Stanford Students Launch $2M Accelerator for Young Founders

College students with brilliant business ideas just got a powerful new launchpad for their dreams.

Roman Scott and Itbaan Nafi, two Stanford students who watched their peers struggle to find startup funding, announced Monday they've raised $2 million for Breakthrough Ventures. The accelerator program will support businesses founded by college students and recent graduates across America, offering resources specifically designed by students who understand the challenges firsthand.

The duo started small in 2024, hosting Demo Days at Stanford where student founders pitched their ideas. When participants kept succeeding, Scott and Nafi realized they were onto something bigger.

They brought on Raihan Ahmed to lead operations and secured backing from Mayfield, Collide Capital, and successful Stanford alumni founders. Now they're ready to support the next generation building companies in AI, healthcare, consumer products, sustainability, and deep tech.

What makes Breakthrough different from existing programs like UC Berkeley's Free Ventures or MIT's Sandbox Innovation Fund? Scott says it's built "for student founders by student founders." The team knows exactly what young entrepreneurs need because they're living that experience right now.

Students accepted into the program receive grants up to $10,000, computing credits from Microsoft and Nvidia, legal support, and mentorship from experienced founders. At the end, they can compete for a $50,000 follow-on investment. The program runs as a hybrid model with meetups at top venture capital firms and culminates in a Demo Day at Stanford.

The Ripple Effect

Breakthrough addresses something bigger than individual startups. Many students across America have groundbreaking ideas but lack access to the capital and networks concentrated in places like Silicon Valley. By opening doors nationwide, the program democratizes entrepreneurship for a generation anxious about economic stability.

Scott and Nafi plan to deploy their fund over three years, aiming to incubate at least 100 companies. Nafi envisions Breakthrough becoming "the hub for Gen Z entrepreneurship and thought leadership," proving that age and zip code don't determine who gets to innovate.

Applications for the latest cohort opened Monday, inviting the next wave of student founders to step forward. "We hope that by supporting young entrepreneurs, we're able to uplift as many stories as possible to then inspire many more across the world," Nafi said, adding that success means helping founders change their communities while gaining economic stability for themselves and their families.