About this programme
iVenture Accelerator is the educational accelerator for top startups looking to scale, run as the capstone experience of the Origin Ventures Office of Entrepreneurship at the Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It supports ventures through ideation, validation, and market scaling.
The program says it has supported 164 ventures, which have raised more than $161 million in funding, built more than $1 billion in total enterprise value, created 545+ full-time jobs and 297+ internships.
Teams get access to innovation hubs including mHUB and 1871, mentorship from a 300+-person alumni community, and structured training in sales, marketing, customer discovery, product development and go-to-market strategy, including NSF-style training.
How it works
Funding is non-dilutive: founders keep full ownership, no equity is taken.
Each team can get up to $10,000 in capacity funding for the venture, plus stipends of $2,500 for each of up to 4 full-time team members (up to $10,000 in stipends). Total available per team is up to $20,000.
The accelerator runs as a 10-week, full-time summer program.
Who can apply
The team needs a founder and up to 4 team members who can work at iVenture full-time for the 10-week summer program.
The team must be actively working on a venture creating tech, social, commercial, or cultural value.
A majority of team members must be University of Illinois students, and the University of Illinois student(s) must hold majority ownership of the venture. Non-University-of-Illinois team members are not eligible to receive the stipend.
The program gives preference to applicants who can attend in person and who are not graduating in the summer of the program.
How to apply
- Complete the online application, submitted by one team representative, covering venture details, team background, progress made so far, and references.
- Apply by one of the wave deadlines, or apply on the rolling track anytime to get recurring feedback from staff before a wave deadline.
- Staff may follow up requesting additional information.
- Finalist teams are invited to interview before final selection.
Frequently asked
Do I have to give up equity for this funding?
No. iVenture funding is non-dilutive, so founders keep full ownership of their venture.
How much money can my team get?
Up to $20,000 total: up to $10,000 in capacity funding for the venture, plus $2,500 stipends for each of up to 4 full-time team members.
Do all my team members need to be University of Illinois students?
A majority of the team must be University of Illinois students who hold majority ownership of the venture. Team members who are not University of Illinois students are not eligible for the stipend.
How much time do I need to commit?
The accelerator is a 10-week, full-time summer program, and all team members need to be able to work at iVenture full-time for that period.
When are the application deadlines?
The program runs in waves; recent deadlines were Wave 1 on November 3, 2025 and Wave 2 on March 7, 2026, both at 11:59pm. You can also apply on a rolling basis for ongoing feedback ahead of a wave deadline.
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Reviewed 2026-09-25. Programmes change, so check eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private firm and is not part of any government body.