• Exterior of U-N-L-V Innovation Incubator building
  • Lobby of the U-N-L-V Innovation Incubator
  • Double door entrance to the U-N-L-V Innovation Incubator
  • Robert's Headshot
  • Interior of U-N-L-V Innovation Incubator common area

UNLV Innovation Incubator

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Ideation, Incubation, and Acceleration

At UNLV, graduate and undergraduate students who dream of being innovators - creating their own inventions from inception to commercialization - now have the opportunity to participate in the university’s three-stage cycle of innovation: ideation, incubation, and acceleration.

Ideation

Come up with your best and brightest ideas through one of our gaming, esports, and/or hospitality innovation classes.

Incubation

Refine your idea and better prepare yourself for the final stage of innovation - commercialization.

Acceleration

You’ve got a great idea and now you’re ready to showcase your product, network, and commercialize.

Ê×Ò³| Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ the UNLV Innovation Incubator

This is not a typical student program. It is an incubator for student-led startups. To enter the program, undergraduate and graduate students must have first completed the ideation phase of innovation by either:

  • Participating in one of UNLV’s innovation classes;
  • Conducting innovation-related research; or
  • Completing a senior design project or capstone in a related field.

After this, students can either apply for the program or a faculty member/advisor might suggest an entrepreneurial path to students whose ideas show tremendous potential. It is a competitive program where only the best applicants and teams will be selected.

For more information contact Dr. Robert Rippee at Robert.Rippee@unlv.edu.

Once accepted to the program, the students will be instructed over a 8 module/week curriculum on how to take their team to the minimum viable product (MVP) or prototype stage.

Following this incubation phase, students and their teams should be ready to apply for an accelerator program or begin fundraising activities to scale their business.

Contact Us

Professor Robert Rippee
Robert Rippee, MBA, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Black Fire Innovation Hub
robert.rippee@unlv.edu

Announcements

No announcements at this time. Please check again soon.

In the News

GOED
On Oct. 4, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it had selected Nevada as one of six new states to win a FAST Partnership Program grant, which supports technology-driven small businesses in turning their research and development expertise into commercial products. The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) architected the grant application, which builds upon the Sierra Accelerator for Growth and Entrepreneurship (SAGE), a statewide program housed at the Ê×Ò³| Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ and the University of Nevada, Reno. This is the first time that Nevada has won a FAST grant since 2019.
USA Today
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USA Today
Las Vegas is leaning into sports. There’s a shiny new NFL stadium, which in February hosted the Super Bowl. Annual Formula 1 races across the Strip. UFC fights in the Las Vegas Sphere. Arenas hosting NHL and WNBA teams.
USA Today
Las Vegas is leaning into sports. There’s a shiny new NFL stadium, which in February hosted the Super Bowl. Annual Formula 1 races across the Strip. UFC fights in the Las Vegas Sphere. Arenas hosting NHL and WNBA teams.

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