BSU incubator program expands to support Idaho entrepreneurs

A 10-week course to help Idaho entrepreneurs test and launch their ideas is returning to Boise State University‘s Venture College program.

Venture College, a program that is part of BSU’s College of Innovation and Design, is once again running its Incubator program, which runs Sept. 2 to Nov. 4 this year, with sessions scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Though the program is free and open to students from any course of study, Venture College encourages community members in any industry to apply to the program, to be held in-person at the College of Innovation and Design’s SPACE location. A Zoom option will be available for those unable to attend in-person.

“We are excited to see our signature Incubator program evolve with the support of new tools and a talented team of industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs,” said Cara Van Sant, director of Venture College. “Together, we’re committed to lowering the barrier to entry for anyone with a business idea who doesn’t know where to begin. Whether you’re a student, a faculty or staff member, or community member with a business idea, our instructors are here to provide the guidance, mentorship and resources to help you take that crucial next step.”

The program will cover business model canvas development, customer discovery and product-market fit, pre-seed pitch preparation, funding options and other topics. According to Venture College, it will also be offering new items such as the opportunity for participants to explore GLIDR AI, a platform which “helps entrepreneurs validate and refine their ideas using structured, [artificial intelligence]-generated canvases. GLIDR AI condenses months of strategic planning into minutes by clarifying concepts, identifying market gaps and accelerating value creation.”

Manny Kostas, George Mulhern and Sarah Dolen will be leading this year’s Incubator, providing feedback and mentoring to participants. Kostas is the co-founder of PreCode Labs and the former CMO of HP Printing and Symantec. Mulhern is the former CEO of Cradlepoint and head of Ericsson’s Enterprise Wireless Solutions unit. Dolen is a former investment and operations lead at Google’s Area 120 and an advisor to early stage investors.

There will also be guest speakers addressing real-world topics.

“What makes this Incubator special is the level of access participants get to both mentors in Boise’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and tools like GLIDR,” Kostas said. “It’s a low-risk, high-support environment where experimentation is encouraged, and failure is part of the learning.”

The application process, found at https://www.boisestate.edu/venturecollege/incubation/, is open until Aug. 25 at 11:59 p.m.

“We’re here to guide, challenge, and help founders build something meaningful — step by step,” Kostas said.