Various founders pitch at Demo Day. "Apply for today. Get the advantage in the market."
CREATE-X’s Summer 2026 Startup Launch is open for students, faculty, alumni, and researchers to build real startups over 12-weeks with funding, mentorship, and proven entrepreneurial infrastructure. The program has a strong track record, with past founders raising funding, achieving acquisitions, and earning acceptance into highly selective accelerators. Participants receive $5k in optional seed funding, up to $200,000 in in-kind services, hands-on coaching, founder-focused workshops, and access to the CREATE‑X network. More than a summer experience, Startup Launch helps students build real ventures and stand out to employers, graduate programs, and investors.
Every year, hundreds of Georgia Tech students take a leap that changes their careers forever: They decide to spend their summer building a startup.
That opportunity is here again. Applications for the 2026 Summer Startup Launch cohort are now open.
If you’ve identified a meaningful problem, have begun talking to real users, or feel a pull to build something bigger than a class project, this is your moment. Startup Launch gives you the structure, support, and ecosystem to take your idea further than you ever thought possible.
A Launchpad With a Proven Track Record
In the past year alone, CREATE‑X founders have:
- Led their startup to successful acquisitions.
- Raised six-figure funding rounds.
- Gained acceptance into highly selective Y Combinator.
- Built products used by customers, communities, and companies across industries.
The ability to identify a problem, validate real user needs, build something that works, and communicate that value — that combination makes students stand out in a competitive job market. Employers notice it. Graduate programs notice it. And investors notice it.
This is why Startup Launch isn’t just a summer project.
It becomes a defining career asset.
What You Get in Startup Launch
Startup Launch is intentionally built to give students every advantage while they build their venture. This year, we’ve expanded support even further.
Participants receive:
- $200,000 in-kind services like accounting and cloud credits.
- Dedicated coaching and mentorship from experienced founders and startup experts.
- Exclusive workshops and founder-focused programming.
- Access to the CREATE-X network, a community of builders, investors, and potential customers.
You’ll spend the summer fully immersed in your startup, surrounded by peers also tackling ambitious problems.
And you’ll leave with something real to show for it.
Applications for the Summer 2026 cohort close March 17. Apply to Startup Launch today.