Non-profit · Est. 2013 · Education · Research · Innovation
Where students learn entrepreneurship by building a company.
European Innovation Academy is a non-profit founded in 2013 with Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Google. Our mission: nurture 100 million entrepreneurs by 2033.
Co-organised with UC Berkeley13 years350 faculty experts
- alumni
- 25,000+
- EIA Alumni Survey 2024
- countries
- 85+
- EIA Alumni Survey 2024
- universities in the alliance
- 215
- EIA University Alliance register, 2026
- raised by alumni ventures
- $2.2B
- EIA Alumni Survey 2024
Our alumni are the proof
From a 15-day course to companies the world uses.
Before we say a word about the method, here is what alumni have done with it.
From a 15-day course to companies the world uses.
- Wise$12B valuation
EIA 2013–16 · Tallinn & Nice
Wise
Cross-border money transfer used by 16M+ people; listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Visit Wise →
- Bolt€7B valuation
EIA 2012 · Tallinn
Bolt
Ride-hailing, scooters and delivery in 50+ countries, built from a €5,000 first budget.
Visit Bolt →
- The Farmer's Dog$3B valuation
EIA 2014 · Nice
The Farmer's Dog
Fresh pet-food subscription, now one of the largest DTC brands in the United States.
Visit The Farmer's Dog →
- GrabCADAcquired
EIA 2014 · Nice
GrabCAD
Engineering collaboration platform with millions of CAD users; acquired by Stratasys.
Visit GrabCAD →
- Alumni44% career impact
EIA 2013–25 · All cohorts
A career, not only a company
44% of alumni credit EIA with a job, promotion or leadership move — most never founded a company.
Read the story →
Source: EIA Alumni Survey 2024
At scale
Source: EIA Alumni Survey 2024
- $2.2B
- raised by alumni ventures
- 32,000+
- jobs created
- 40%
- of alumni become founders
- 64%
- startup survival rate
- 97%
- of alumni startups address UN SDGs
A 25,000+ alumni network across 85+ countries. Alumni stories continue on the blog. Alumni stories
Summer 2027Your students' startupJoin the next cohort in Lisbon, Rome or London.Discuss a cohortEducation
An academic course taught the way founders learn.
Fifteen days, one venture per team, real users, graded against published rubrics.
An academic course taught the way founders learn.
Build
Teams take one venture from idea to a tested product with real users. Around 80 ventures start in every cohort.
Learn
Daily mentoring from 50+ operators, founders, VCs and pitch coaches, on the team's own problem.
Assess
Dated syllabus, contact hours, four assessable learning outcomes and rubrics. Faculty grade their own students; 6 ECTS on completion.
Fifteen days, four stages
Use the arrow keys to move between stages.
2027 intakes
One online pre-week before arrival · 6 ECTS
Research
Measured, published, peer-reviewed.
An institution measures what it teaches. EIA's method has been studied by independent academics since 2017 and the findings are public.
Measured, published, peer-reviewed.
- Peer-reviewed
Founding intent rose from 0% to 58% among students with no prior startup experience.
Taggar, Domurath & Coviello, Academy of Management, 2019Read the paper - Peer-reviewed
Peer-driven learning raised entrepreneurial passion by 1.3 points on a 5-point scale.
Taggar, Domurath & Coviello, 2024Read the paper - Peer-reviewed
Self-efficacy rose by 1.8 and resilience by 1.6 on a −3…+3 scale.
Brandt, 2023Read the paper
Active programme
The science of AI entrepreneurship, 2026–2030
Five studies with 350 randomised teams a year across Lisbon, London, Rome and Zurich. Verified revenue is the outcome measure.
- 5
- studies
- 350
- randomised teams a year
- 4
- cities
Outcome measure: Verified revenue
Joint research with
- ETH Zurich
- UC Berkeley
- University of Lisbon
- Bayes Business School
- Carnegie Mellon University
Innovation
From cohort to company: EIA Ventures.
EIA Ventures is the innovation arm of the academy. After pitch night, the strongest teams continue with mentoring, introductions to investors in our network and a path to follow-on funding. Universities and corporates work with us to scout, co-develop and invest in the ventures our cohorts produce.
- $2.2B
- raised by alumni ventures
- EIA Alumni Survey 2024
- €100K
- in awards at every pitch night
- intake.json
- ~80
- ventures started per cohort
- intake.json
215 universities. Faculty who already bring their students.
A selection of the alliance. Names shown with written permission.
- UC Berkeley
- University of Michigan
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Arizona State University
- University of Alabama
- Villanova University
- Texas State University
- UT San Antonio
- St. John's University
- California Lutheran University
- University of Lisbon
- City St George's, University of London
- Sapienza University of Rome
- MacEwan University
Also working with ETH Zurich · Bayes Business School · Nova School of Business and Economics · Tsinghua University.
Built to clear a US approval process.
The four facts your committee asks about first.
Early-bird seats until December 31, 2026. US programs approve summer courses a year out — start now.
Full details, fees and ROI calculator for US faculty
Not in the US? For EU University · For Asian University
6 ECTS ≈ 3 US credit hours
Your registrar decides the conversion.
Fits the US summer session
Three weeks in July, back before the fall term.
No visa for US passports
Schengen stays under 90 days; ETIAS confirmed per cohort.
Quoted and invoiced in USD
Purchase orders supported; W-9 on request.
$10,000 AI Entrepreneurship Grant at 20 students
Paid in USD, terms in writing. Scope (Lisbon 2027) confirmed on your fit call.
Ask about the grant
Work with EIA
Start the conversation.
A 30-minute fit call on your students, your curriculum and your approval timeline — no deck, no obligation. You hear back from a named partnerships lead by the next business day.
Start the conversation.
What happens next
- 1
Contact
Two fields. You hear back within one business day.
- 2
Fit call
30 minutes on your students, curriculum and timeline.
- 3
Planning pack and written quote
Syllabus, rubrics, budget in USD, grant terms.
- 4
Internal review
We answer committees, education-abroad, risk and procurement directly. W-9 available.
- 5
Agreement
Signed, seats reserved, recruitment opens on campus.
Questions faculty ask before they submit
Is EIA a non-profit?
Yes. European Innovation Academy is a non-profit educational institution founded in 2013 with Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Google. Surplus goes back into scholarships, research and the programme, not to shareholders. Registered provider details are available on request for your due-diligence file.
How does 6 ECTS convert?
The course carries 6 ECTS with a dated syllabus, published contact hours, four assessable learning outcomes and grading rubrics. Most US registrars treat that as roughly three semester credit hours, but the conversion is always their decision. The Faculty Pack contains everything a registrar or curriculum committee asks for.
How does the $10K grant work?
Bring a cohort of 20 or more students and your institution receives a $10,000 AI Entrepreneurship Grant, paid in USD with the terms set out in writing before you sign. Many faculty use it to lower the per-student price or fund travel scholarships. Scope by intake is confirmed on your fit call.
Do I have to teach?
No. EIA faculty and 50+ mentors deliver the curriculum. You accompany your students, observe, and grade them against the rubrics with our assessment data. Many faculty run a pre-departure seminar or a reflection module afterwards, and some join sessions as guest experts — that is your choice.
What does it cost and what's included?
One per-student fee covers tuition, mentoring, workspace, materials, pitch night and the credit-bearing assessment. Accommodation and travel are quoted separately or arranged by your office. Fees are quoted and invoiced in USD, purchase orders are accepted, and the current tier deadline is shown above. Ask for a written quote on the fit call.
Can we speak to a US university that has done this?
Yes. We keep a reference list of US faculty and study-abroad offices who have brought cohorts, including public universities that went through full committee and procurement review. Tick 'reference' on the form or mention it on the fit call and we will introduce you to a peer institution.