Seed Grant Lifecycle × The Three C's

Accelerator Studio — How we support seed grantees from kickoff to scale

Workshop (Capacity Building)
Anchor Meeting (In-person)
Ongoing Support
Proposed (Q1/Q2)
SPARK
Scoping & orientation
→
BUILD
Prototyping & making
→
SHARPEN
Research, refine, stay on track
→
SCALE
Sustainability & spread
→
Critical Boost
Direct interventions that remove blockers
1:1 Scoping Consults
Helping grantees frame the problem and find entry points
1:1 Prototyping Support
Hands-on technical help, bug fixes, platform setup
1:1 Advising
Research design, measurement, IRB guidance
1:1 Advising + Connecting
IP strategy, compliance, and connecting grantees to partners now that the project is coalescing
Capacity Building
Grantees learn to do it themselves
Learnings from My Seed Grant Journey
Peer panel — experienced grantees share what they wish they'd known
RAN MAR 2025
PM of One (Plus AI)
Research → prototype → PRD. AI as design partner, simulated feedback, rapid prototyping
PILOTED 2025
Prototype to Pilot
User testing, pilot planning, study design
PROPOSED
Scaling Sustainably
Entity formation, sustainability models
RAN OCT 2025
Meet the Toolkit
Wayfinding session — Stanford resources, offices, and people available to grantees
PROPOSED
Privacy by Design
COPPA/FERPA-informed design decisions, data architecture choices early
PROPOSED
User Testing Jam
Paired usability testing, think-aloud protocol
PROPOSED
Legal 101
IP, SU-18, COPPA/FERPA, compliance
RAN FEB 2026
IRB Demystified
When you need it, how to apply, common delays to avoid
PROPOSED
Shaping the Narrative
Telling your story (Joe lead)
APR 2026
Cross-Pollination
Connecting people and ideas across projects
Bridge-building Intros
Connecting grantees to relevant faculty, researchers, contacts
Bridge-building Intros
Connecting grantees working on similar problems
Seed Grant Huddle
Internal AS:DE + Cathy regroup — review grantee progress, coordinate support
Partnerships as Pathways
Finding partners, growing beyond Stanford
RAN NOV 2025
Anchor Meetings
Run by seed grant lead, AS:DE assists. In-person when possible. These are the primary cross-pollination moments — grantees connect with peers here.
Kick-off Meeting
Grantees meet each other, set expectations, orient to resources
Mid-point Check-in
Progress review, surface blockers, peer sharing

Accelerator Studio — February 2026. Based on Three C's framework (Critical Boost × Capacity Building × Cross-Pollination) mapped to seed grant lifecycle phases.