Startup Summer is a 12-week intensive course in which student teams launch startups based on their ideas and prototypes. Teams are provided with mentorship, workspace, seed funding, intellectual property protection, and visibility. To date, 18 teams have been through  the two-year-old program and launched their startups.

“I have motivation, but Startup Summer gave me the support and structure and honest advice I needed,” said Shiv Patel, a computer science major who participated in the 2015 program. “Instead of letting me be discouraged when my first idea didn’t work, they helped me ask the questions I needed to find something else.” Patel’s team created Mercez, a tool to help people when they’re traveling and shopping abroad. 

FIXD, a student product from Startup Summer 2014, helps drivers quickly diagnose problems with their vehicles when the check engine light has been triggered. The team surpassed a Kickstarter fundraising goal last fall and is now part of Tech’s VentureLab incubator.

Startup Summer is the LAUNCH signature element within CREATE-X, an initiative established by Tech alumnus Chris Klaus to build entrepreneurial confidence among Georgia Tech undergraduates. CREATE-X partners with VentureLab to offer the program.

Applications for 2016 are now open, and students who apply by Nov. 10 will receive an acceptance decision by Thanksgiving. Learn more at www.startupsummer.gatech.edu or apply at www.startupsummer.gatech.edu/apply.