Spark Grants
Offers micro-grants for Carnegie Mellon student founders in customer discovery and minimum viable product development.
Spark Grants are micro-grants of up to $3,000 awarded through Project Olympus to current CMU student founders. Funds must be used for customer discovery activities, intern hiring for MVP/prototype development, or specialty equipment — not legal fees, patents, or generic purchases. Applicants must be current CMU students actively engaged in Project Olympus or Swartz Center programming (e.g., Customer Discovery Kickstart, NSF I-Corps, Innovation Scholars) and must have met multiple times with a Project Olympus Entrepreneur-in-Residence. The program runs on an annual fall cycle; the Fall 2025 cycle is closed and the next cycle opens in Fall 2026.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.