top of page
Rocket Silhouette Design

Your idea is waiting.

The Alumni Club Collaborative

Startup Ideation Bootcamp in NYC

The Ideation Bootcamp is a six week in-person program for alumni who are done wondering what if — and are ready to find out. You'll stress-test your instincts and sharpen your entrepreneurial thinking. You'll come in with a hunch and leave with conviction.

​

Learn from experienced entrepreneurship instructors as well as alumni founders and investors. Connect with a like-minded community. Gain access to a proven process with AI tools that move the needle.

APPLY NOW
Cohort starts Monday, May 4

With generous support from 

wigginx_Blue-Grad_byWDllp_CMYK-1-1.webp

ELIGIBILITY

Applications for this cohort are open for degree-holding alumni of the following schools:

  • Columbia University

  • Cornell University

  • M.I.T.

​

As part of the application, you'll describe a problem area that matters to you - one with real pain points and substantial market potential. Your goal during the Bootcamp sessions is to work on business solutions capable of delivering meaningful and scalable solutions.

 

The Bootcamp is limited to 35 participants. 

BOOTCAMP FORMAT

  • Six in-person sessions with experienced entrepreneurship instructors and alumni mentors, taking place at a location in midtown NYC

  • Cohort of 35 degree-holding alumni from the participating university clubs

  • Learning platform from with AI tools, templates, and frameworks to help you move faster

  • Intensive, step-by-step process to brainstorm and validate startup ideas - and keep you accountable!

  • Dedicated networking events to meet potential collaborators

  • A final pitch showcase with a $1000 cash prize for the winner

TIMELINE & DATES

  • March 23 30, 2026: Early bird deadline (extended to 3/30!)

  • April 8, 2026: Application close date

  • April 12, 2026: All acceptances sent

  • May 4 to June 8, 2026: Session dates

    • The Bootcamp will take place Mondays, weekly from May 4 to June 8, 2026 (the Memorial Week session will move to Tues, May 26)

    • Sessions take place from 6-8pm ET in midtown Manhattan

COST FOR ALUMNI

$299 early bird discount - apply by March 30, 11:59pm; $449 thereafter

APPLY NOW

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Making 'the leap' into building a startup can be scary. We're offering this structured bootcamp specifically for degree-holding alumni of Columbia University, Cornell University, and M.I.T. to help those who:
 

  • Are first-time founders and aspiring entrepreneurs considering launching a startup

  • Are interested in a disciplined exploration of entrepreneurship

  • May have rough ideas that need feedback and guidance

  • Are ready to take the first steps of entrepreneurship but don't know where to start

Great Ideas Start Here

In just 6 weeks, you'll follow a proven process to:
 

  • Create, improve, and validate startup ideas with experienced experts - and real customers!

  • Connect with other alumni founders, advisors, and partners

  • De-risk the decision on whether or not to pursue your startup idea

  • Build a great elevator pitch to help you attract collaborators

  • Leverage the power of AI to move faster, and smarter

Group Collaboration

Bootcamp Mentors
 

Carly Chase.jpeg

Carly Chase

Business Builder, Startup Advisor; Executive in Residence, NYU School of Professional Studies; Adjunct Professor of Business, Columbia Business School; former Senior Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Jeremy Kagan.jpeg

Early Stage Investor, Textbook VC; Adjunct Professor Cornell, NYU, and Columbia; Strategy Consultant; Author, "Digital Marketing: Strategy & Tactics"; "Designing the Successful Corporate Accelerator"; Columbia Business School alumnus ​

Jeremy Kagan

Peter Dolch_edited.jpg

Peter Dolch

Investor, Advisor, Serial Founder; 2X CEO Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company; Founder MIT Women’s Venture Challenge; Chairman MIT Sloan Club of NY; MIT alumnus

Ari Paparo_edited.jpg

Ari Paparo

Serial Entrepreneur; Founder, Marketecture Media; Veteran Product Manager; Author, Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied its Way to Advertising Dominance; Columbia Business School alumnus

Ross Goldenberg.jpeg

Ross Goldenberg

Founder & CEO, Kernel; Serial Entrepreneur; Adjunct Professor of Product Marketing & Entrepreneurship w/ a Focus on Product Strategy & Innovation, Scaling and Building High Performance Teams; Columbia Business School alumnus

Brendan Burns.jpeg

Brendan Burns

CEO and Founder of See.me; Adjunct Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, co-Director, Enterprise Studio @ Sotheby's Institute; Experienced startup and growth executive; Columbia Business School alumnus

Rose Pember.jpeg

Rose Pember

Head of Operations at Buildstock; Founder & CEO of Hodge, Inc; Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design; Workshops Lead & Facilitator, Entrepreneruship @Cornell; Cornell University alumna

Steve Winshel_edited.jpg

Steve Winshel

CEO and Founder of Paraxis; Serial Entrepreneur; Adjunct Professor of Business at Cornell Tech and Columbia Business School; Business Coach and Startup Advisor; PhD, Princeton University

Bruck Hack_edited.jpg

Bruce Hack

Board Director, Advisor, Angel Investor; Former positions: Director and Chairman of Technicolor Inc, Vice Chairman of Activision Blizzard, CEO of Vivendi Games, Vice Chairman of Universal Music Group; Cornell University alumnus

owen-davis-394x512_edited.jpg

Owen Davis

Partner at Contour Ventures; Managing Director at NYC Seed; Former CEO Petal Computing, Sonata, Thinking Media; Adjunct Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and Columbia Engineering; Columbia Business School alumnus

Dmytro_edited.jpg

Dmytro Pokhylko

Senior Director at Columbia Engineering Industry Innovations; Former Director, Lab-to-Market Accelerator Network at Columbia Technology Ventures; Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Anonymous.webp

Geraldine Wu

Adjunct Professor of Business, Columbia Business School; Assistant Professor of Management, NYU Stern School of Business; PhD, Columbia Business School

Tyler Rhorick_edited.jpg

Tyler Rhorick

Director of Entrepreneurship Programming (Studio) @ Cornell Tech; Empowering Founders, Resolving Team Conflicts & Driving Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Cornell University alumnus

Shashi Srikantan_edited.jpg

Shashi Srikantan

Managing Director & Head of Level Up Ventures @ Hearst; Founder, Project 2.8 Accelerator; Member, Global Women in VC; Founder, PLVSH; Columbia Business School alumna

Anonymous.webp

Coming Soon

Anonymous.webp

Coming Soon

Bootcamp Schedule

Program Dates: May 4 - June 8, 2026

Week 1: Kickoff & Ideation Lecture

​The bootcamp starts off with a talk on ideation frameworks and the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with other aspiring entrepreneurs. 

​

Cohort Session: Mon, May 4, 6 - 8:30 pm ET (time extended to allow time for intros)

Followed by 10 hours of self-paced work

​

 Goals for the week:

​

  • Learn how to think like an innovator

  • Meet other aspiring entrepreneurs

  • Share ideas and get inspired

​

Week 2: Market Opportunity

Falling in love with a startup idea can be dangerous. This week will provide you with the basic knowledge, techniques, and tools to form and analyze ideas, evaluate the market opportunity, and validate.

​​

Cohort Session: Mon, May 11, 6 - 8pm ET

Followed by 10 hours of self-paced work

​

​

Goals for the week:

​

  • Generate and refine several ideas

  • Perform initial market research

  • Interview potential customers

​

Week 3: Customer Validation

Your idea needs to solve a real problem in order to attract customers. This week we'll dive into the customer discovery process and you will double down on customer interviews.

Cohort Session: Mon, May 18, 6 - 8pm ET

Followed by 10 hours of self-paced work

​

​

Goals for the week:

​

  • Build a compeling startup story

  • Continue interviewing customers

  • Iterate on your idea based on feedback

​

Week 4: Validation Pitch

An entrepreneur never stops pitching their ideas. This week will focus on practicing and getting mentor feedback on your validation pitch.

Cohort Session: Tues, May 26, 6 - 8pm ET

Note: this week's session moves to Tuesday due to the Memorial Day holiday

Followed by 5 hours of self-paced work

 Goals for the week:

​

  • Work towards a final version of your validation pitch

  • Practice pitch delivery

​

Week 5: Startup Idea Feedback

This week you will continue to meet expert mentors on your startup idea for feedback and advice.

Cohort Session: Mon, June 1, 6 - 8pm ET

​

​

 Goals for the week:

​

  • Ask questions and receive real-time expert feedback

  • Practice (and memorize!) your final one minute pitch

​

Week 6: Pitch Showcase

During this final event, each founder will present their final pitch to a panel of judges.

 

The winner will receive a $1000 cash prize! 

​

​

Cohort Session: Mon, June 8, 6 - 8pm ET

​

​

Delivered via World Class Tools

Participants get access to the Founder Institute's 'FounderGen Platform' - the world's leading LMS for startup creation.

  • Experiential learning and structured, action-oriented sprints

  • Embedded videos, templates, and resources to help with every step of the business-building process

  • State of the art AI tools to help students augment their capabilities and speed up progress

Founder_UX-ai.gif
APPLY NOW

Frequently asked questions

Still have questions? Please submit the form below.

About Founder Institute

Based in Silicon Valley, the Founder Institute is the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator. Since 2009, FI's accelerators have helped launch fast-growing, funded technology companies across nearly every geography, industry, and sector.

About wiggin(x)

wiggin(x)® is a division within Wiggin and Dana LLP, designed to meet the needs of emerging and high-growth companies, their investors and their founders. Our lawyers work with clients, not as detached legal experts, but as trusted advisors and integrated team members who intimately understand our clients and their issues.

bottom of page