USG Startup Studio

Turning Curiosity into Venture-Ready Insight

A One-Day Experiential Program for University System of Georgia Students to connect and collaborate with fellow founders while advancing their idea or invention.

Startup Studio is a high-impact, virtual-format program for all students across Georgia’s public universities who are curious about startups and commercialization. It’s a fast-track experience in evidence-based entrepreneurship, focused on real-world customer discovery, hypothesis testing, and value creation, based on the award-winning Georgia Tech CREATE-X.

These two Startup Studio sessions are identical: please select only one to attend.

Program Dates: [All Studios are offered in a Virtual setting - via Zoom.]

• Startup Studio Peach: June 8 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.)
• Startup Studio Gold: June 29 (10 a.m. - 3 p.m.)

Application Deadline:

• Startup Studio Peach: Applications due May 18 @ 5pm ET (closed)
• Startup Studio Gold: Applications due June 22 @ 5pm ET

Application Process

Please complete the application in full using the provided link to access the application; incomplete applications will not be considered. Completion of this application ensures you and/or your team will be considered for participation in the University System of Georgia (USG) Startup Studio 2026.

Objectives

By the end of Startup Studio, students will be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship (EBE)
• Use the Business Model Canvas to frame entrepreneurial ideas
• Apply the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework to identify customer problems
• Conduct effective customer interviews
• Articulate clear, testable value propositions
• Extract insights from real-world feedback
• Present a well-structured business thesis and venture story

Deliverables

• Business Model Canvas with early hypotheses
• Drafted Business Thesis
• Prioritized Hypothesis List
• Interview-derived Insights
• Short Slide Presentation (based on customer discovery)