Build Sprint 🚀

Back by popular demand, cohort 2 is kicking off ... IN-PERSON
Join the next wave of best-in-class CMU founders today
APPLY NOW
Check out the demo day highlights from cohort 1!

A community of strong, driven builders.

Unparalleled access to mentors, resources, and motivation.

Build Sprint exists to help builders realize ideas that would have taken several months... in 6 weeks.

The program focuses on two things:
1. Community - surrounding you with other strong builders
2. Accountability - setting and enforcing high expectations with them
As a fellow, you will have access to co-working sessions, masterminds, mentor check-ins, and the opportunity to demo in front of CMU T&E angels & VCs.

Whether you are looking to meet like-minded builders or heads down focus on a new feature, join us to accelerate your journey 🚀

Who are we looking for?

⚡️
Early Founders
Bootstrappers. Friends and family rounds. Founding teams. Join other up-and-coming CMU founders and take your startups to the next level together.
🌱️
New Founders
Every startup starts with an idea. We talk to users to validate the idea. Or to find out it’s not the right one. Join us if you are ready to take an idea to MVP.
🤝
Mentors
None of us would be where we are today without the help of others. Help us push forward the next generation of CMU builders.

About the Program

  • 6 week program (March 27th - May 8th, 2023)
  • Expected commitment of 8 hrs a week:
    6+ hrs – building & working towards your goal (independently)
    1 hr – weekly mastermind session with other founders
    1 hr – mentor check-in
  • In-person w/ co-working sessions & happy hours
  • ~30 fellows in cohort across the SF Bay Area
  • Strong focus on community and accountability

Program Schedule

🎯
Week 0: Kickoff
  • Define your sprint goal
  • Onboard to the community
  • Get matched with your mentor
🛠
Week 1-5: Building
  • Attend weekly mastermind sessions
  • Check-in with your mentor
  • Hack with other fellows at co-working sessions
  • BUILD THINGS!
🎉
Week 6: Demo Day
  • Demo to VCs and the entire community
  • Reflect and wrap-up

Founding Cohort Fellows

Here are just a few of the 20+ amazing fellows we had in cohort 1
Mya Papolu '08
Founder @ Brandbass
Abhishek Bhargava '20
Co-Founder @ BetterBrain
Deepthi Uppala '11
Chief Home Maker @ Syndee
Kam Lasater '03
Founder @ Cyclic.sh
Clark Haynes '08
Chief Bicyclist @ Velo
Alex Cusell '22
Co-Founder @ Jisell
Christian Murphy '16
Co-Founder @ EachDay
Neha Shah '19
Co-Founder @ Morgara

What They Are Saying

Build Sprint was tremendously helpful in connecting me with mentors and advisors to get from zero to one--including my first paying customer. Almost a year later, I'm still relying on this network to assist with critical decisions.
Building a startup is a very isolating experience.  Having even a small community of people going through the same experience is hugely beneficial, as everyone had questions that others could answer, and we all appreciated also having mentors to help guide us through the biggest unknowns.
Build Sprint connected us to mentors that we still keep in touch with today as our business needs change. All of the connections we made through Build Sprint have been super useful as they are grounded in a knowledge of the CMU entrepreneurship journey.
The best part of CMU was being surrounded by passionate, dedicated and smart people who were driven to build and create. Build Sprint recreates that energy and focus. I definitely would recommend it to anyone looking to create something new and accelerate their startup.
Apply for Cohort 2 💪

FAQs

Do I need to be working on my project full time to participate?
No, but we believe that those who are putting more time into their startups today are in a position to benefit more from this program.
What is the application process?
The deadline to apply as a fellow is March 17th, 2023. After that, we will be reviewing applications and reaching out via email about next steps. The latest you should expect to hear back from us by is March 27th.
Why isn’t this open to everyone?
Within this community, we want cohort fellows to develop deep connections with each other which is why we are keeping this to a smaller size. We have found that this generally allows members to more openly share their experiences and learnings with the rest of the community. Eventually we plan on growing this community out, but for now we are starting small.
What is the expected commitment for Build Sprint fellows?
We expect Build Sprint fellows to commit to around 8 hours a week during the program. Here’s what a typical week might look like:


6+ hrs – building & working towards your goal (independent)
1 hr – attending a weekly mastermind
1 hr – checking in with mentor
What does it cost?
It's free!
Why is this program in-person?
We had a ton of success building virtual communities over Slack & Zoom, but after 2 years of doing this the biggest piece of feedback we got was people wanted to get back in-person.

So this time around we are trying an in-person cohort in the SF Bay Area where we have the most alumni right now asking about this. If this doesn't work for you and you would like to be a part of Build Sprint, please let us know at cmutehq@gmail.com.

Note: you do not have to be in these cities to be a mentor for Build Sprint
What will happen in-person?
Right now we're planning 2 weekly events to maximize on the in-person element:
1. Weekly mastermind + happy hour (2 hrs)
2. Weekend co-working (optional)

In these masterminds, founders are spotlighted and share the challenges they are facing that week and have the entire group try to brainstorm and help them out. We'll end these sessions with a casual happy hour where you can get to know other cohort members better 1-on-1.

We'll also host an optional weekend co-working session. The idea is to create space for heads down building, and we'll have a shared whiteboard where everyone can share their goals of the day before diving in. Then we'll end the day with a quick recap together.
Is this community only open to CMU alumni?
Yes! This is an exclusive community for CMU alum.
Who runs CMU Build Sprint?
The CMU T&E organizers! Specifically Anant, Barun, Greg, Doug, Qin, Rachel and Steven
Who should I reach out to with further questions?
We will be hosting an info session for a deeper dive on the program and Q&A. If you would like to directly speak to someone, feel free to reach out to Rachel (rachelwongcmu@gmail.com)