Top College Startup Studio Programs in 2025

Startup studios are quickly becoming one of the most impactful ways to launch new ventures and universities are taking notice. Across the country, top schools are creating on-campus startup studio programs that go beyond traditional accelerators and incubators by offering structured product development, cohort-based support, mentorship, and real traction-building opportunities. These university startup studios are helping student and alumni founders not just come up with ideas, but actually build companies, giving them real-world experience and a stronger path to market.

This shift reflects a broader trend in the entrepreneurial space: founders want hands-on support, accountability, and iterative learning, not just funding and pitch competitions. By modeling the structure of professional startup studios, these programs are becoming a powerful tool in turning academic environments into real launchpads for innovation.

Dartmouth – Magnuson Venture Studio

In Fall 2024, Dartmouth’s Magnuson Center launched the Magnuson Venture Studio, a dedicated space on campus where student founders can work, collaborate, and grow their startups. The studio offers 24/7 access, a supportive peer cohort, weekly Founders Night meetups, mentorship from the Startup Mentor Network, and small grants tied to progress. During its pilot year, 18 student-led teams participated, giving founders the space, accountability, and community needed to iterate on their ideas. “Having a shared space to test ideas, learn from others, and stay accountable helped me refine both the product and the path forward,” says Alastair Huntley, MALS student and founder of SocialTheory. The result is a tight-knit environment where students can test, build, and refine ventures alongside other committed entrepreneurs. A few key startups founded through the Magnuson Venture Studio include Nerd Apply, MiteOut, Echo, and Nautilus.

University of Tennessee – Startup Studio (Anderson Center)

The Anderson Center’s Startup Studio is a 12-week summer program designed to help UT students and recent alumni turn an idea into a real business. Participants launch a minimum viable product (MVP), get real customer feedback, and work alongside peers from different colleges to iterate and start generating traction. This year’s 10-participant cohort showcases a diverse range of ideas—from a TTRPG management app (Tavern) to fishing apparel e-commerce (Halieus), and even the gamification of wellness and fitness (Jackedson Wellness). By the end of the program, founders gain hands-on experience, potential early revenue, and continued support through the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) community, a university-based resource dedicated to strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems across Tennessee and beyond. ACEI coordinates across UT’s multiple campuses and partners with local governments, corporations, and non-profits statewide to provide long-term support.

University of Michigan – Startup Studio (Zell Lurie Institute)

Michigan’s Startup Studio at the Zell Lurie Institute provides a structured pathway for both student and alumni founders to build, test, and scale their ventures. Through a combination of programs—the MVP Program, Zell Lab for Technologies, and the Customer Acquisition Program—participants get hands-on experience in product development, UX design, and customer discovery. Whether building a first prototype or optimizing sales and user experience, founders move through 12-week tracks designed to help them launch, gain traction, and connect with customers, with continued support from the Zell Lurie entrepreneurial community. Want to learn more? Check out the full spotlight article on the Zell Lurie Institute’s Startup Studio to see how it’s helping founders turn ideas into thriving companies.

University of Montana – Startup Studio

At the University of Montana, entrepreneurship has found a home in the Startup Studio. Each Tuesday afternoon, students from across campus gather in the University Center to refine business ideas, share feedback, and build connections with like-minded peers. MBA student Stephen McLaughlin, co-founder of Remsight, said, “It’s been great to come to the studio and not just talk about the theory of entrepreneurship, but actually do it,” calling the process alongside his peers rewarding.

Launched in 2023 through support from the Folley Foundation, the Startup Studio provides mentorship, collaboration, and a pipeline into UM’s flagship John Ruffatto Startup Challenge, all with the goal of creating an environment where students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship, but launch real companies before graduation.

Georgia Tech – Create-X

At Georgia Tech, CREATE-X has become the hub for student entrepreneurship, offering the flexibility and resources needed to take ideas from concept to launch. Celebrating its 10th year in 2024, the program is organized into three pathways, LEARN, MAKE, and LAUNCH, each designed to equip students with entrepreneurial knowledge, product development skills, and real-world startup experience. Open to all students, from freshmen to Ph.D. candidates, as well as faculty, researchers, and alumni, CREATE-X fosters a community of innovators driven to bring their ideas to life. The initiative’s mission is clear: to instill entrepreneurial confidence and empower Georgia Tech students to build ventures that make a lasting impact on the world. The results? 650+ student startups created over the years and a total valuation of $2.4B. Director of CREATE-X, Rahul Saxena, says “CREATE-X is working to establish Georgia Tech as the number one startup campus in the nation with the most funded student startup enterprises.”

University startup studios represent more than just another resource on campus; they're reshaping how the next generation of founders learn, build, and launch. By combining structured programming with mentorship, collaboration, and hands-on product development, these initiatives give students and alumni the tools to move beyond theory and into real-world execution. As more schools adopt this model, startup studios are positioning universities not just as centers of learning, but as true launchpads for innovation, preparing founders to create ventures that can thrive well beyond campus walls.