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Build momentum. Find your next step. Grow your business.

The Illuminate Collective is a highly selective, 9-week program for women and gender-diverse student founders who are ready to move their existing business forward.

Whether you’re running a local service business, selling products online, or building something with the potential to grow beyond your current market, Illuminate gives you the community, mentorship, and accountability to take your next step.

Applications open September 8, 2026.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will close once the cohort is full.

Already Building Something? Let’s Help You Take It Further.

You don’t need to have a tech startup.
You don’t need to be ready to pitch investors.
And you definitely don’t need to have everything figured out.

Illuminate is for student founders who already have a business underway and are asking:

• What’s my next step?
• How do I grow beyond where I am today?
• How do I get more customers?
• How do I move from a side hustle to something bigger?
• How do I stop overthinking and actually take action?
• Who can help me figure this out?

You’ll spend nine weeks surrounded by a small group of ambitious founders, with weekly support, mentorship, and conversations designed to help you get unstuck and keep moving.

What Is Illuminate?

Illuminate Collective is a 9-week, peer-based founder development program designed specifically for women and gender-diverse students with an existing business.

The program focuses on the founder—not just the business.

What Happens Over 9 Weeks?

Each week combines peer conversation, practical activities, mentorship, and time to work through what’s actually happening in your business.

 

Week	Topic	Description
1	Where are you now?	Take stock of your business, identify where you want to go, and define your “next level.”
2	Confidence vs. competence	Explore imposter syndrome, comparison, asking for help, and the difference between knowing how to do something and believing you can.
3	Think bigger: Finding the problem	Look beyond what you currently sell. Understand the problem you’re solving and explore opportunities to grow beyond a local or small-scale business.
4	Build your network	Identify the people who could help you move forward and learn how to build meaningful relationships.
5	Building resilience	Get comfortable with discomfort. Practice taking small risks, hearing “no,” experiencing manageable failure, and getting back up.
6	Tell your story	Move beyond the pitch. Learn how to communicate why your business exists, who you’re helping, and why it matters.
7	Find your people	Explore co-founders, mentors, advisors, peers, and collaborators—and connect with people who can help you move forward.
8	Building momentum	Stop waiting for the perfect time. Identify small actions and improvements you can implement quickly and build on over time.
9	Navigating the ecosystem	Discover the organizations, mentors, programs, networks, and resources available to help you continue growing after Illuminate.

The Illuminate Catalyst Award

$2,000 to the founder who makes the biggest leap forward.

At the end of the program, one Illuminate participant will receive the $2,000 Illuminate Catalyst Award.

This isn’t an award for the biggest business.

It’s not about who has the most revenue.

And it’s not a pitch competition.

The Catalyst Award recognizes the founder who demonstrates the greatest personal and entrepreneurial progress throughout the program.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Takes meaningful action outside their comfort zone
• Is willing to make the ask
• Experiments and learns from setbacks
• Puts themselves and their business out there
• Responds to feedback
• Builds meaningful relationships
• Keeps moving forward when things don’t go according to plan
• Demonstrates clear growth from where they started

The goal isn’t to be fearless. It’s to become more willing to act despite uncertainty.

Who Is Eligible?

Illuminate Collective is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at ����APP who have an existing business.

You are eligible to apply if you:

• Are currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student at ����APP
• Identify as a woman or gender-diverse individual
• Have an existing business that is already operating, selling, or actively developing
• Are ready to dedicate time each week to working on your business and participating in the program

Your business does not need to be a technology company.

Illuminate welcomes founders building all kinds of businesses—from local and service-based businesses to product brands, creative ventures, online businesses, and technology-driven companies.

This Program Is For Founders Who Are Ready to...

Take action.
Move beyond planning and start making meaningful progress.

Get uncomfortable.
Practice making the ask, reaching out, hearing "no," and trying things before they're perfect.

Learn from setbacks.
Experiment, experience manageable failure, learn from it, and keep moving.

Think bigger.
Explore how your existing business could evolve, reach new customers, or grow beyond its current market.

Support each other.
Build relationships with a small group of fellow student founders who are navigating many of the same challenges.

Make progress.
Leave the program with a clearer direction and concrete next steps for your business.

Why Is Illuminate Different?

This isn’t another pitch competition.

You won’t spend nine weeks perfecting a pitch deck.

This isn’t a traditional accelerator.

We’re not expecting you to have a scalable tech startup or be ready to raise investment.

And this isn’t a class.

You’ll learn from each other, from mentors, and from actually working through the challenges you’re facing in your business.

Illuminate is about creating momentum.

Sometimes that means finding your next customer.

Sometimes it’s finally making the ask you’ve been avoiding.

Sometimes it’s realizing your business could be much bigger than you initially imagined.

And sometimes it’s simply getting unstuck.

What You’ll Get

• 9 weeks of weekly peer sessions
• Small-group conversations and activities designed around the real challenges of being a founder.
• Mentorship & support
• Access to experienced entrepreneurs and mentors who can help you work through challenges and identify opportunities.
• A community of fellow founders
• You’ll leave with a better understanding of where your business can go and the next steps to get there.
• We’ll connect you with organizations, programs, networks, and resources that can continue supporting you beyond Illuminate.
• A chance to earn $2,000
  • One participant will receive the Illuminate Catalyst Award based on their progress throughout the program.

 

None of this would be possible without the generous support of: