When you apply above, you’ll be directed to an online application where you’ll be asked to share more about your team, your product / solution, and the problem you are solving.

Companies selected for an initial interview will be contacted by one of the SSC Partners. Teams that make it to the final round of interviews will do a 30 minute pitch with Q&A to the SSC team. Out of the finalists, we typically select 3-5 companies each summer.

Orientation for the 2025 SSC Summer Accelerator will be in Boston on Friday, May 30, 2025 and we anticipate that the program’s Demo Day will take place during the first week of September. Demo Day dates will be finalized pending availability and schedules of all accepted members of the cohort.

The accelerator is designed for startup teams building high-growth businesses in the US with at least one Boston College-affiliated founder (BC student, alum, or faculty). We are industry and sector-agnostic. We value founders that demonstrate initiative, adaptability, resilience, and self-awareness. Diversity of perspective and lived experience is also valued.

You will likely get the most value out of the accelerator program if you’re a first-time founder who has been working on their business for at least a few months (ideally, six months or more).

That said, founders of all experience levels have applied to the program and found value in the experience. A few founders have even elected to participate in the accelerator multiple years in a row!

Yes! Students from any Boston College school (associates, undergraduate, and graduate programs) are encouraged to apply.

The program is hybrid, therefore, your company does not need to be based in Boston this summer. We do ask teams to be in Boston for three events over the course of the program: Orientation (Friday, May 30), mid-summer Founder’s Day (July), and Demo Day (first week of September). We also encourage founders to take advantage of opportunities to meet mentors / fellow cohort members / other SSC founders irl as often as possible throughout the summer!

No. If you’re in the early stages of exploring a startup idea and would like to apply, we welcome your application. 

However, once the program begins, founders are expected to be fully focused on the accelerator and building their startup full-time for the course of the summer.

To ensure that each participant gets most they can out of the accelerator and in an effort to be respectful of the experience of other cohort members, candidates employed in another job or participating in a summer internship unfortunately do not qualify.

Ultimately, during the program, your main focus will be building your company so you will control the majority of your time every day. Expect 4-6 hours a week to be spent in meetings / calls related to SSC programming.

Some days you will have SSC mentor meetings for 45 minutes. Some days you may meet with a Venture Partner for a weekly check in on your top challenges and questions. Some days the whole cohort will get together for a 2-hour fireside chat with a serial entrepreneur. Some days we will all join a workshop on making your first hire.

This is a self-driven program, so it will be up to you to make the most of your time and opportunities – what you put in is what you get out!

Yes. All accelerator companies participate in the accelerator program in return for granting SSC Venture Partners 2% equity (via a $500k post-money SAFE note).

Accelerator companies are eligible for larger follow-on investment from SSC’s venture funds. Follow-on investments are not guaranteed; follow-on investment decisions are made at the sole discretion of SSC’s General Partners.

The accelerator program is run by the SSC Venture Partners team. You can see our profiles here. We are BC alumni who are startup founders, serial entrepreneurs, and/or investors. 

Most of us run the accelerator alongside our other companies because we are devoted to supporting Boston College entrepreneurs and want to see more successful founders come out of the BC community.

Great! We love referrals. Please share the application with them and encourage them to apply!