Georgetown  Entrepreneurship & The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund

Georgetown Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the AIM-HI Accelerator Fund (AIM-HI), is proud to offer the “Biotech Startup Crowdfunding Marketing Fellowship (Summer 2025)” to two Georgetown University students for a fellowship focused on learning entrepreneurship and health care. The ultimate goal is to develop future leaders at the intersection of healthcare and entrepreneurship, with a particular interest in oncology.

What the Fellowship Offers

  • $4,500 stipend per student 
  • Commitment: A 10-week Summer 2025 Fellowship with hybrid work options (4 days in the office in Rockville, MD, and 1 day remote per week)
  • Evaluate the successful cases by analyzing data and interviewing the Founder/CEO of those companies that have raised investments from the StartEngine crowdfunding platform.
  • Propose a crowdfunding strategy for select AIM-HI portfolio companies.
  • Analyze and select two of 20 portfolio companies to prototype the funding package.
  • Create/prototype the two selected companies’ funding packages for StarEngine, a well-known crowdfunding platform for biotech startups. 
  • An educational experience provided by AIM-HI 
  • Participation in healthcare entrepreneurship activities, web publications, and social media coverage about the Fellowship.
Timeline
 February – May 2025
o Recruitment and selection of applicants. Georgetown Entrepreneurship and AIM-HI will finalize the cohort of Fellows.
 June – August 2025
o Fellows participate in educational opportunities provided by AIM-HI, working closely with its leadership team and relevant portfolio companies.
 October 2025
o Fellows attend the NFCR Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research and Entrepreneurship on October 24, 2025.

Eligibility
 Applicant must be full-time enrolled undergraduate or graduate students at Georgetown University.

Application Process
Submit your resume and cover letter to Eye@aim-hiaccelerator.org.  Priority deadline: April 16, 2025   Final deadline: April 30
 Applications with writing samples and/or an edited video clip will be given priority.
 Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the final decision announced no later than May 2025.

Selection Criteria
The AIM-HI application committee will select two (2) self-motivated, fast-learning, and entrepreneurial students who are passionate about understanding how biotech companies are funded and the drug development process.
Required Qualifications:
 Entrepreneurship Interest or Background:
o Strong interest or academic focus (major/minor) in Entrepreneurship, with experience applying “lean startup” principles;
 Biomedical Science or Healthcare Expertise:
o Ability to understand and effectively translate complex scientific concepts and healthcare technologies into investor-friendly language and visuals.
 Business/Marketing Experience:
o Demonstrated skills in creativity, storytelling, and communication, including writing/editing, video production, and/or storyboarding, particularly of complex or scientific subjects.

AIM-HI/Biotech Startup Fellows ‘23/’24

Nirmal Maitra ‘23/’24

What the Fellowship Offers

  • Co-Founder Heroes for Hearts, Inc 
  • Co-founder Enna Health 
  • M.D. Candidate Georgetown University School of Medicine ’25
  • B.S. Georgetown University ‘17 (Human Science)
Chloe Verwiel ‘23/’24

What the Fellowship Offers

  • M.D. Candidate Georgetown University School of Medicine ’25
  • B.A. Georgetown University ‘19 (Econ, Chemistry/Cogn. Science)
  • Founder, Georgetown University Students for Health and Medical Equity (GUSHME)

 

“As the first cohort of this evolving fellowship, we [Nirmal & Chloe] worked with AIM-HI with helping them essentially “translate” some of their scientific materials to make them more accessible to the general public, thought through strategies to develop partnerships with oncology centers in the nation, and interviewed CEOs of their portfolio companies in an effort to generate materials for and implement a crowdfunding campaign for those companies.” -Nirmal Maitra, H’17, MED’25

About

The AIM-HI Accelerator Fund (AIM-HI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2019 by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) to provide oncology startups with the resources they need to drive innovative discoveries forward, out of the lab, to the clinics, and eventually to the people battling cancer. Our mission is to bridge the gap between research breakthroughs and clinical trials, aiming to develop innovative cancer therapies and technologies that can save patients’ lives. For more information, visit AIM-HIaccelerator.org. Emerging biotechnologies developed by early-stage oncology companies hold immense potential to revolutionize healthcare and address pressing global challenges. However, these breakthroughs often require substantial financial resources to advance research, development, and commercialization.

 

Crowdfunding for Biotech Startups

Crowdfunding has emerged as a transformative tool for the growth and development of biotech startups. It offers a unique platform for biotech entrepreneurs to connect directly with a diverse pool of individual investors who are passionate about scientific advancements and eager to support innovative projects. By leveraging the social media and online networks, biotech startups can showcase their cutting-edge technologies, present compelling narratives, and engage with a wide range of potential backers. In addition to providing financial support, crowdfunding serves as a validation of market demand for novel biotech solutions often attracting further investment from traditional venture capitalists and strategic partners. Successful crowdfunding campaigns also generate valuable buzz, increasing awareness and fostering a community of supporters who may later become loyal customers. Crowdfunding has become an essential avenue for biotech startups to access capital, gain exposure, and accelerate their transformative work in biotechnology.

 

AIM-HI Crowdfunding Initiative

AIM-HI plans to offer a specialized marketing service to its portfolio companies of early-stage oncology companies, empowering them to raise critical seed funding from seed from angel and seed investors via crowdfunding platforms such as StartEngine. This initiative aims to bridge funding gaps and provide these companies with the resources they need to advance their innovative cancer therapies and technologies.

 

Please direct inquiries about the fellowship to Eye@aim-hiaccelerator.org.