Forging founders.
Solving grand challenges.

Big problems demand bold solutions.

At xFoundry, our mission is to solve the world’s most pressing problems—grand challenges—by empowering students through innovation and multidisciplinary competitions. By fostering creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving, we’re building the future one breakthrough at a time.

The TEAMS Philosophy

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in TEAMS.

Technology

We harness cutting-edge technological tools to drive innovation. Our students have access to advanced AI resources, state-of-the-art hardware, and software toolkits that enable them to prototype and develop groundbreaking solutions.

By integrating technology into our approach, we empower students to tackle grand challenges with the most up-to-date tools available.

Entrepreneurship

We cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in our students, equipping them with the skills to turn ideas into impactful ventures.

Through programs like the Xperience Competition and Xperiment Courses, students learn to identify opportunities, develop business models, and pitch their ideas.

Arts & Athletics

Creativity and resiliency are essential for solving complex problems. We integrate arts to foster innovative thinking and leverage the mindset of athletes to build perseverance and teamwork.

Marketing

Effective communication is crucial for any social impact initiative. Our marketing and creative services support students in developing compelling narratives for their projects.

We teach students how to articulate their ideas, create impactful campaigns, and reach their target audiences, ensuring that innovative solutions gain the visibility and support they need to make a difference.

Science

Rigorous research and data-driven approaches underpin our work at xFoundry. We encourage students to apply scientific methodologies to social challenges, ensuring that solutions are grounded in evidence and can be tested and refined.

By integrating scientific thinking across disciplines, we prepare students to develop robust, scalable solutions to grand challenges.

talent reach
25x

Competitions can engage up to 25 times more diverse talent than traditional recruitment methods, tapping into a wider pool of innovative thinkers1.

knowledge spillover
7x

The collaborative environment results in seven times more shared learning and cross-pollination of ideas among participants2.

solution diversity
15x

The competitive nature attracts a wide range of participants, leading to a much broader spectrum of potential solutions to grand challenges3.

idea generation
10x

Competitions typically generate ten times more viable ideas compared to internal innovation processes, fostering a rich environment for creativity4.

Challenge domains

Explore the six unique challenge domains at XFoundry, where innovation meets real-world problems, driving the next wave of impactful solutions.

I believe that participating in multidisciplinary efforts like xFoundry will enhance our ability to truly embody and pursue the goals of our community.‍
Kimberly Griffin, Ph.D.
Dean
College of Education - University of Maryland, College Park
It's really exciting that through xFoundry, they could work on these teams with students and faculty from across campus and get this kind of interdisciplinary thinking.‍
Rafael Lorente
Dean
Philip Merrill College of Journalism - University of Maryland, College Park
Students aren't just learning the skills in solving grand challenges, but also the skillset to develop the problem solving process, the ideation, allowing those wild ideas for brainstorming and thinking.
Martha Wang, Ph.D.
Xperiment Faculty (XPER 433) | Assistant Director
xFoundry@UMD | Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
I'm learning from the professors in XPER444 to apply it to my own business. To take into account all these skills and what it means to have a business. And I just like having a solution or solving a problem that can benefit others.
Felix Ogordi '26
B.S. Computer Science
College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences - University of Maryland, College Park