The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation announces its second cohort of startup teams for its summer pre-accelerator program, Momentum.

On May 10, the Burgess Institute launched the pre-accelerator’s programming, which will run through June 16. The annual, six-week pre-accelerator is a competitive program that focuses on emerging startup teams. It provides additional financial and mentorship resources to advance MSU-based student startup teams and prepare them for more intensive accelerators.

Momentum’s 2022 Cohort

Fello

Co-founders: Danielle Tice, College of Arts and Letters; and John Hart, College of Communication Arts and Sciences

Fello is a peer-to-peer location-based app that establishes and bolsters creative ecosystems, taking them from the digital world to the physical world. Fello encourages and facilitates collaboration and connection among creatives.

Lumic

Founder: Vigneshwer Ramamoorthi, College of Engineering

Lumic has the vision to redesign what consumer electronics look like in the near future. Their first redesigning project: reimagining what a mechanical keyboard can truly do, given the technological capabilities of 2022.

Soup N’ Sip

Founder: Olivia Simone, Eli Broad College of Business

Soup N’ Sip is a walk-up and drive-through venture that caters to busy people on the go in need of a fast and easy satisfying meal with spoonless, sippable soup.

Subleasify

Founder: Bryan Lendzion, Eli Broad College of Business

Subleasify is an innovative, web-based platform that seamlessly connects property management companies, tenants, and subtenants, allowing all three parties to finalize sublease agreements.

Triple4s

Founder: Logan Nash, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and Matthew Rogien, Eli Broad College of Business

Triple4s’ venture is an advanced solution for common pepper spray with the vision of convenience, style, and integrated location services.

Momentum is a six-week journey during which each team receives industry-specific mentorship, focused work time on their startup, and $5,000 in scholarship funding. Applications for the program are open only to current MSU student teams active in the Burgess Institute’s Discovery or Launch venture creation programs.

Paul Jaques, the Burgess Institute’s managing director of venture creation, launched Momentum in 2021.

“We saw a need in our venture creation programming where early-stage student teams needed a boost,” said Jaques. “These teams are working hard, but they may not be quite ready for a full-scale accelerator. That’s where Momentum comes in. We help them flesh out their ideas and get them to a point where they can apply to renowned accelerators, like Conquer, TechStars, and Y-Combinator.”

“We are excited to welcome 2022’s Momentum cohort to in-person co-working,” said Lori Fischer, director of operations for the Burgess Institute. “Getting teams to work side-by-side, bounce ideas off one another, and push each other to achieve set goals—that’s what sets intensive programming apart.”

Fischer went on to say that alumni mentors help make a huge difference. “Our student teams value their insights and getting a chance to learn from mistakes others have made. These alumni are incredible. They make themselves available to teams; they join as guest speakers, centering their sights on tangible topics, like marketing, legal, accounting, and investing,” Fischer said.

Ultimately, Momentum’s participants graduate from the program having more vital, more durable startups. They are prepared to apply to competitive accelerator programs. Six weeks may not sound like a lot of time; however, the program’s intentional design gets teams focused on goal-setting and holding themselves accountable.

“One of the key attributes of the programming is working with the teams on proper goal-setting and developing metrics. Six weeks means intense focus. Teams can make significant progress precisely because they must produce something. They’re held accountable to themselves, the program, and one another during weekly check-ins,” said Jaques.

Follow Momentum’s 2022 Cohort on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Applications to be part of Momentum’s 2023 Summer Cohort will open in early March 2023.

This story originally ran on the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation website.