• Financial Support: $30,000 non-dilutive stipend to support your participation
• Youth Co-Creator Collaboration: Partner with Headstream’s  Youth Co-Creator Club to gain invaluable insights on cultural relevance, age-appropriateness, and user experience, ensuring your solutions resonate deeply and effectively with the next generation
• Advisor Network: Connect with various expert advisors across multiple industries and receive guidance, resources, and support in navigating your entrepreneurial journey
• Investor Readiness: Engage with potential investors and capital providers
• Community Building: Build lasting relationships with dedicated entrepreneurs, experts, and advisors to support your well-being beyond the program
• Founder Well-being: Headstream is a proud signatory of the Founder Mental Health Pledge and recognizes the many sacrifices founders make in doing this important work. Through our program, get access to one-on-one and group coaching sessions with our well-being partner, FounderWell.

The Headstream Accelerator is ideal for innovations that aim to positively impact youth mental well-being, especially BIPOC, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Our work is primarily on solutions within the education & healthcare markets but we encourage and welcome all impactful digital solutions to apply.

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We strive to drive innovations that address the diverse needs of young people by reaching them where they are at, whether that is directly, through schools, healthcare providers or community members. Learn more about some of our Headstream Accelerator alumni and their innovations:

• Backpack Healthcare | Founder Hafeezah Muhammad
• Inpathy | Founder Ziarekenya Smith
• Local Civics | Founder Beverly León
• Astro Studios | Co-Founders Gael Aitor and Kayla Suarez
• Legends | Founder Sonny Caberwal
• Clymb | Founder Ashley Williams

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For more information, check out our alumni cohort!

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A panel of experts including teens, technologists, investors, educators, and well-being specialists will evaluate the applicants using the following criteria:

1. Positive Impact on Youth Mental Wellbeing: Your product should be focused on positively impacting youth mental well-being, with a primary emphasis on reaching the education and healthcare markets.
2. Youth Focus: The Headstream Accelerator is open to all applicants with tech-based solutions geared towards supporting young people in the U.S. We have a particular interest in innovations aimed at teenagers (aged 13-19), but we also welcome solutions for pre-teen or older college-aged youth.
3. Inclusivity: Your product should already be reaching or have the potential to reach BIPOC, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ youth, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity and diversity.‍
4. Tech-Based: The Headstream Accelerator is open to all applicants with tech-based solutions focused on supporting young people and their support systems with a focus on education and healthcare in the U.S.
5. Primary Market - United States: The U.S. is the primary market of focus. International applicants with a presence in the U.S. are still eligible to apply.
6. Diverse Respondents: Academics, companies, entrepreneurs, inventors, organizations, research institutions, national laboratories, government agencies, social enterprises, and funders are welcome to apply.
7. Innovation Stages: Whether you have a functional prototype, a market-ready product, or an established solution, we encourage you to apply.  We do not consider submissions that are solely theoretical designs or limited to ideas on paper will not be considered. Applicants ready to be supported by industry partners or ready to scale will receive the most benefit from the Headstream Accelerator
8. Sustainable Funding Model: Your plans should outline a revenue-driven, sustainable business model. This model will be evaluated by the Headstream team and our network of advisors who actively participate as applicant evaluators. Academics, companies, entrepreneurs, inventors, organizations, research institutions, national laboratories, government agencies, social enterprises, and funders are welcome to apply. For-profit startups will benefit the most from the Accelerator, but other entities are eligible to apply as long as they have a sustainable funding model.

• Full Participation: Actively engage in all cohort calls, youth co-creation sessions, events, and program activities including an in-person multi-day kickoff at the end of February 2025 and a virtual closing summit at the end of the program

• Weekly Commitment: 2-5 hours per week on average–activities include virtual cohort calls, collaboration with the Youth Co-Creator Club, advisor office hours, and Headstream guide calls

• Youth Co-Creation: Integrate youth voices throughout your product lifecycle and understand the significant impact your innovations can have on their lives and experiences