable early-stage idea to launch a new venture.

Builder is the perfect next step for graduates of a Regional NSF I-Corps Program or entrepreneurs with a validated product, technology, or service that have already engaged in customer discovery efforts, found a problem-solution fit and would like to learn how to launch a new non-profit or for-profit venture or pursue a licensing deal.

Make a career pivot. Through the Coalition Responsible for Equitable Skills Training (CREST), our Biotechnician Bootcamps offers a transformative adult pivot experiential learning program to quickly and seamlessly enter the Biotechnology and Life Sciences workforce for people who may previously have little to no biology background.

The CREST program is investing in the professional development of the community to support the growth and success of the biotech industry in Tennessee. Accepted fellows will learn through theoretical and hands-on experience to meet the professional competencies for entry-level roles in emerging biotech.

CREST works with industry and community partners to customize curricula to company-specific needs and to recruit local talent to meet and attract the increasing workforce demand to fulfill those industry roles.

The NSF I-Corps Mid-South Hub is an entrepreneurial institution that supports academic commercialization, economic growth, and shared prosperity across the entire Mid-South region.

Funded by the US National Science Foundation, The Mid-South Hub is one of 13 Regional NSF Hubs across the country. Lead by Vanderbilt University, the Mid-South Hub spans five states and includes University of Arkansas, University of Virginia, Jackson State University, George Mason University, Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University, University of Louisville, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Kentucky, University of Memphis, and Vanderbilt University.

The Hub’s mission is to accelerate the translation of groundbreaking university research outcomes into commercialized ventures that seed emergent, prosperous innovation ecosystems across the region.