Summer with Skandy Kicks Off: Students and Founders Begin 10 Weeks of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Skandalaris Center officially launched its 2026 summer programming on June 1, welcoming Launchpad founders and interns, SkIP interns, and venture teams for the start of a 10-week experience focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and community.The day began with a kickoff breakfast and orientation at the Skandalaris Center, bringing together participants from both the Skandalaris Launchpad and Skandalaris Internship Program (SkIP) cohorts. Students had the opportunity to meet fellow participants, connect with founders and learn more about the programming, mentorship and opportunities that will shape their summer experience.

For Launchpad founders, June 1 marked the start of an immersive startup development program designed to help ventures accelerate growth through mentorship, workshops, dedicated workspace and access to entrepreneurial resources. Accelerator teams will also receive intern support as they work toward key milestones over the summer. At the same time, SkIP interns began placements with startups across the St. Louis region, where they will spend the summer contributing directly to early-stage companies while gaining firsthand experience in entrepreneurship. The program pairs students with innovative ventures and combines full-time startup work with weekly professional development programming hosted by the Skandalaris Center.

This summer’s participating companies span a broad range of industries, including artificial intelligence, biotech, healthcare, consumer products, software and sustainability. Together, they represent the diversity and energy of the St. Louis innovation ecosystem.

The kickoff also provided a preview of the summer ahead. Participants will engage in weekly cohort programming featuring leadership development, networking opportunities, mentorship, career workshops, a summer hackathon, a tour of the Cortex Innovation District, Reverse IdeaBounce® and the Skandalaris Launchpad Expo in August. One of the first collaborative initiatives of the summer is the upcoming Hackathon on June 17. Launchpad founders and SkIP host companies were asked to identify real-world challenges facing their ventures. The cohort will vote on these challenge statements, which will become the foundation for cross-functional teams to tackle during the event.

While the summer officially begins with internships and venture building, the larger goal is community. Over the next 10 weeks, students and founders will work alongside one another, learn from experienced mentors and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to build and grow a company. As participants left orientation and headed to their startups, Skandalaris co-working spaces and company offices, one thing was clear: Summer with Skandy is officially underway.