About 20 student founders pitch the investors and accelerators at UBC 2026. The best team walks away with a $10,000 grant from USC VEDA and College.xyz.
Nov 20–21, 2026 · UT Austin · Applications close Oct 25
College.xyz is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit behind UBC, which puts students from over 100 universities in front of companies like Coinbase, Solana, Polymarket, Gemini, and Ledger. In two years, we’ve helped more than 80 of them land jobs and internships in frontier tech.
Some of them would rather build the company than join one. UBC alumni have gone on to Y Combinator, a16z Speedrun, Alliance, and Colosseum. The Founder Stage puts the next ones in front of the people who back young teams.
The grant
$10,000
You keep all your equity.
The USC VanEck Digital Assets Initiative and College.xyz are giving $10,000 to one team. It’s a grant, not an investment. The investors in the audience pick the winner after the pitches.
Under 25. Recent grads building full-time are welcome.
Frontier tech. Crypto, AI, hard tech, or adjacent.
A real company. A business, not a side project.
Two tracks, reviewed separately
You've raised from YC, Speedrun, or a venture firm. Show your product and raise your next round.
You're raising your first capital and ready to meet the investors who'll back you.
Present to the investors, accelerators, and talent at UBC 2026.
After the event, with proven founders, investors, and accelerators.
If you opt in, we share your materials directly with the investors in the room.
Intros to partner investors and accelerators.
Applications close
October 25, reviewed on a rolling basis
When
November 20–21, 2026, Demo Day likely the 21st
Where
AT&T Center at UT Austin
Eligibility
UBC 2026 attendees only
Plus UBC 2026 sponsors
Serious founders and builders only. We read applications as they come in, so earlier is better. Know someone who should be up there? Refer them.
