StartX, Stanford University's equity-free startup accelerator, is welcoming applications for its Fall 2025 cohort.

What is StartX? 

StartX is the premier startup community, accelerator and fellowship for Stanford students, professors, and the alumni. With 2500+ active founders, StartX is the strongest network of Stanford’s founders across verticals including AI, med, sustainability, and more.

• StartX takes no equity and is entirely free for founders
• Access to top mentors, investors, and Stanford-affiliated founders
• $1.5M of partner benefits, 150+ exclusive events annually, scholarships, and office space

StartX Offers:

• Zero equity and fees
• Personalized experience with peer learning and 5 mentors dedicated to each company
• 150+ exclusive and curated events for education, fundraising, and networking
• Access to $1.2M worth of perks, office & lab space, scholarships, and online resources

Program Details

The StartX program has 2 different founder programs that run three times a year. Apply to the tracks that fit you:

Accelerator Program: A 12-week, full-time program for scaling startups. Accelerator graduates become lifelong community members.

Fellowship: A 12-week program designed for student entrepreneurs building their company while in school, with grant and summer stipend opportunities. Fellows are granted full StartX access for the duration of their time in school.

Who can Apply?

• Stanford-Affiliated Founder: At least one founder must be a current or former Stanford student, faculty, postdoc, or fellow with a significant equity stake in the company.
• Visiting Founder: Invite-only for non-Stanford teams, requiring recommendations from 3 StartX founders.
• Founders from all industries and at any stage of experience can apply.

StartX Impact

•  18 unicorns, 165+ valued above $100M
• StartX startups are 3× more likely to reach $100M valuation than other accelerators
•  StartX startups have raised a combined funding of $24B

For additional infromation,visit startx.com/faqs

Deadline to apply: June 8

Apply here: startx.com/apply