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Gabelli Ignite – Startup Launchpad

Mario J. Gabelli Innovations Program · ҹɫÊÓƵ

The proposal deadline has passed — but it’s not too late to join!

While new proposals are no longer being accepted, you can still join the program by becoming a member of an existing team.

$80K

Non-dilutive funding available

5-10 hours

Time commitment per week

9 months

Lab-to-market acceleration program

5

Teams selected for the program

Ready to join a team?

Fill out the partner interest form to add yourself to the partner registry and find an opportunity to contribute to a Gabelli Ignite startup.

By filling out the partner interest form, you’ll also be a part of the Gabelli Ignite 2027 interest group. You’ll receive updates and reminders about upcoming workshops, events, team-building opportunities and other ways to get involved with Gabelli Ignite.

 

The Journey: Your Flight Plan

Every stage is a checkpoint you clear – not a class you sit through. See what it takes to clear it each stage. Miss a checkpoint, and the mission ends there – that's the point.

 

Structured Lab-to-Market Method

Three checkpoints. Zero fluff.

These checkpoints, as indicated in the journey (your flight plan), will occur October through March. The selected teams work the same structured curriculum – validated monthly by their advisory board.

Checkpoint A – Business case validation

  • Commercial problem validation and market sizing
  • Customer discovery and segmentation
  • IP inventory and competitive benchmarking

Checkpoint B – Proof of concept

  • Unit economics: pricing, cost of goods sold (COGS), gross margin
  • Testable proof-of-concept build
  • Regulatory pathway mapping

Checkpoint C – Go-to-market (GTM)

  • GTM strategy and lighthouse wins
  • Capital strategy and valuation milestones
  • Catalyst roadmap to unlock value
 

The Pack Pitch

Walk into the Pack Pitch.

Teams who clear all three checkpoints pitch to a rolling panel of five seasoned venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. The judges can invest directly or nominate you for a Gabelli Entrepreneurship Award.

5

Venture capitalists and entrepreneurs on the panel

3

Awards at $10K each

1

Shot, thoroughly reviewed

Mission Payout

  • Seed Grant – clears Checkpoint A: Up to $10,000
  • Gabelli Entrepreneurship Award: Up to $10,000
  • Awards available per cohort: Up to 3
  • Non-dilutive
 

Pre-Flight Readiness Check

Are you cleared for launch?

Think about what's true for you – see how many boxes you check. There's no wrong score; it just tells you where you stand today.

  • I'm a full-time ҹɫÊÓƵ undergrad, grad or postdoc (any department)
  • I have an idea that's differentiated, scalable and solves a real problem
  • I have – or am willing to build – a team with technical and business skills
  • I can line up two faculty references
  • I'm ready for a 9-month commitment (about 5-10 hours per week) with monthly milestone reviews

Mario J. Gabelli Innovations Program

Gabelli Ignite is a startup launchpad sponsored by the Mario J. Gabelli Innovations Program, positioning the ҹɫÊÓƵ as the premier catalyst for Northern Nevada's next generation of innovators.

Program contacts

Rajul Misra, Ph.D. | Program Director | rajulm@unr.edu
Marissa Dean | Director, Innevation Center | marissadean@unr.edu

Location

ҹɫÊÓƵ Innevation Center