What to Expect
Accepted startups will significant opportunities for growth, mentorship, community, and new market access. The accelerator begins with a two-day kick off orientation.
Day 1: The MassChallenge Program Delivery team will provide a welcome and overview of the program and set expectations
Day 2: Enterprise organizations, aka MassChallenge ‘Partners’ seeking technologies to provide introductions and reverse pitches that includes details on how to engage and specific technical solutions, challenges they are interested in identifying
Following orientation, founders can expect the following structure:
- A core curriculum & seminars
- Custom 1:1 mentorship
- Startup Pods
- Investor Office Hours
- Collider Events & Startup Showcase
- Partner Spotlights
- Market Access programming
- Optional: Residency in a local market
Industry Tracks
Operating within the MassChallenge Early Stage program, Industry Tracks leverage MassChallenge’s infrastructure to surface and connect select early-stage startups to specialized resources and curriculum. Startups interested in participating will be invited to apply to specific tracks upon their acceptance into the EarlyStage program. Startups DO NOT need to be in any of these industries to apply to MassChallenge. Industry Tracks are simply an option.
Early Stage tracks in 2023 will be:
Safety & Security: Startups with a direct or potential relevance to national security and public safety challenges, also known as “dual-use” application in the commercial and governmental/defense sectors.
HealthTech: Startups that meaningfully give clinicians and healthcare organizations new treatments, new technologies or new processes they need to focus more on the needs of their patients and to help people improve their lives.
Climate Solutions: Startups with technologies that impact GHG emissions and similar climate challenges.
Social Impact: Startups that are creating a positive social or societal outcome.
"If you asked me in 2016 if I thought that NASA would be one of our bigger funders or partners, the answer would have been no. Not because I could not imagine it, but because there was no direct path to doing any of that research.”
Dr. Nicole Wagner, President and CEO
"Our mentors really pushed us to take the next step with our company. As MassChallenge grows, they have a bigger and bigger network that we can leverage. Making that step and seeing the impact our product had was incredible."
Erin Keaney, COO of Nonspec, Boston Cohort 2017