Company Launch

A Student Startup Accelerator

At Company Launch, we believe the best early-stage companies are built by people who can’t walk away from what they’ve started. With curated cohorts and high-impact curriculum, we create an environment where serious entrepreneurs move faster together. If you’re ready to reach for the next hardest thing, come join us. Company Launch is a 15-week accelerator that takes founders from early concept or initial traction to a company grounded in evidence and built to last. The Validation Sprint focuses on confirming that your product, business model, and instincts hold up under pressure. The Launch Sprint builds the financial and legal infrastructure you’ll need to grow with discipline. Founders who complete both sprints are eligible for non-dilutive, non-competitive grant funding — capital reserved for those who’ve done the work to deploy it well.

Apply Here

Who Should Apply

Company Launch is for founders who are executing, not just ideating. If you’ve already started building, testing, or selling something—even if it’s messy or small—and you’re willing to test your assumptions, please apply. If you have three ideas and need help choosing one, or you’re looking for general startup advice, check out Hours With Experts or Get Seeded and revisit us next semester. This program also requires 90 minutes every Friday. If that’s a stretch right now, the timing might not be right. Not sure? Come preview a session at Lassonde Studios. The door is always open.

Program Structure

Validation Sprint

This sprint gives you the frameworks to ground your product idea, business model, and customer instincts in real evidence. You’ll work through customer validation, MVP development, business models, and unit economics — learning to separate real traction from vanity metrics and wishful thinking. Expect working sessions where you’ll report progress, share blockers, and get direct feedback from your cohort and our team alongside structured content on the concepts that actually matter at this stage.

Launch Sprint

The Launch Sprint builds the financial and legal foundations a venture needs to survive contact with reality. You’ll work through legal structure and risk, how to finance your company through debt and equity, bookkeeping and cash flow management, and how to build a team without blowing up your cap table. These aren’t theoretical exercises — the decisions you make here have real consequences for your company, and you’ll make them alongside peers who are doing the same work.

Startup Features

Learn about past Company Launch startups by browsing our Launched at Lassonde directory. Startups in this program come from every major at the University of Utah and from many different industries. Read their stories to get ideas about what’s possible and how you might engage with the program.

Browse Stories

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is there course credit offered?

We currently are not offering credit. This keeps your costs down and your academic calendar dedicated to graduation requirements. If you need or want a credit, use our contact form and enquire directly. We may be able to accomodate on a case-by-case basis.

What’s the commitment?

Company Launch consists of weekly 90 minute sessions, held every Friday. Exact times will be set based on the needs of each cohort. Think you’ll miss a meeting or two? That’s OK, just let us know. If you think you’ll miss more than that, this might not be the right semester for you to join us. Company Launch will also host occasional events and intensives, scheduled around founder needs.

What is a Bridge Grant?

A Bridge Grant is targeted funding designed to help your company overcome a specific obstacle in a short amount of time. It isn’t seed capital, and it isn’t meant to cover operating costs. We’re setting you up to close defined gap and get you to your next milestone. These grants are non-dilutive and non-competitive — we fund every application that demonstrates readiness, not a select few.