Emory University Launches New Startup Accelerator Program for Early-Stage Founders

Emory University’s startup infrastructure is growing with the launch of a new accelerator on campus.

The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation, has announced a new partnership that will launch The Hatchery Accelerator, powered by RightShift, as a 10-week hybrid summer program for early-stage founders.

The program is open to Emory and non-Emory affiliated teams and will help founders get investment-ready. To help more founders through this program, The Hatchery is partnering with local AI-focused company, IntuitioLabs, which runs accelerator and venture studio programs designed to help early-stage founders validate their ideas.

RightShift and IntuitioLabs is run by Atlanta-based entrepreneurs Deep Kalina, founder and CEO and Chris Davis, managing partner.

According to The Hatchery’s website, the program is designed for entrepreneurs who:

• Have a functional prototype or MVP
• Have earned revenue or raised capital
• Are actively testing assumptions with real customers
• Are iterating based on user feedback
• Are committed to building their venture over the next 3–5 years

The program is slated to run from May 28 through July 30, culminating in a live pitch event. Participating founders will also receive an additional 12 weeks of post-program support as they look to grow.

Kalina said that “70 percent of graduates of their programs generate revenue. “Not because they pitched better — because they shipped faster,”

Select graduates may be considered for follow-on investment through RightShift Ventures.

“We’ve spent six years building products for startups and enterprises — with more than 50 products and $225 million in portfolio value created,” Kalina  said. “RightShift is how we channel that expertise to early-stage founders. Emory is the perfect partner to scale that model.”

The Hatchery, which opened in 2020, has quickly become an epicenter for Emory University’s entrepreneurial work. It already houses Techstars Emory Founders Catalyst program and The Hatchery Incubator and Accelerator, which supports students across all nine Emory schools.

Applications to be part of The Hatchery Accelerator, powered by RightShift, are open through March 6. Find out more information and apply online.