SEAL Accelerator
Now in its sixteenth year, SEAL is the capstone accelerator program at UT Austin designed for founders who have a validated concept and are ready to scale their venture’s operations, governance, and capital structure. Over nine weeks, the founders participate in bi-weekly seminars led by entrepreneurs, professionals, and investors. The program’s curriculum is carefully crafted to help teams "SEAL the deal" by preparing them to fundraise and scale. Teams work toward a market-driven SMART goal throughout the program.
SEAL culminates in a final Decision Day where teams pitch on stage at Capital Factory, announcing their fundraising strategy and planned pivots based on their summer learnings.
BY THE NUMBERS
Million
Raised in Investments
Total Company Valuation
SEAL
Alumni
SEAL Overview
SEAL offers workshop sessions led by veteran entrepreneurs, a community of handpicked industry-specific mentors, and a final decision day where teams share their learnings and unveil what's next for the venture.
Student Entrepreneur Acceleration & Launch (SEAL) is a nine-week summer accelerator that helps emerging undergraduate, graduate, and faculty startups explore a core hypothesis with the goal of ultimately accelerating, pivoting, or rightfully shutting down their venture.
SEAL started in 2009 at the Austin Technology Incubator.
Decision Day
Instead of a traditional “demo day,” SEAL culminates in a Decision Day where, based on individual research and expert feedback, teams determine whether their venture can survive the real world and make a go or no-go decision.
Alumni Companies
Program Details
Benefits
- Learn about common challenges that early stage companies face (and how to address them) from active entrepreneurs
- Refine your company's roadmap based on your industry's milestones
- Build confidence in yourself as a founder and leader
- Gain relationships with people in the Austin startup ecosystem
- Connect with a cohort of similar peers to support each other along this unique journey
Ideal Participants
- Undergraduate, graduate, faculty, or recent graduate (up to 2 semesters) from UT Austin
- Has already done extensive customer discovery and validated the problem
- Ready to start building their MVP or already has some level of traction (users or paying customers)
Time Commitment
(Summer 2024)
Program: June 4 -August 1
Sessions: Tues/Thurs 4-6PM CST
Demo Day: Aug 6, from 3-7PM
Application
Opens: March 20, 2024
Closes: April 20, 2024
Alumni Testimonials
"SEAL has been amazing! I have really enjoyed the conversations we have had especially the one about realities of a founder. The topics are exactly what I am looking for as I transition from a student startup to a legitimate one."
Class of Spring '22
Management & Entrepreneurship
“SEAL introduced me to mentors who have asked me critical questions, helped me identify challenges and opportunities, and, importantly, broaden my social network. The opportunity to hear the stories of new founders and experienced founders has been quite extraordinary in terms of understanding my own journey and why I chose this path.”
Founding Director, Institute for Media Innovation
Executive Director, IC2 Institute
"SEAL has been a great resource for my company. It has given us access to mentors and other advisers that would not have been possible otherwise. It's also been great to bounce ideas off of other founders who are also going through this startup journey."
Class of Fall '22
Mechanical Engineering, Master's
"SEAL demands that we refine our thinking around what we're building, in the best way possible. It's forced us to scrutinize unit economics, polish our investor presentations and carefully consider what it means to be a founder. SEAL lends to building with confidence."
Class of Spring '23
Evening MBA
"SEAL has helped our company fine tune our business model and go-to-market strategy through its dedicated workshops and hands-on mentorship. Most importantly, I already know that the lessons learned and relationships made through SEAL will last well beyond the conclusion of the accelerator!"
Class of Spring '23
MBA