Seeking Dedicated Student Innovators: MIX Innovators Launchpad Spring 2026
Left to right: Sampson Addo (Mason I-Corps Manager), Gisele Stolz (Senior Director, Entrepreneurship Programs, Director Mason I-Corps Program), and Minjin Batzorig (MIX Program and Operations Coordinator) in a group photo representing the organizing team of the MIX Innovators Launchpad program.
Are you a dedicated graduate (preferred)and upperclassmen students pursuing innovative ideas backed by deep science and real technology?
The MIX Innovators Launchpad is a competitive program designed to launch student innovators toward market success. The Launchpad is structured in two phases:
Phase One focuses on intensive workshops led by industry professionals and mentors, supporting teams as they refine and validate their ideas.
Phase Two integrates selected teams into the NSF I-Corps program, providing in-depth mentorship, guidance through the customer discovery interview process, and access to funding and prize money.
Phase Three (Post I-Corps) presents students with the opportunity to win cash prizes funded by various sponsors through the Final Pitch event of our program.
This program is rigorous and best suited for students who are dedicated and serious about advancing technology- and science-focused ideas toward commercialization. Find out if you qualify through the guidelines found on the Mason NSF I-Corps webpage.
Join the MIX Innovators Launchpad for access to dedicated industry mentors, funding, prize money, and networking opportunities. Contact Program Coordinator, Minjin Batzorig, at mbatzor@gmu.edu to share your interest or any questions.
Hear from our past cohort teams:
“Through the MIX Launchpad, we learned to validate assumptions through real customer conversations, sharpen our value proposition, and think like founders.” - Morolake Okanlawon, Yingjie Zhang, and Hsuanchih Kuo, AccelP3
“The biggest benefit for us was getting a chance to network with people in our industry who could help us take our business to the next step.” - Justin Luckenbach and Chelsea Camacho-Zambrana, Anvil Labs LLC.
“The MIX Pitch Entrepreneur Competition at Mason showed me that success comes from stepping out of comfort, embracing challenge, and growing through failure.“ - Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, AeroHealth
“The biggest benefit has been the connections and the quality of experience that the mentors have. 2. I would say if you have an idea or business you should definitely apply as it's a great way of validating it and getting traction” - Josh Peterson, Aniwear
“The Launchpad pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me one very important lesson - it’s not just about building a product; it's about building a product that people want.” - Nikhil Tirunagiri, Petal
Spring 2026 Schedule