This immersive and transformative educational journey empowers you to excel in the competitive realm of entrepreneurship while solving grand challenges.
Xperience seamlessly integrates experiential learning, collaborative teamwork, and skill enhancement through competition. As you progress through these phases, you will acquire the tools and mindset needed to become an adaptable and innovative leader in your chosen field, setting you on a path to success in the ever-evolving landscape of business and innovation.
Understand the annual cadence of the Xperience competition and when each phase takes place. Each competition kicks off in the fall semester with Xplore and aims to solve a different societal challenge.
When you have successfully completed Xcelerate, you will have earned:
Winning teams move on to Xecute and also launch a venture, including:
Xperience unfolds through four dynamic phases, guiding you from problem exploration to solution development and for our winners, venture launch.
WHEN
WHERE
WHO
Please join President Pines, Provost Rice, university benefactors, investors, and over two hundred students, faculty, and staff on Feb 9 at our inaugural summit, where we will feature fireside chats, panels, and presentations from University leadership, and distinguished guest speakers.
Registration is required, due to space limitations.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
The health domain is a compelling expedition into the forefront of healthcare innovation. Guided by the mission to enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities, participants delve into topics such as healthcare accessibility, disease prevention, healthcare technology, and improving overall well-being.
Students will need to work collaboratively, drawing upon their teams’ multidisciplinary backgrounds to devise groundbreaking solutions that can shape the future of healthcare. By tackling issues like health disparities, digital health advancements, and innovative medical practices, participants harness their passion and creativity to contribute to a healthier and more equitable world.
Students not only engage with cutting-edge research and technologies but also cultivate empathy and understanding for the diverse health needs of our local, regional, and global society.
The society domain is a gateway to understanding and addressing the intricate the intricate dynamics of ensuring safety, security, and well-being in our communities and beyond. Anchored in fostering a protective and resilient society, this domain examines a range of issues encompassing public safety, disaster preparedness, cybersecurity, and more.
Students will address the multifaceted challenges that impact the safety of individuals and society as a whole. Through interdisciplinary exploration and innovative problem-solving, participants uncover strategies to mitigate risks, respond to emergencies, and safeguard vulnerable populations. By leveraging technology, policy frameworks, and community engagement, the society domain aims to find solutions to forge a safer and more secure environment for everyone.
These domains are carefully curated to focus UMD’s collective efforts to address pressing global challenges, each presenting unique opportunities to pioneer solutions. Each Xperience cohort will be targeted at developing solutions to one topic within one of these domains. Student teams will compete to have their solution chosen to win the competition.
Our first Xperience cohort starting in spring 2024 will be finding a solution to a topic in either the health or society challenge domain. Find out more by clicking below.
3-credits | Xperiment to Address Grand Challenges
Topic:
At-a-glance:
In this foundational course, you will learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and form your multidisciplinary teams for the rest of the competition.
Your team will develop your business plan and prototype, then pitch your solution to advance to the next phase.
This unique methodology is at the core of the Xperience. It's all about continuous improvement and engaging students in hands-on experiences, followed by guided debriefing and reflection to extract meaningful insights. Not only will you gain theoretical knowledge, but you’ll also develop practical skills through real-world applications. You will earn 3 credits in Xperiment.
This foundational course will provide you with the essential knowledge and skills to understand the dynamics of successful teams and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, while earning 4 credits. Towards the end of the semester, you will start forming your multidisciplinary team to compete for the next phases of Xperience.
Team Requirements
You'll form your team from fellow students who participated in the spring course. Your team must have:
You can choose to make use of summer break to get a jumpstart on the competition. During this time, you can engage asynchronously with your team and begin groundwork for the next phase.
We will equip your team with the necessary tools and resources to facilitate idea generation for your solution.
6-credits total | Course codes coming soon
Topic:
At-a-glance:
It’s competition time! Your team will build, test, validate, and sell your product while working with faculty and industry experts throughout the process.
All teams are judged based on market viability, innovation, financial planning, and presentation skills.
There can be multiple winners or no winner, adding an extra layer of excitement. This is the final round in the competition. Good luck!
See what you’ve earned so far!
Welcome to Xcelerate. Starting in fall 2024 and concluding at the end of spring 2025, teams will develop their minimum viable product (MVP) for the competition. Your team will leverage feedback and guidance from industry experts, mentors, and faculty advisors. The product should be fully functional and operational, with a well-defined target audience.
Throughout Xcelerate, expert feedback, development and testing stipends, and access to development tools and systems will be provided to all competing teams.
Evaluation criteria
Your team will be evaluated on multiple aspects, including but not limited to:
Your team’s journey in this program has led to well-deserved accomplishments. Win or lose, it's time to acknowledge and celebrate your hard work. When you have successfully completed Xcelerate, each one of you will have earned:
Congratulations to the winning team – the champion will secure a
game-changing investment ranging from $250K to a jaw-dropping $2M!
As a winning team member, you're not just taking home the trophy–you're a co-founder, a member of the product team, complete with a
salary and equity stake.
In addition to what you’ve each earned in Xcelerate, your winning team also receives:
You’ve won the competition!
Graduating students from the winning team will have a chance to join the product team as co-founders, using their skills to drive innovation and be a part of the company's growth journey. Members of the winning team that will continue their studies later will have the same guaranteed conditions at the company after graduation.
Your venture will tackle one of the major problems facing our society. Now you will work with a network of seasoned CXOs for the next 12-18 months to help ensure a successful and stable start.
