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The Dry Dock

Where Vanderbilt Founders Build What's Next

The Dry Dock is a unique, university-led venture studio model at Vanderbilt University designed to optimize both the founder and the startup to launch the next generation of unicorns. More than a hackathon, and more flexible than a traditional studio, the Dry Dock combines students, alumni, and faculty to build real companies solving validated challenges.

Inspired by our maritime mascot, the Dry Dock is where early-stage ventures are constructed, tested, and prepared for launch.

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Spring 2026: Frontier Tech

Sponsors:

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Cooley

Speakers:

 

 
How it Works

The Dry Dock sits at the intersection of education, industry, and entrepreneurship.

We source high-impact problems directly from development partners and corporate sponsors, then assemble founder-led teams to explore, validate, and commercialize solutions. Each cohort operates with the urgency of a startup and the support of a world-class university ecosystem.

This is not a pitch competition or classroom simulation—it’s a company-building platform.

Problem First Venture Creation
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Entrepreneurship through Apprenticeship
Faculty and alumni leaning in to help Vanderbilt founders refine products get adoption and perfect got

Problem-First Venture Creation

The Dry Dock begins with meaningful, sponsor-defined challenges rooted in real market demand. Teams focus on solving problems customers are already motivated to pay for.

Evidence-Based Team Formation

Alumni and students are matched using evidence-based principles shown to increase startup success—optimizing for complementary skills, experience, and execution capability rather than self-selection alone.

Alumni-led, Student-Powered

Alumni founders lead ventures as operators and decision-makers. Students join teams in functional roles—product, engineering, go-to-market, operations—gaining hands-on experience building alongside seasoned entrepreneurs.

Expert-Support, Real Momentum

Teams are supported by Vanderbilt alumni and faculty experts as they validate customers, refine products, and go-to-market. The focus is execution, learning speed, and real-world traction.

Who It's For
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Alumni Founders

Looking to start their next company with top-tier talent and institutional support

Vanderbilt students who want to participate in a hackathon ventu-2

Vanderbilt Students

who want to learn entrepreneurship by building real startups, not case studies

Corporate partners who partner with Vanderbilt through a venture st-1

Corporate Partners

seeking innovation, talent, and early access to new ventures

Vanderbilt faculty who want to support startup creation

Faculty Experts

interested in translating research and insight into market impact