TLDR:
- The inaugural Xplore Summit launched by xFoundry@UMD has announced a student competition offering up to $2 million in venture funding for startups addressing critical issues such as school safety and mental health.
- The first cohort of the xFoundry@UMD’s Xperience program, comprised of over 30 students, will train over 15 months to develop interdisciplinary solutions to societal challenges.
The Xplore Summit, hosted by xFoundry@UMD, has launched a student competition offering up to $2 million in venture funding for startups seeking to address important societal issues. The inaugural competition focused on school safety, particularly active shooter detection. The event, held at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, brought together over 350 participants, including students, administrators, government leaders, investors, and successful entrepreneurs.
xFoundry@UMD, inspired by the XPRIZE, aims to encourage technological innovation through public competitions. The first cohort of the xFoundry@UMD’s Xperience program, consisting of more than 30 students, commenced in January. Over the course of 15 months, these students will receive interdisciplinary training, working towards developing scalable solutions to societal challenges. The program’s curriculum includes courses on entrepreneurship mindset, team building, product development, collaboration, and business plan development. Students will form multidisciplinary teams, develop prototypes, and participate in the annual Xperience competition.
The Xperience competition will provide the winning team with up to $2 million in funding and support, allowing them to become co-founders of a new venture. Upon graduation, team members will work on the venture’s product team with salary and equity stake. xFoundry@UMD is an initiative launched out of the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory, which fosters innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship across disciplines at the University of Maryland.
During the Xplore Summit, three potential topics for the 2026 competition were introduced: mental health care for young adults, artificial intelligence in the workplace, and chronic health care management for seniors. The audience voted and selected mental health care as the winner. The aim of the competition is to take students on an enriching journey where they can make real impact and solve significant problems.
