Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth

What Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth does

The Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship is a nonprofit educational hub within Dartmouth College, established in 2018 through a philanthropic gift from Allison and Rick Magnuson '79 and supplemented by 26 Dartmouth Founders Circle gifts of $1 million each. It operates exclusively to serve the Dartmouth community—students, faculty, alumni, and staff—across four program pillars: Connect (Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Network regional alumni chapters in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver, plus the Dartmouth Angels investment network of 110+ members), Create (DALI Lab for software/UI-UX, Harold Cable Makerspace for hardware, DREAM Studio for extended reality), Startup (Venture Studio plus grant programs such as Founder Grants, Class of 2005 Grant, Wily Initiatives Fund, and SBIR/STTR Proposal Assistance), and Accelerate (vertical-specific accelerators DIAC for cancer research with up to $300,000 per project, DIADH for digital health with up to $100,000, DACSA for alumni consumer startups, and HCDC for healthcare delivery with up to $70,000).

The center does not develop proprietary technology or sell a product; its outputs are programs, grants, mentor matching, and physical workspace. It is funded through philanthropic donations and program-specific endowments rather than earned revenue, and it distributes capital to founders rather than generating revenue. Outcomes disclosed include 12 startups created and 6 technologies licensed from healthcare accelerators, $2M+ in direct funding to 73 DIAC teams, $17M+ in follow-on funding raised by accelerator graduates, $20M+ in follow-on funding generated across accelerator companies, and a cosMYC DIAC graduate that secured a $2.5 million fast-track SBIR grant in 2024. Operational staff comprises approximately 20 full-time employees plus roughly 100 student program leaders across the Magnuson Student Leadership Board, DALI Core, and other student governance groups.

The technology stack is non-proprietary: Squarespace-hosted website, Constant Contact newsletter, Eventbrite registration, Gust for angel deal flow, and Zoom for virtual programming. Partnerships are central to delivery and include the Dartmouth Cancer Center (DIAC co-partner), Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (DIADH co-partner), Tuck School of Business (MBA interns for market research and pitch coaching), Simbex (medical device curriculum), Vermont Small Business Law Center, Tn Consulting (SBIR/STTR grant writing), the Dartmouth Technology Transfer Office, Informa (competitive intelligence for DIADH), Palamedes Partners (market research), Dartmouth Health, and the Geisel School of Medicine.

Name

Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth

Legal name

Trustees of Dartmouth College

Website

https://magnuson.dartmouth.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit hub within Dartmouth College founded in 2018, serves Dartmouth students, faculty, alumni, and staff through philanthropic-funded Connect, Create, Startup, and Accelerate programs including DIAC, DIADH, DACSA, Dartmouth Angels, DALI Lab, and the Cable Makerspace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Education & Startup Support

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Startup accelerators
• Venture support programs
• Maker spaces
• Angel investment network

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Established through a generous gift from Allison and Rick Magnuson '79, with additional support from 26 alumni leaders in technology, venture capital, and private equity through the Dartmouth Founders Circle. The center receives ongoing philanthropic support for programs including the Healthcare and Medicine accelerators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth is a non-profit educational hub within Dartmouth College that supports student founders, faculty, alumni, and staff through four program pillars: Connect (community/networking), Create (maker spaces), Startup (grants and venture support), and Accelerate (vertical-specific accelerators in cancer, digital health, consumer startups, and healthcare delivery). It operates accelerators including DIAC, DIADH, DACSA, and HCDC; manages maker spaces DALI Lab, Cable Makerspace, and DREAM Studio; offers grant programs (Founder Grant, Class of 2005 Grant, Wily Initiatives Fund, SBIR/STTR Proposal Assistance); runs the Dartmouth Angels angel network; and hosts the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum flagship event.

Product overview

The Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth is an educational hub that provides a comprehensive ecosystem of programs, resources, and support for student founders, faculty, and alumni. The center operates across four main program areas: Connect (community building through DEN and alumni networks), Create (maker spaces including DALI Lab, Cable Makerspace, and DREAM Studio), Startup (Venture Studio with grant programs), and Accelerate (vertical-specific accelerators including DIAC for cancer therapeutics, DIADH for digital health, DACSA for consumer startups, and HCDC for healthcare delivery). The center also manages Dartmouth Angels for early-stage funding and the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum as its flagship event. These offerings are interconnected, enabling entrepreneurs to move from ideation through creation, funding, and acceleration within a single ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Venture Studio: Startup support program for Dartmouth founders providing professional guidance, workshops, and mentorship
• Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Cancer (DIAC)
• Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Digital Health (DIADH)
• Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Healthcare and Medicine (DIAHM)
• Dartmouth Angels
• Social Venture Incubator (SVI)
• Dartmouth Alumni Consumer Startup Accelerator (DACSA)
• Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Network (DEN)
• DALI Lab
• Healthcare Delivery Challenge (HCDC)
• DREAM Studio
• Harold Cable Makerspace

Products and services

• Venture Studio Provides startup support for founders in the Dartmouth community, including professional guidance, workshops, mentorship, grant programs (Founder Grant, Class of 2005 Grant, Wily Initiatives Fund, SBIR/STTR Proposal Assistance), and community building through the Startup Mentor Network.
• Social Entrepreneurship Hub Helps Dartmouth students build impact-first companies, whether for-profit or hybrid, that tackle real problems. Includes the Social Venture Incubator, Social E-Ship Certificate, Social Blueprint Challenge, and Global Immersion program.
• Dartmouth Angels Connects Dartmouth-affiliated startups with early-stage funding and mentorship through pitch events, one-on-one mentoring, industry-specific guidance, and access to online resources. Features quarterly Spotlight Events.
• Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Cancer (DIAC) A partnership between the Dartmouth Cancer Center and Magnuson Center that provides innovators with support, entrepreneurial guidance, and infrastructure to translate cancer-fighting innovations into the marketplace. Offers up to $300,000 in project funding.
• Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Digital Health (DIADH) Joint effort with the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health that helps Dartmouth innovators translate science-based digital therapeutics and digital health tools into the marketplace. Offers awards up to $100,000.
• Dartmouth Alumni Consumer Startup Accelerator (DACSA) An 8-week hybrid accelerator designed for Dartmouth alumni founders building consumer-facing companies. Provides mentorship, pitch workshops, and an opportunity to compete for $5,000 at Pitch Night in Seattle. No equity required.
• Healthcare Delivery Challenge (HCDC) Challenge-based accelerator focused on creating innovative solutions to help older adults age at home by safely moving between bed, chair, and bathroom. Competitors can pitch for $70,000 in funding.
• DALI Lab Digital Applied Learning and Innovation Lab that employs Dartmouth students to design and code in a startup-like environment. Students work with founders and gain real-world experience in digital innovation.
• Cable Makerspace Harold Cable Makerspace provides access to equipment, resources, and training for building, crafting, and printing. Open to all members of the Dartmouth community to foster creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• DREAM Studio Dartmouth Resources for Emerging Art and Media Studio that works with faculty, staff, alumni, and students to integrate cutting-edge extended reality (XR) technologies with interdisciplinary research, teaching, and learning.
• TuckLAB: Entrepreneurship Certificate in entrepreneurship that equips students from any major with practical business skills through the Tuck School of Business.
• Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) Community of regional alumni, students, and friends of Dartmouth who are building, investing in, or supporting ventures. Active on West Coast with DEN West Coast chapters in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver.
• Founder Grant Cash awards up to $5,000 for on-campus startups to facilitate the start and development of Dartmouth-founded ideas. Open to current students, faculty, and staff.
• Class of 2005 Grant Awards up to $2,500 for a Dartmouth-founded project that has shown promise and traction. Open to enrolled full-time undergraduate Dartmouth students who are founders or co-founders.
• Wily Initiatives Fund Grant Provides financial assistance for internship opportunities that enable undergraduates to gain exposure and work experience at early-stage technology-based startups. Selects 4 grantees to receive $10,000 each.
• SBIR/STTR Proposal Assistance Grant Funds up to 25 hours of proposal support (coaching, writing, project management) from Tn Consulting to help prepare competitive SBIR/STTR funding proposals targeting Phase I NIH funding.
• Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum Flagship event that brings together members of the Dartmouth community interested in entrepreneurship. Held annually on both East Coast (Hanover, NH) and West Coast (San Francisco, CA) to connect founders, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ participants from 73 teams have received $2M+ in funding, generating $17M+ in follow-on funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Dartmouth Cancer CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership between Dartmouth Cancer Center and Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship to provide innovators across Dartmouth with support, entrepreneurial guidance, and infrastructure to translate cancer-fighting innovations into the marketplace. DIAC launched as a philanthropic initiative in October 2020.
• Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (CTBH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint effort with CTBH for the Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Digital Health (DIADH). CTBH is a Dartmouth research center focused on digital therapeutics and behavioral health.
• SimbexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical device and consumer health product design and development partner based in Lebanon, NH. Developed and delivered the ten-week educational component for DIAC in partnership with Magnuson Center.
• Vermont Small Business Law Center at Vermont Law SchoolsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExperts from Vermont Law School host regular in-person office hours on campus to discuss legal questions about new ventures, including company formation and intellectual property.
• Tuck School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTuck MBA students provide business guidance to accelerator teams, conducting market research and providing expertise in business planning, pitching, and competitor analysis.
• Tn ConsultingsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExperts in preparing competitive SBIR & STTR funding applications, providing up to 25 hours of professional grant writing support for winning SBIR/STTR Proposal Assistance Grant recipients.
• Technology Transfer Office (TTO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDartmouth TTO provides intellectual property guidance and licensing support for faculty and research teams participating in accelerator programs, helping them commercialize innovations.
• Informa (Pharmaprojects & Meddevicetracker)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCompetitive intelligence access provided to accelerator participants through Informa's Pharmaprojects and Meddevicetracker platforms.
• DALI LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Applied Learning and Innovation Lab operates within Magnuson Center ecosystem, employing Dartmouth students to design and code in a startup-like environment. DALI Core is the leadership team managing programs and events.
• Harold Cable MakerspacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysical maker space within the Magnuson Center network providing equipment, resources, and training to foster creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration for Dartmouth community.
• DREAM StudiosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDartmouth Resources for Emerging Art and Media Studio works with faculty, staff, alumni, and students to integrate extended reality technologies with interdisciplinary research and learning.
• Palamedes PartnerssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides market research reports for DIADH accelerator participants to support business development and market analysis.
• Dartmouth HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner for healthcare delivery challenges and medical innovation programs, with Dartmouth Health CEO participating in accelerator events.
• Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical school partner for healthcare accelerators, with faculty participating as project leads and researchers in cancer and digital health innovation programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford StartX: Stanford-affiliated founder accelerator providing mentorship, office space, and investor access. Directly comparable as a university-anchored, equity-free (for students) accelerator serving student, faculty, and alumni founders.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's central entrepreneurship hub offering mentoring, funding, maker space access, and accelerator-style programs (e.g., delta v) to MIT students, faculty, and alumni — directly analogous in mission and structure to the Magnuson Center.
• Harvard i-lab & Rock Center: Harvard's innovation lab (i-lab) and Arthur Rock Center provide workspace, mentorship, and programming to Harvard students and alumni entrepreneurs. Operates a similar in-residence and accelerator model targeted at the Harvard community.
• Princeton Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education: Princeton's hub for entrepreneurship and engineering education, running programs like eLab, Innovation Fund, and Innovation Accelerator for Princeton-affiliated founders. Strong structural analog to Magnuson Center.
• Columbia Entrepreneurship (Startup Lab, Columbia Founders): Columbia's central entrepreneurship organization offering Startup Lab workspace, funding, mentorship, and accelerator programs (e.g., NYC-ACRE) to Columbia students and alumni. Direct peer in mission and structure.
• Cornell eLab & Entrepreneurship at Cornell: Cornell's university-wide entrepreneurship initiative running eLab accelerator, REV pitches, and grants for Cornell-affiliated founders. Comparable Ivy League peer with similar founder-supports structure.
• Yale Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking (CITY): Yale's central innovation hub providing mentorship, programming, and venture-building support to Yale students, faculty, and alumni — direct Ivy League analog to Magnuson Center.
• University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Runs the Edward L. Kaplan, MD'42, New Venture Challenge (NVC), one of the largest university-affiliated startup competitions, plus accelerator programming and venture investing — closely comparable to Magnuson's Venture Studio + accelerator model.
• Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship / Haas School of Business: Berkeley's central entrepreneurship hub running LAUNCH accelerator, LAUNCH Seed Fund, and the LAUNCH Accelerator for UC Berkeley-affiliated founders. Comparable university ecosystem with a similar accelerator + funding + maker-space structure.
• UPenn Wharton Entrepreneurship & Penn Center for Innovation: Wharton's entrepreneurship ecosystem plus PCI's venture services provides programming, funding, and IP commercialization to Penn students, faculty, and alumni — closely mirrors Magnuson's blend of education, funding, and IP/Tech Transfer integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/magnusoncenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/magnusoncenterstudents
• Facebookfacebook.com/MagnusonCenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth