Startup Lab

Startup Lab is Wake Forest's for-credit startup accelerator. Students develop concepts into ventures through mentoring, lean startup methodology, and access to seed capital. The program culminates in Demo Day at Entrepalooza.

• Type: For-credit accelerator (3 credits, ENT 399)
• Schedule: Wednesdays, 9:30am – 12:15pm
• Coaches: Daniel Cohen, PhD (Executive Director) and Gregory Pool (Assistant Director)
• Capacity: Selects ~9 ventures/year from 70+ applicants
• Format: Practicum — application-oriented, focuses directly on student startups

• Mentoring from seasoned entrepreneurs who have founded and exited companies
• Access to seed capital for student ventures
• 3 academic credits counting toward Entrepreneurship Minor
• Demo Day at Entrepalooza (400+ attendees, investor-ready pitches)
• Lean startup methodology, early-stage sales, brand building, accounting/finance/HR for startups

Deacon Springboard (pre-accelerator) → Startup Lab (accelerator) → Demo Day → Post-graduation (Winston Starts partnership)