Organization · Incubator
The Garage at Northwestern University
The Garage at Northwestern University is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub that supports student-led startups and projects. It fosters a collaborative startup culture and serves as a community for students across disciplines.
Overview
What The Garage at Northwestern University does
What The Garage at Northwestern University is
The Garage at Northwestern University is an innovation and entrepreneurship hub that supports student-led startups and projects. It fosters a collaborative startup culture and serves as a community for students across disciplines.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports program host and community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Incubator
- Founded
- Founded in 2015
- Approximate age
- About 11 years
- Structured capabilities
- Program host · Community
- Last reviewed
- April 11, 2026
What Incubator means
An incubator is a support environment for turning a nascent idea or early company into a startup that is more ready for customers, funding, or an accelerator.
Open the glossary entryOfficial channels
Find The Garage at Northwestern University elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
The Garage at Northwestern University as a program host
Program thesis
The Garage at Northwestern University is an entrepreneurial community and workspace designed for students to develop their ideas and startups.
Focus narrative
The Garage focuses on supporting student-led startups and entrepreneurial initiatives across various sectors, including technology, arts, and nonprofit ventures. It offers programs that cater to different stages of startup development, from ideation to growth, and encourages participation from all full-time, degree-seeking Northwestern students.
Value and support
The Garage offers mentorship, funding opportunities, and a collaborative workspace for student entrepreneurs. It provides various programs tailored to different stages of startup development, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
Terms and economics
- Indicative investment
- $10,000
Format and cadence
- Typical duration
- 10 weeks
- Format
- In Person
Availability
- Application state
- Accepting
Focus and fit
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Regions
- United States
Alumni and track record
Alumni context
The Garage has hosted over 1,000 student-founded startups since its inception. Notable startups include AdBook, a self-serve platform for local businesses to manage ad inventory; AirNX, a consumer-focused carbon capture device; and Bhive, which creates affordable, AI-driven drone swarms.
Capability profile
The Garage at Northwestern University as a community
Community overview
The Garage at Northwestern University is an entrepreneurial community and workspace designed for students to develop their ideas and startups. Founded in June 2015, it is located in Evanston, Illinois. The Garage serves as a hub for student entrepreneurs, providing resources, mentorship, and a collaborative environment to foster innovation.
Community focus
The Garage focuses on supporting student-led startups and entrepreneurial initiatives across various sectors, including technology, arts, and nonprofit ventures. It offers programs that cater to different stages of startup development, from ideation to growth, and encourages participation from all full-time, degree-seeking Northwestern students.
Member value
Members gain access to mentorship, funding opportunities, and a collaborative workspace designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. The Garage provides various programs tailored to different stages of startup development, ensuring that students have the resources they need to succeed.
Membership
- Recorded members
- 1,000
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Students
- Benefits
- mentorship, network-access, and grant-funding
- Program types
- incubator, fellowship, and community
- Selection criteria
- open
- Stages
- Pre-seed · Seed
- Regions
- United States
Community activity
Events and activity
The Garage hosts various events, including a weekly Family Dinner for residents to connect and hear from guest speakers, a quarterly Startup Matchmaking event for students to join existing startups, and a Women in Entrepreneurship Dinner aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs.
Notable members
The Garage has hosted over 1,000 student-founded startups, including notable ventures such as AdBook, AirNX, Bhive, BlossomsAI, CrowdListen, Domyra Health, and ELIOS.
Common questions
What to know about The Garage at Northwestern University
Upseed classifies The Garage at Northwestern University under the Incubator organization type. Its current public profile includes program host and community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 11, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.