Breakthrough Ventures: Empowering Student Entrepreneurs with $2 Million Accelerator
In a significant move to bolster student entrepreneurship, Stanford University students Roman Scott and Itbaan Nafi have successfully secured $2 million in funding to launch Breakthrough Ventures, an accelerator dedicated to supporting businesses founded by college students and recent graduates across the United States.
The inception of Breakthrough Ventures traces back to 2024 when Scott and Nafi organized a series of Demo Days at Stanford. These events showcased the innovative potential of student-led startups, prompting the duo to envision a more structured support system. Nafi, currently pursuing his master’s degree at Stanford, emphasized the transformative nature of this funding, stating, This fundraise turns Breakthrough from just being a seasonal accelerator into a lifelong partnership with our founders.
Scott, who completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford in 2024 and subsequently earned a master’s degree, highlighted the accelerator’s unique approach: What makes our accelerator different is that it is specifically built for student founders by student founders. This peer-driven model aims to resonate deeply with the challenges and aspirations of young entrepreneurs.
To lead the accelerator, Scott and Nafi enlisted Raihan Ahmed in early 2025. Together, they embarked on a fundraising journey, attracting investments from notable entities such as Mayfield and Collide Capital, along with a host of Stanford alumni who have previously founded successful ventures. The accelerator is set to support startups in diverse sectors, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, consumer products, deep technology, and sustainability.
While student-focused accelerator programs are not unprecedented—UC Berkeley’s Free Ventures and MIT’s Sandbox Innovation Fund serve similar purposes—Breakthrough Ventures distinguishes itself through its nationwide reach and student-centric design. Nafi drew parallels to Stanford’s Treehacks hackathon, noting, Students have enjoyed how we’ve brought together so many others from different American colleges.
The accelerator’s mission is to bridge the funding and opportunity gaps that many student entrepreneurs face. Scott elaborated, Breakthrough’s purpose is to fill in the funding and opportunity gap that exists in many of these ecosystems because students have historically lacked access to capital and the networks required to launch their entrepreneurial pursuits.
Operating on a hybrid model, Breakthrough Ventures plans to host in-person meetups at prominent venture capital firms, culminating in a Demo Day at Stanford. Participants will benefit from grant funding of up to $10,000, compute credits through partnerships with Microsoft and the Nvidia Inception program, legal support, mentorship, and the potential for a $50,000 follow-on investment upon program completion.
Nafi emphasized the tailored nature of the program, stating, We’ve nailed the student-founder experience to a T. Hence why we offer the resources we do and have structured the program in this way. Students really feel like we get them, and that’s because we are students.
Over the next three years, Breakthrough Ventures aims to incubate at least 100 companies, positioning itself as a central hub for Generation Z entrepreneurship and thought leadership. Nafi highlighted the broader impact, noting the economic anxieties many young people face and expressing hope that supporting young entrepreneurs will inspire others to pursue entrepreneurship as a means to effect change in their communities and achieve economic stability.
Applications for the latest cohort are now open, inviting aspiring student entrepreneurs to join a community dedicated to turning innovative ideas into impactful businesses.
