In a significant push to nurture young entrepreneurship, two Stanford students, Roman Scott and Itbaan Nafi, have raised $2 million to launch Breakthrough Ventures, an accelerator program designed to support startups founded by college students and recent graduates across the United States. The initiative aims to bridge long-standing funding and mentorship gaps faced by student entrepreneurs while creating a nationwide support ecosystem tailored specifically for young innovators.
Credits: Ascendants
From Campus Demo Days to a National Movement
In 2024, Scott and Nafi organized a number of Demo Days at Stanford, which is where Breakthrough Ventures got its start. The events immediately became well-known, attracting the interest of mentors, investors, and would-be innovators. More significantly, a number of firms who took part in these Demo Days started to show observable expansion and quantifiable company advancement.
Scott and Nafi were inspired by this achievement and saw the opportunity to take their project beyond of Stanford’s campus. What started off as a student-focused initiative eventually developed into a national accelerator that targets early-stage entrepreneurs from American universities.
Nafi described the fundraising milestone as a pivotal moment in the program’s journey. According to him, the newly raised capital allows Breakthrough Ventures to transition from a short-term accelerator into what he calls a “lifelong partnership” with founders, offering support beyond the duration of the program itself.
Strategic Leadership and Strong Investor Backing
To strengthen the program’s operational and strategic direction, Scott and Nafi onboarded Raihan Ahmed early last year to lead the accelerator. Following this expansion, the team formally began fundraising efforts, eventually securing support from notable venture capital firms and experienced startup founders.
The investor lineup includes Mayfield and Collide Capital, along with multiple Stanford founder alumni who bring both financial backing and industry expertise. The accelerator plans to invest across diverse sectors, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, consumer technology, deep tech, and sustainability—industries where young founders are increasingly driving innovation.
Scott emphasizes that Breakthrough Ventures is designed from a unique perspective. He describes it as a platform built “for student founders by student founders,” highlighting their firsthand understanding of the challenges young entrepreneurs face.
What Breakthrough Ventures Offers Student Founders
Breakthrough Ventures is structured as a hybrid accelerator model, blending in-person and virtual learning experiences. Participants will attend networking sessions and mentorship meetings at leading venture capital firms while also accessing digital resources and workshops. The program will culminate in a Demo Day at Stanford, where startups can present their ideas to investors and industry leaders.
The accelerator offers a comprehensive support package that includes grant funding of up to $10,000 for selected startups. Additionally, founders will receive valuable compute credits through partnerships with Microsoft and the Nvidia Inception program—resources that are particularly beneficial for AI and deep tech startups.
Participants will also gain access to legal assistance, mentorship from experienced founders and investors, and the opportunity to secure a $50,000 follow-on investment upon successful completion of the program.
Nafi believes this structure aligns closely with student needs, stating that the program is intentionally designed to match the pace, constraints, and learning curve that student founders typically experience.
Addressing the Persistent Gap in Student Entrepreneurship
While student-focused accelerators already exist at prestigious institutions like UC Berkeley’s Free Ventures and MIT’s Sandbox Innovation Fund, Scott argues that accessibility remains uneven. Many student founders, particularly those outside elite networking circles, struggle to access capital, mentorship, and industry connections.
Breakthrough Ventures aims to close this gap by creating a more inclusive and scalable platform. Scott maintains that students have historically lacked the necessary networks and funding opportunities required to transform their entrepreneurial ideas into viable businesses. By expanding access to resources, the accelerator hopes to level the playing field for emerging founders nationwide.
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Credits: Rowan Blog
The Road Ahead for Breakthrough Ventures
Breakthrough Ventures intends to use the $2 million fund throughout the course of the following three years. The accelerator’s aggressive expansion aspirations are shown by the founders’ goal of incubating at least 100 startups over this time.
The team is actively looking for enthusiastic and creative student entrepreneurs, and applications for the most recent cohort are already open. Scott and Nafi see Breakthrough Ventures as a catalyst for wider societal effect, going beyond the success of individual startups.
