11/10/2025
From Classroom to Company: ACCeleratoredu Students Turn Ideas into Reality
Inside the ACCelerator lab, creativity fills as students take their ideas from papers to pitches. The INCubator class gives students the chance to dream up products and companies, but ACCelerator is where those dreams are tested, refined, and launched toward real-world investors.
“It’s a really fun class to teach because every year you have groups come in that have completely different business ideas,” Erin Mathis, ACCelerator and INCubator teacher, said. “Every day I learn probably as much as they do, because I learn about all the different products and how to manufacture them. It’s a practicum class so they take ownership of [their businesses].”
Mathis said that she has seen “tremendous growth” in this year’s cohort of 8 teams.
“This is the biggest group we’ve had,” Ms. Mathis said. “So many of them have overcome challenges like finding manufacturers or managing costs, but they’ve all pushed through.”
The transition from the INCubator to ACCelerator class is defined by the “final pitch,” where students pitch to a panel of investors who determine whether they advance to launching their business and joining the ACCelerator class. Hence, in a practicum class, the teams that research into what customers and investors want are the ones that often end up advancing.
Meet the 2025-26 Accelerator companies:
Better Bite
Outside the Health & Wellness Shop in Steiner Ranch, senior Aishwarya Garapati and her team smile proudly beside a store display featuring their product, Better Bite. Their allergen-free protein bites are designed to provide energy without caffeine crashes.
“Our product is a healthy protein bite that actually tastes good,” Garapati said. “We value a good, chocolatey taste as well as being allergen-free and gluten-free.”
What began as a classroom concept has become a small but thriving business. “We sold out for the first time at a football game, which was huge for us,” Garapati said. “Now we’re restocking stores every week.”
Garapati said her team plans to continue beyond graduation.
Read the rest of Aashka's story at VandegriftVoice.com.