Startup Shell

Startup Shell is a student-run startup incubator at the University of Maryland that helps student entrepreneurs build and scale their ventures. In the past ten years, we have graduated over 600 students whose ventures are worth over $1B, including companies like Imperfect Foods, Ambrook, and BloxBiz. Our goal is to foster a culture of innovation that produces the next generation of venture-scale companies by connecting the most innovative builders, engineers, and designers here at the University of Maryland. Startup Shell supports our student entrepreneurs by providing $50,000 worth of founder resources, a 24/7 co-working space located in the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory, and access to an extensive network of venture capital, legal, marketing, and business advisors to help students every step of the way in their entrepreneurial journey. We engage with thousands of passionate students each year through skill workshops, founder talks, and recruiting events. So far, we have hosted industry professionals and serial entrepreneurs like the founders of Oculus, TrueBill, Reddit, and NextDoor, as well as the Chief Scientist of Meta.