Startup accelerator transforms bold ideas into real-world impact
ATLANTA, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- CREATE-X, the accelerator program at Georgia Tech, today announced that it has received the 2025 ABET Innovation Award from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The award honors programs that challenge the status quo in technical education and demonstrate a measurable impact on student learning in ABET-accredited disciplines, including natural sciences, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
Founded more than a decade ago, CREATE-X helps students launch real startups and gain entrepreneurial confidence. Since its inception, 4,350 students have completed CREATE-X courses. Overall, it has supported the creation of over 650 startups, collectively valued at $2.4 billion.
"We are so proud that ABET has recognized Georgia Tech's CREATE-X as a leader in student entrepreneurial success, while we continually challenge traditional models of education and provide unique learning experiences," said Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, co-founder of CREATE-X, chief commercialization officer, and vice president of commercialization at Georgia Tech. "Our students work tirelessly to solve real-world problems through innovative solutions, and we provide them the support, mentorship, and a dynamic, experiential learning model that they need to see success."
Olufisayo "Fisayo" Omojokun, associate dean in the College of Computing and CREATE-X instructor, attributed the recognition to CREATE-X's successes in academic innovation and commercial impact.
"CREATE-X's mission is to instill that entrepreneurial confidence, providing a key differentiator for the next generation. This recognition is a testament to our myriad of successes in academic innovation and commercial impact," Omojokun said.
The ABET Innovation Award defines programs as innovative by their efforts in giving a new dimension to education in areas that include curriculum development, laboratory experiences, teaching methodologies, cross-disciplinary programs, experiential learning, and anything designed and proven to improve a student's educational experience.
Rahul Saxena, CREATE-X director, emphasized the importance of experiential learning. "It infuses more real-world scenarios in a safe environment; teaches students to build solutions designed to address pain points; and gets them working across different disciplines before they graduate. This entrepreneurial mindset and the entrepreneurial confidence they gain is a lifelong skill, regardless of whether their startup is successful," he said.
The 2025 ABET Innovation Award will be presented at the ABET Awards Celebration on October 24, 2025 in Baltimore.
About CREATE-X at Georgia Tech: Structured around three core pillars, Learn, Make and Launch, CREATE-X offers students a comprehensive pathway from ideation to launching a startup. Courses like Startup Lab, Idea to Prototype, and CREATE-X Capstone provide students with entrepreneurial education, mentorship, funding, and support for building a product. Startup Launch gives participants an avenue to accelerate product development into venture launch during the summer. At its core, CREATE-X teaches students to define problems before they jump to solutions. B-roll footage can be viewed here and here.
Media Contact
Lauren Schiffman, Georgia Tech, 1 415-684-8080, [email protected], https://www.gatech.edu
SOURCE Georgia Tech
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