SUMMER ACCELERATOR

Open to: Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni

CCEI's Summer Accelerator is an immersive, eight-week entrepreneurial experience designed to help UConn-affiliated startups launch and grow their ventures. As our flagship program, it has prepared founders to take their companies to the next level — whether that means generating revenue, raising funding, or being accepted into national incubators and accelerators.

Each summer, the top ten startups from across the university are selected to participate in this intensive program, which meets three days a week across eight weeks. Participants gain the skills needed to bring new products, services, and technologies to market through one-on-one coaching, expert mentorship, and hands-on support. Startups also receive pro bono legal, accounting, branding, banking, and product development services to help with early business setup and growth.

Founders pursuing high-potential ventures that have emerged through other UConn entrepreneurship programs are encouraged to learn more below.

ACCELERATOR TIMELINE

Info Sessions

February 3, 2026 from 12-1pm, Virtual
Learn about the application process and the accelerator from the instructors and past participants.

Application Deadline

February 17, 2026 at 11:59pm
Online application is due.

Pitch Selection Notification

February 24, 2026
Applications are assessed for suitable startups.

Summer Accelerator Pitch Days

March 2 and 3, 2026, virtual
20 startups are chosen to pitch to our selection committee made up of instructors, mentors and industry experts.

Interview Selection Notification

March 5, 2026
A selection of startups are chosen to interview with our selection committee.

Interviews

March 12 and 13, 2026, virtual
A selection of startups are chosen to interview with our selection committee.

Acceptance Notification

March 17, 2026
10 startups are accepted into the accelerator.

Program Orientation

April 24, 2026 from 5-6pm, virtual
The accepted startups meet with the instructional team and get started on their pre-program assignments.

Summer Accelerator

June 1, 2025 - July 30, 2026, hybrid
Startups participate in the eight-week long accelerator three days a week, with a mid-program break the week of the 4th of July.

Summer Accelerator Finale

July 30, 2026
Startups present their final pitches to a crowd of mentors, investors and industry experts. Five startups are chosen to move on to the Wolff New Venture Competition.

ACCELERATOR DETAILS

APPLY

APPLY FOR SUMMER 2026

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to apply, your startup must:

have at least one founding member affiliated with UConn (undergraduate or graduate student, faculty, staff or alumni).
have at least one founding member available to participate in ALL scheduled program dates, including commuting to our Hartford center 1-2 days per week.
be incorporated (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp etc.) by June of the current year.

TIMING + COMMITMENT

Participants spend three days per week over eight weeks in the summer developing skills needed to bring new products and technologies to market and receiving one-on-one coaching from industry experts. Sessions are held from 9am-3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays; and some early-evening networking events or other activities may be scheduled.

*The Summer 2026 cohort will be hybrid, with two of the three days per week located at our center in Hartford. Startups should expect to spend additional time outside of the program hours working on their business.

SUMMER 2026 SCHEDULE

Week 1: 6/1 , 6/2, 6/4, 9am-3pm
Week 2: 6/8, 6/9, 6/11, 9am-3pm
Week 3: 6/15, 6/16, 6/18, 9am-3pm
Week 4: 6/22, 6/23, 6/25, 9am-3pm
4th of July Break
Week 5: 7/6, 7/7, 7/9, 9am-3pm
Week 6: 7/13, 7/14, 7/16, 9am-3pm
Week 7: 7/20, 7/21, 7/23, 9am-3pm
Week 8: 7/27, 7/28 , 7/30, 9am-3pm

FUNDING

Each startup is awarded $15,000 (non-equity, non-diluting) in funding to aid in business development. Of which, up to $5,000 (per student) can be used to pay a member of the team to participate in the program. This team member must be a current UConn student or recent UConn graduate (May 2025), and it will be paid as fellowship – half at start of program, half at completion.

Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation