McKelvey Engineering students participate in Mayfield AI Garage launch
Collaboration between Mayfield, McKelvey Engineering and Skandalaris Center supports entrepreneurship in AI
Students in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis were among the participants in the launch of a new opportunity for AI entrepreneurs available at WashU.
Mayfield AI Garage @ WashU, a collaboration between Mayfield, Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital firm in the AI sector, the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship at WashU, and the McKelvey School of Engineering at WashU, was introduced to the WashU community Feb. 24 in Whitaker Hall.
The WashU AI Garage serves as a launchpad for AI founders, providing essential resources and mentorship to help elevate their ideas at various stages of development, from concept to venture. The hands-on program is designed to help students turn their AI ideas into companies by providing capital, mentorship, compute credits and other benefits. Over six months, students will establish a foundation to build their companies through support from Mayfield, NVIDIA, Microsoft for Startups, Orrick and SkyDeck.
Winning teams will receive:
- Up to $350,000 in Microsoft Azure Compute Credits
- NVIDIA Inception Program benefits
- Up to $25,000 in Orrick legal services credits
- Stipend of up to $50,000
- Mentorship from the Mayfield team
- Access to Skandalaris Center’s Launchpad Program
All current WashU students are invited to apply for the program, which runs from May to November 2026. Students may have an early-stage prototype or minimum viable product or an AI project with initial customer interest. Students who accept a spot are expected to work on their idea full-time during the summer, and part-time in the fall (for those returning to school).
The announcement followed a panel discussion on the future of AI at WashU featuring II Luscri, assistant vice provost of innovation and entrepreneurship at WashU; Marc Bernstein, CEO and founder of Balto; and Irving Hsu, principal at Mayfield.
“The energy around the entrepreneurial ecosystem on this campus is very contagious,” Hsu said. “And regardless of what part of the life cycle they are in, everyone is just driven to build something that’s really impactful. Their mission and values align with what we hope to see at Mayfield.”
The launch of the AI Garage is a continuation of a partnership between WashU and Mayfield — a new pathway for student AI ventures — that began last fall when the firm co-hosted an AI hackathon.
“The fact that an accelerator this important is looking at WashU is an amazing opportunity for students,” Alan Rivas Munoz, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, said.
Interested students may apply online. Applications are open and due by March 20.
