STARTUP RAD

A Startup Rad is a group of founders working to develop their startups and sharing feedback

The term 'RAD' comes from R&D, research and development, and over the evolution of the program has come to stand for a unique educational experience that helps students amplify their founder knowledge and abilities. Designed only for student-founders, they, like student-athletes, practice alongside each other. They learn by doing self-propelled research and development of their original startup ideas with their actual teams amidst feedback from peers, near-peers, and coaches. Based on concepts drawn from social physics and flow, the psychology of optimal experience, Startup RAD delivers a social learning context for students to discover how they can best grow—through thoughts, words, and actions—as startup founders. The ultimate goal of Startup RAD is to help students achieve an emotionally-embodied understanding of their innovative capacity and potential.

Becoming a member of Startup RAD is a commitment to working hard, engaging in and developing good startup practices, and openly giving and receiving constructive feedback along the way.

The course is for students seeking actual experience as a founder of a startup, whether commercial, social or another type of innovative project.  Students working in teams are preferred.  Requires self-directed, independent work and active search for and outreach to mentors, customers, and partners for guidance and feedback, in addition to that provided by the instructor, teaching staff, and peer founders.  Students will share their work regularly in an online and classroom feedback forum that includes their peers.

Engineering Sciences 95r: Startup R&D goes by course catalog number 60126. Enrollment is limited and by agreement with the instructor.  Application instructions are below.

The ‘r’ in ES95r signifies that the RAD may be repeated once. Startup RAD is never the same twice. RAD members change, startups change, founders change, and the world changes.  Each RAD typically has a mix of returning and new founders.

There is no general syllabus for the RAD.  The founders, their startups, their challenges, and their goals are the course material and everyone is responsible for being in tune with them. RAD members stay in tune through weekly meetings and ongoing participation in the RAD Slack.

Interested in taking startup rAD?

Application Form

The RAD has been oversubscribed each fall and spring semester since it began in 2012.  

Apply by 11:59pm 3 weekdays before the Registrar’s Course Registration Deadline

An interview with the teaching staff may be required before enrollment permission is granted. You will be contacted by email to schedule an interview, if needed.  

Students should expect to meet with the full Rad every week and individually or in teams with the teaching staff every other week.  The course meeting time is scheduled by the Registrar for Mondays 3:45pm—6:30pm.  Students must have this time free on their schedule to enroll.

Please consult the ES95r: Startup R&D Canvas course site for any current announcements.

Student-founders who have taken the course in the past have used the course to develop startups such as:

Innovation age education and resources for student-innovators