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University programme · Champaign, Illinois, United States

iVenture Accelerator

The University of Illinois Gies College of Business's 10-week summer accelerator for student-owned startups, with up to US$20,000 in non-dilutive funding and stipends, mentors and workshops. It takes no equity.

Closed Run by Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Apply on the programme's site Programme website

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
not published Up to US$20,000 in non-dilutive funding: US$10,000 in capacity funding plus US$2,500 stipends for up to four full-time team members; non-University of Illinois students do not receive stipends
Instrument
Grant
Equity taken
None (equity-free) Takes no equity
Programme fee
not published
Duration
10 weeks
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
In person
Stages
not published
Sectors
Sector-agnostic
Open to founders from
not published
Perks
  • Mentors
  • Workshops and events
  • Peer support
  • Connections to Illinois innovation hubs

Applications were taken in waves for the summer 2026 cohort; the apply page also invites founders to apply at any time for recurring feedback.

Application dates

ClosedSummer 2026 (final wave)

Who can apply

  • A majority of the team are University of Illinois students who hold majority ownership
  • A founder and up to four team members can work full-time for 10 weeks in the summer
  • The venture creates tech, social, commercial or cultural value
  • Founders who will attend in person and are not graduating in the summer are preferred

Companies it names as alumni

Psyonic, Quillbot, Amber Agriculture, SnapClips, Trala

What founders should check

  1. The programme says it takes no equity. Still read the agreement for warrants, revenue shares or rights in a later round.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It runs in person in Champaign. Plan to be there for the length of the programme.
  4. The last window we track closed on 7 March 2026. Dates for the next cohort are not published yet.

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