FIU Business is unveiling Ivy Factory, a new platform and accelerator initiative designed to give students the tools, mentorship and structure they need to turn ideas into market-ready businesses.
The 15-week program, hosted by the FIU Business Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center in partnership with Ivy & Company, will serve as a pilot for students interested in exploring entrepreneurship. Ivy & Company, a global leader in startup accelerators across the Middle East and Gulf region, has supported more than 3,500 ventures that collectively raised more than $80 million. The partnership brings that experience, along with AI-enabled resources, directly to FIU’s student community.
“Ivy Factory is more than an accelerator, it’s a guided pathway for students to move from the idea stage to building a real business,” said Jennyca Jerome, an FIU Business MBA student who participated in an early stage of the program and founded custom wig shop The Upskale Collection. “The program gave me structure, mentorship and the right tools to avoid common mistakes and gain the confidence to grow my company.”
The Ivy Factory platform integrates AI-powered tools for market research, financial projections and pitch deck design, reducing the time students spend on early-stage busy work. Participants also benefit from mentorship at multiple stages of the program, with input from experienced entrepreneurs and faculty affiliated with institutions such as UC Berkeley, IE Business School, Babson College and Stanford.
A hallmark of the program is FIU Venture Day, where students present their startups to a panel of judges that includes investors and members of Miami’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event provides students with visibility and an opportunity to test their business models in front of industry leaders.
Applications are open now for the fall cohort and the deadline to apply is October 10, 2025. The process requires an idea submission, personality quiz and short video pitch.
For more information, students can visit the Ivy Factory web page.