We have successfully wrapped up with Cohort 2025. Check out our 2025 highlight.
Cohort 2026 will open for application in the Spring 2026.
Meet the Mentors: Our Allies Who Scaffold Your Growth
• Holly He: Founder of a Stealth Medical Device Start-up, Ex-Apple Product Design Manager, Stanford MS in Mechanical Engineer
• Ling Li: Senior Soft Engineer, ML Deployment & Optimization at Cruise, Stanford PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineer
• Aliyeh Mousavi: Ex-Senior Scientist in VitroLabs Inc, Ex-NASA Research Fellow, Stanford PhD in Mechanical Engineer, Stanford MS in Aeronautics & Astronautics
• Tony Pratkanis: Staff Software Engineer at a Stealth Medical AI+ Robotics Start-up, Stanford BS, MS in Computer Science
• Evelyn Shen: Senior Engineering Manager at Airbnb, Stanford MS in Electrical Engineer
• Anna Tchernych: Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Systems at Apple, ex-Founder, Stanford MS in Financial Mathematics
• Pratyush Muthukumar: Generative AI Data Scientists at Nvidia, ex-research associate at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Stanford MS in Computer Science.
Why We Built the Build+ Fellowship
Every great startup begins with a builder who sees something the world doesn’t — yet.
At Y+ Ventures, we’re builders too. As we created our internal AI systems to help us find bold founders, understand markets before they break out, and make smarter venture bets, something unexpected happened:
We realized these tools weren’t just for us.
They were blueprints for the next generation of technical founders.
That’s when Build+ was born.
A Summer to Build — and Become
We designed Build+ for Stanford students like you — exceptional engineers, builders, and tinkerers who aren’t just dreaming of starting something, but are ready to start becoming founders.
This summer, we’re opening the lab.
You’ll work on real-world AI systems in teams. You’ll lead, not just follow. You’ll build tools that help you think like an investor — mapping market shifts, reading consumer behavior, spotting what’s next before it hits TechCrunch.
You’ll learn from Stanford alumni who’ve done it before — CTOs, technical founders, and early builders — and you’ll leave with projects that could shape your future company.
The 4 Tracks — Your Builder’s Map
Every Build+ Fellow will compete across 4 core tracks — not just to build, but to understand how VCs and founders see the world:
- Venture Engines
Learn how investors use AI to discover and evaluate hidden gems. Then build one. - Opportunity Mappers
Detect market shifts, emerging platforms, and user signals — fast. - Consumer Insight Systems
Go deep on how people behave, spend, share, and shift. Use it to predict what’s next. - OpenX Track
Create your own idea with your team and mentors— and build it with full support.
What Happens When You Join
• Team of Fellows + Mentor
Real team dynamics. You’ll lead and be led.
• Daily Build Sprints
No lecture, all building. Debug, demo, iterate, repeat.
• VC Lens from the Inside
“Playbook drops” from Y+ Ventures — how real investors evaluate founders and ideas.
Final Demo Day
• No slide decks. Just live demos in front of real VCs, founders, and advisors.
Why You Should Apply
Because you don’t want to wait until after college to start building your future.
Because the best way to learn is by doing, with people who push you and mentors who believe in you.
Because this could inspire your first startup — disguised as a summer project.
And because when you complete the fellowship and do launch your company, Y+ Ventures will be your first check.
Fellows. Mentors. 8 weeks. One unforgettable summer.
Cohort 2025
We have successfully wrapped up with Cohort 2025. Check out our 2025 highlight.
Cohort 2026 will open for application in the Spring 2026.
