by Clare Hampel, Aaryn Richard
The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation announces the five Spartan startup teams selected for its third Momentum summer cohort.
On May 8, the Burgess Institute will launch 2023's Momentum cohort, which will run through June 18. The annual six-week pre-accelerator is a competitive program that focuses on emerging startup teams. It provides additional financial and mentorship resources to advance MSU-based student startups and prepare them for more intensive accelerators.
Out of a competitive applicant pool, these five MSU student startup teams will embark on their Momentum summer journey:
Founder: Farjana Begum (begumfa1@msu.edu), College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Element in 3D is an open-world exploratory educational video game that makes learning chemistry fun and engaging for elementary and high school students.
Founder: Elliot Smith (smit3821@msu.edu), Eli Broad College of Business
Motmot is an engineering company that installs submersible drones to inspect public water infrastructure.
Founder: Aman Dhruva Thamminana (thammina@msu.edu), College of Engineering; Rajmeet Singh Chandok (chandok1@msu.edu), College of Engineering
Odin Classroom is an online coding platform that reduces friction in computer science courses by providing a better user experience and reducing downtime.
Founder: Paul Reiss (reisspau@msu.edu), Eli Broad College of Business
Protein Pints is a protein ice cream supplement for athletic recovery and performance.
Founder: Shreesha Maddur (maddurs1@msu.edu), College of Engineering
Zenit assists understaffed career services departments at community colleges by creating a digital roadmap for students in career development and addressing skill gaps that empower students to become career-ready for employers.
Momentum is a six-week journey during which each team receives industry-specific mentorship, focused work time on their startups, and $5,000 in grant funding. Applications for the program are open only to current MSU student teams active in the Burgess Institute's Discovery or Launch venture creation programs.
Paul Jaques, the Burgess Institute's managing director of venture creation, launched Momentum in 2021.
"We saw a need in our venture creation programming where early-stage student teams needed a boost," said Jaques. "These teams are working hard but may not be ready for a full-scale accelerator. That's where Momentum comes in. We help them flesh out their ideas and get them to a point where they can apply to renowned accelerators like Conquer, TechStars, and Y Combinator."
"We are excited to welcome 2023's Momentum cohort to in-person co-working," said Lori Fischer, director of operations for the Burgess Institute. "Getting teams working side-by-side, bouncing ideas off one another, and pushing each other to achieve set goals—that sets Momentum's intensive programming apart."
Fischer went on to say that alum mentors help make a huge difference. "Our student teams value their insights and getting a chance to learn from mistakes others have made. These alumni are incredible. They make themselves available to teams; they join as guest speakers, centering their sights on tangible topics, like marketing, legal, accounting, and investing," Fischer said.
Ultimately, Momentum's participants graduate from the program with more vital, durable startups. They are prepared to apply to competitive accelerator programs. Six weeks may not sound like a lot of time; however, the program's intentional design gets teams focused on goal setting and holding themselves accountable.
"One of the key attributes of the programming is working with the teams on how to set appropriate, reachable goals and develop metrics. Six weeks means intense focus. Teams can make significant progress precisely because they must produce something. They're held accountable to themselves, the program, and one another during weekly check-ins," said Jaques.
Follow Momentum's 2023 Cohort on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Applications to participate in Momentum's 2024 Summer Cohort will open in early March 2024.