Propelling Innovation & Commercialization at George Mason
Accelerate is George Mason University's signature initiative to propel innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship across Virginia and beyond. Through a dynamic suite of programs, events, and partnerships, Accelerate supports researchers, entrepreneurs, and startups from idea to impact. Explore our key initiatives below.
Accelerate Quarterly Breakfast Series
Connect • Share • Learn
It is a premier gathering for entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders across the DMV region. Each event offers an exciting platform to connect, collaborate, and discover high-potential investment opportunities from some of the area’s fastest-growing tech companies.
The Accelerate Breakfast Series is a partner event of the Accelerate Investor Conference, held in the new FUSE building in Arlington, VA, November 5-6, 2025.
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Accelerator
Secure Innovation for Virginia
The CCI Accelerator, formally known as the Cyber Acceleration, Translation, and Advanced Prototyping (CATAPULT) Fund, is designed to help university innovators and Virginia-based cybersecurity startups overcome the commercialization “valley of death.” Part of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), this accelerator empowers cybersecurity startups through mentorship, access to Mason’s cyber expertise, and strategic ecosystem connections. Solidify your product-market fit in the cyber domain, aligned with the region’s growing digital infrastructure.
- Focus: Cybersecurity, Secure AI, IoT, Cloud Security
- Benefits: Technical mentorship, commercialization support, access to funding
- Audience: Early-stage cyber startups and university-affiliated teams
NIH REACH (Research Evaluation & Commercialization Hub)
Translating Discovery into Health Impact
The National Institute of Health has funded George Mason University to offer a program that supports bio-health researchers who want to increase societal impact of their research. George Mason is part of the Virginia Mid-South Hub, eligible to researchers from most commonwealth universities. The program assists University faculty and graduate students with bringing science discoveries to market by providing entrepreneurial training, feedback from federal and industry experts, and funding to support early-stage product definition studies.
ICAP Lean Startup Program
Lean Methodology for Tech Ventures
The Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP) assists Virginia-based technology and innovation-driven startups on their path to success. The ICAP program is a no-cost lean start-up short course that focuses on customer discovery for any aspiring tech entrepreneur in Virginia, and provides no-cost business counseling by experts with varying background that support tech entrepreneurs.
“The SBDC connected me to the Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), and I was able to get my product out to local hospitals...Our product concept was selected for invitation to the National Science Foundation’s Project Pitch.”
- LaSondra Gray, owner of Reflections Image Center and Skincare Institute in Leesburg
Accelerate Investor Conference
Annual Innovation Summit
It is a venture investor and startup conference and early stage business competition that showcases our region as a powerhouse for innovation and business opportunity.
The competition fuels innovation-based business growth by showcasing the best and brightest new tech startups to potential investors to foster their development.
Dozens of top tech companies and 20+ student teams will compete to win cash and bragging rights. The competition targets entrepreneurs with early to mid seed stage, high growth businesses with the potential to have an immediate and positive impact on our local economy, as well as student concepts with longer-term business viability.
Why Accelerate?
Built on Mason’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, Accelerate leverages the university’s strengths in NSF I‑Corps, SBDC counseling, and regional initiatives like CCI and NIH REACH, similar to the proven impact of the Incubator and ICAP programs.
- Collaborative Network: Tap into mentorship, investor connections, and peer learning
- Tailored Resources: Receive specialized support - cyber, life science, startup operations
- Actionable Pathways: From idea validation to market entry and scale