Two Stanford University students have launched a groundbreaking accelerator program called Breakthrough Ventures, designed to support college students and recent graduates in their entrepreneurial endeavors. In doing so, founders Roman Scott and Itbaan Nafi hope to fill a major funding gap for the young innovators from coast-to-coast. Breakthrough Ventures is aiming to raise $2 million in its first close. They aim to use this money over the next three years to incubate a minimum of 100 startups.
Roman Scott, a 2024 Stanford graduate who has since earned his master’s degree, and Itbaan Nafi, a current master’s candidate, recognized the challenges that aspiring student entrepreneurs face in accessing capital and networks. They built Breakthrough Ventures around offering the resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities that best serve this demographic to unlock its vast potential.
Breakthrough’s mission is to bridge the funding and opportunity gap in transformative ecosystems, from coast to coast. Students have long had a difficult time connecting to the capital and networks needed to help them realize their entrepreneurial aspirations,” Scott said.
The program runs on a hybrid model, with both virtual and in-person elements. Participants will have exclusive access to local venture capital firms’ powerhouses for energetic, powerful networking Meetups. That journey will come together with a Demo Day at Stanford, where startups will pitch their innovations to eager investors.
Breakthrough Ventures provides its participants a holistic support package. Each selected startup will receive up to $100,000 in grant funding. Meanwhile, they’ll get new pathways to access compute credits through partnerships with Microsoft and the Nvidia Inception program. Participants will be given legal assistance as well as a transport stipend provided by Waymo. This support helps them focus on building and expanding instead of getting bogged down in logistical challenges.
Nafi emphasized the importance of the community built between the fellows. She told us, “Students have loved the way we’ve managed to attract so many more people from other American universities. He has called Breakthrough Ventures “the epicenter for Gen Z entrepreneurship and thought leadership.” This message beautifully embodies the program’s intentions of building collaboration and developing shared learning journeys.
The program expects to offer extensive mentorship from industry leaders, including from Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana. This network of expert entrepreneurs will mentor 2015 Accelerator participants as they tackle the unique challenges that come with launching a new venture.
We’ve perfected the student-founder experience to a T,” Nafi continued. In addition to funding, the program includes an unparalleled combination of financial support, mentorship and resources. This potent combination equips participants to thrive in their own entrepreneurial endeavors and helps ignite an entrepreneurial renaissance within their communities.