VentureWell - "E-Team Grant Program" (summer 2024)

The E-Team Program, part of the VentureWell Accelerator, supports student ventures as you embark down the path you’re likely to take as an innovator and entrepreneur. We help you advance your invention through a powerful mix of up to $25,000 in grant funding, entrepreneurship training, mentorship by dedicated staff, national recognition, and networking with peers and industry experts.

Do you have an idea that can change the world? Every year, we award over $800,000 in non-dilutive E-Team grants to early-stage innovator teams that develop scalable innovations which aim to solve a large social, health, or environmental challenge.

Is Your Innovation a Good Fit?

• Social/Environmental Impact: Inventions that will scale to address a pressing social, health, or environmental need. We fund innovations that can solve challenges including health, food security, energy, and climate change. 
• Science- and Engineering-Based Inventions: An innovation that is different from other competing technologies.
• Intent To Commercialize: A strong commitment to exploring commercialization of your innovation.
  
• Student Team Identified: Teams that include two or more students and a faculty advisor.

What types of projects/products does VentureWell fund?

• Some examples include medical or healthcare-related devices; products to aid in poverty alleviation or address basic human needs; and clean/green technologies.

We are currently students but one or both of us are graduating—can we still apply?

• We require at least two active and enrolled students on the team for the duration of the grant (Stage 1 = 6-8 months; Stage 2 = 18 months). If you are graduating but plan to continue with the project you will need to recruit additional students to your team.

Can international teams apply to the E-Team Program?

• VentureWell awards grants to U.S.-based colleges and universities only, but we do fund U.S.-based teams serving international markets and U.S.-based teams with international student members.

I’m an independent inventor. Can I apply to the E-Team Program?

• VentureWell grants are awarded to colleges and universities, not directly to individuals and/or ventures. If you are a student with an innovation, you need a team, consisting of other students, a Principal Investigator, advisors, mentors, etc., in order to qualify for the E-Team Program. Individuals do not qualify.

Can my team still apply if we didn’t invent the product and/or don’t own the IP?

• Yes, teams working on technologies invented by faculty (or other students) may apply for the program if the intent of the university is to further develop the product for commercialization AND if the current student team members are playing meaningful roles in the process.

I’m a faculty member with an innovation. If I recruit some students to help me would it make me eligible for the E-Team Program?

• Yes, so long as the recruited students are playing meaningful roles and are driving development. Students should serve as the entrepreneurial leaders of a team, regardless of the origin of the idea or invention. Please refer to the “minimum requirements for eligible teams” section of the guidelines for more information.

Why Apply?

• Up to $25,000 in Grant Funding: Unlock up to $25,000 to launch your venture. Our grants are competitive, recognized nationally as a source of non-dilutive funding, and empower innovators to explore commercialization.
• Sponsored Training: Attend our fully funded training workshops and explore possible pathways for your venture. We have a bank of innovation curricula that combine lean startup principles with company building, professional development, and individual cultivation.
• Networking & Mentorship: Tap into the VentureWell mentor and E-Team network, with the potential to connect with investors and strategic partners who can transform your venture.
• National Exposure & Recognition: E-Team members have been named to the Time Magazine “Best Inventions” list and Forbes’ “30 Under 30”; appointed as an AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassador; and appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic, and other publications.