Program Manager, Student Accelerator

The StartX Student Accelerator Program Manager leads the full lifecycle of our flagship program for Stanford’s most promising student founders.This role is a unique opportunity to shape the next generation of industry leaders by providing them with a customized, high-intensity educational framework that respects the unique challenges of being a student entrepreneur.

Lead the Student Accelerator Lifecycle & Admissions:

• Pipeline Development: Actively engage with Stanford’s schools, labs, and student organizations to identify and recruit the next wave of student-led startups.

• Transition Management: Support student founders in navigating the transition from classroom projects to full-time venture development.

Design High-Impact Student Programming:

• Curriculum Tailoring: Adapt the StartX curriculum to address student-specific hurdles, such as IP transfer, balancing degree requirements, and "0 to 1" product development.

• Expert Sourcing: Grow a specialized network of mentors and alumni who are specifically passionate about coaching student founders through their first professional fundraising and hiring cycles.

• Experiential Learning: Design and execute an immersive weekend of workshops, panels, and "founder-to-founder" circles that foster a tight-knit student community.

Execution & Event Excellence:

• Milestone Programming: Plan and execute 1 large-scale student founder pitch event per session specifically designed to highlight student talent to the broader ecosystem.

• Operational Rigor: Run high-quality events while managing budgets, deadlines, and coordinating a team of volunteers and student associates.

• Impact Analytics: Measure cohort progress and post-program success to iterate on the student accelerator model.

Build the Student Founder Knowledge Base:

• Resource Curation: Maintain a library of templates, legal guides, and pitch decks specifically curated for the needs of early-stage student companies.

• Community Integration: Serve as the primary bridge between student founders and the broader StartX community of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry titans.

• 4+ years of experience in the startup, venture, or higher-education entrepreneurship space.

• 2+ years of experience in Program Management, Community Building, or Student Affairs leadership.

• Direct experience working within a university ecosystem (Stanford-specific knowledge is a significant plus).

• Student-Centric Empathy: Deep understanding of the pressures, timelines, and ambitions of Stanford student founders.

• Operational Architect: A structured planner who loves building repeatable processes that make a program feel seamless.

• Relationship Driven: Ability to build trust quickly with 20-year-old founders and 50-year-old industry experts alike.

• Adaptability: Comfortable with the rapid-fire "build and iterate" culture of a top-tier accelerator.

• Scalability Mindset: Proactive about turning manual tasks into scalable systems to support growing cohorts.

• Stanford Alum with deep ties to campus

• Previous experience as a student founder or a leader in a major student organization.

• Familiarity with "Product-Market Fit" frameworks (Lean Startup, Design Thinking).