CREATE-X is relaunching Startup Summer as Startup Launch, a two-semester program in which student teams launch startups based on their ideas and prototypes. Teams are provided with mentorship, workspace, seed funding, intellectual property protection, and visibility. To date, 42 teams have launched startups through the 3-year-old program.

Startup Launch will have two start dates for 2017. One group will start the program in spring 2017 and another in summer 2017. The two groups will overlap during the summer semester, which is the full-time, intense period. The spring (for teams starting in spring) and fall (for teams starting in summer) semesters will be part-time commitments that can be done in conjunction with other classes or work commitments. Participants may also dedicate themselves full time in the spring or fall, but are not required to do so.

"There are so many avenues that you can go down after graduating from Georgia Tech — so many different careers,” said Samantha Becker, an undergraduate student and founder of TruePani. “But through CREATE-X and becoming an entrepreneur, you have such a sense of accomplishment and personal investment in the project that you're working on. The decision to participate in CREATE-X has directly influenced the course of my life.”

Applications for 2017 are now open. The deadline to apply for the spring cohort is Tuesday, Nov. 1. Applications for the summer cohort are also being accepted at this time, with a final deadline of March 3, 2017. As admission is granted on a rolling basis, the summer cohort may fill up before its deadline; earlier applications will have a higher chance of acceptance. Learn more at startuplaunch.gatech.edu or apply at startuplaunch.gatech.edu/apply.