Accelerator Fellowship
UCLA Biodesign Accelerator Fellowship
Accelerate Your Healthcare Venture
The UCLA Biodesign Accelerator Fellowship is a part-time venture acceleration program designed for innovators who already have a healthcare technology concept, prototype, startup, or intellectual property and are ready to advance toward commercialization.
Unlike the Discovery Fellowship, which teaches innovators how to identify and develop opportunities from the ground up, the Accelerator Fellowship is designed to help existing ventures achieve critical development milestones through structured programming, mentorship, and accountability.
Participants remain in their current professional roles while engaging in evening and weekend programming throughout the fellowship year.
Who Should Apply?
The Accelerator Fellowship is designed for:
- UCLA faculty, staff, clinicians, researchers, students, and alumni
- Startup founders and innovation teams
- Individuals with an existing solution, technology, prototype, intellectual property, or startup
- Teams seeking mentorship, validation, and commercialization support
- Innovators preparing for fundraising, pilot testing, licensing, or company formation
What Ideas, Teams & Ventures Gain
Customer Discovery & Market Validation
Validate assumptions, understand stakeholders, and refine product-market fit.
Structured Milestone Development
Create measurable technical, clinical, regulatory, and business objectives that move your venture forward.
Expert Mentorship
Receive guidance from entrepreneurs, clinicians, investors, operators, and industry experts.
Commercialization Support
Develop strategies for intellectual property, reimbursement, regulatory pathways, licensing, and go-to-market planning.
Investor & Ecosystem Connections
Access UCLA's innovation network, MBA student business plan partnerships, strategic partners, pilot opportunities, and investor community.
Pitch & Demo Day Preparation
Refine your story, value proposition, and fundraising materials while preparing for public presentations and investor conversations.
The UCLA Biodesign Accelerator Process
Validate
Customer discovery, stakeholder interviews, market assessment.
Develop
Product refinement, milestone planning, commercialization strategy.
Grow
Fundraising readiness, pilot opportunities, investor engagement, partnerships.
Program Benefits
- Structured accountability to advance your venture
- Expert feedback from healthcare and industry leaders
- Customer discovery and market validation tools
- Commercialization and go-to-market strategy support
- Connections to investors and strategic partners
- Access to UCLA's innovation ecosystem
- Opportunities to collaborate with UCLA Anderson MBA students
- A stronger venture, clearer roadmap, and measurable milestones
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, please email us at biodesign@mednet.ucla.edu.