Emory University and Goizueta Business School are no strangers to the Atlanta entrepreneurial ecosystem. Both offer several support systems for budding businessmen and women, including Goizueta’s startup accelerator program.
This year, the program experienced a revamp with a new name and a new partner: The Techstars Emory Founders Catalyst (TEFC) program is a collaboration between Goizueta’s Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation; The Hatchery, Emory’s Center for Innovation; and Techstars, the world’s most active pre-seed investor.
“Techstars is world-renowned for the quality of its mentorship, and this heightened the experience for our founders immensely,” says Brian Cayce, managing director of The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Startup Trifecta
While teams must apply to participate in the program, the service is free and open to the entire Emory community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Each team is required to have at least one Emory community member.
Participants meet for two in-person masterclasses each week, where they learn about product market fit, building with technology, business model canvas, startup marketing, capital formation, governance, and authentic demand—among other topics.
Participant Anthony Vargas of Safe Squeeze Headgear, described the product market fit course—led by Melissa Heffner—as valuable. “Customer validation has been at the center of my startup journey, so to do so in-depth and have very specific questions answered will set me up for success,” says Vargas.
One piece that remained from the previous iteration of this program was the presence, influence, and network of Christy Brown, lead facilitator. Brown is a Goizueta entrepreneur-in-residence and CEO of the Emory-affiliated startup, Dr. Noze Best.
“Christy has the perfect blend of experience recall and personalized advice,” says Vargas.
Mentor Motivation
The founders who completed the program are now part of Techstars’ global alumni network. This keeps mentorship and growth opportunities alive even after the program ends.
“The Techstars Emory Founders Catalyst program is accelerating Emory-affiliated entrepreneurs’ development by connecting them with Techstars’ global network of thousands of founders and mentors, ensuring that they get the right relationships at the right time to move their startup forward,” says Ben Garrett, director of The Hatchery.
In addition to the sense of community that Techstars brings to the collaboration, The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation also launched the Emory Venture Mentoring Community. The team found more than 60 mentors, including both alumni and industry professionals, who made themselves available to the cohort.
While the Techstars Emory Founders Catalyst program spurred the establishment of this initiative, the vision for the Emory Venture Mentoring Community includes supporting many of the startup-focused, value-creation programs across the university.
Brian Cayce, Managing Director: The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Mentor and masterclass instructor Melissa Heffner, an associate director of VentureLab, described the mentor experience as both rewarding and energizing. “It was a privilege to support such driven, thoughtful founders at a formative stage of their journeys,” she says.
Heffner’s favorite part of the program was “mentor night,” a gathering held in March. The event was round-robin style, which allowed the mentors to quickly address questions. She describes the energy and collaboration in the room as “truly inspiring.”
Connections that Count
Participant Dimi Deju 27BBA had a personal goal of connecting with one mentor each week during the program. Deju is the founder of Seamlist, which automates book marketing for indie authors, designing personalized workflows and providing chatbot support.
Each class featured a different guest speaker. In addition, participants gained access to a particularly valuable resource at the beginning of the program: a website containing a list of mentors, background information about them, and direct links to schedule time with them.
For Deju, these connections were the most helpful part of the program. They allowed her to get specific feedback on her company—and network. After a conversation with one mentor—an author of a Wall Street Journal bestseller—she was connected with a second person with experience in the publishing industry. Deju says the two have already had multiple, helpful conversations.
Demo Day
The program culminates in an event known as “demo day,” where participants practice their pitch. However, it is not a pitch competition: It’s an opportunity for participants to connect with potential investors. The audience for this year’s demo day included investors, founders, and leaders among the Atlanta startup ecosystem.
It was great to celebrate my cohort and see how far everyone had come. We all found ways to move forward and build on the progress and momentum we gained during the program.
Dimi Deju 27BBA
“It had an atmosphere of celebration versus competition,” recalls Deju.
Straight From the Source
Deju does not hesitate to recommend the accelerator program to other startups. “I think the most useful thing for an entrepreneur in terms of a program like this is that the second you’re out of the classroom, you can apply the information,” she says.
Participant Mecko Gibson found the greatest value in the community, including the mentors: “Networking isn’t just a buzz word; it’s a support system; it’s a village.”
We’ve all been told that it takes a village to raise a child; well, this venture, in its infancy, is a child. I’m grateful to the village that has helped it grow.
Mecko Gibson
Gibson is the founder and CEO of PaperCuts, which synthesizes the main findings of research papers into short animated videos. He found out about the program after seeking out resources offered by The Hatchery. Like Deju, he was encouraged to apply to the Techstars Emory Founders Catalyst program.
Gibson credits the program as the catalyst that took his idea from “the back of a napkin” into a legitimate business.
“Techstars felt like a crash course in the business side—terminology, operations, and accountability. I needed that structure to turn creativity into a sustainable venture,” says Gibson.
Applications for the 2026 winter cohort will open this fall. If you’re interested in joining the Emory Venture Mentoring Community, fill out an interest form.
Learn more about the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
