Registration for the Mental Health Xperience has officially closed, and the response from the community has been extraordinary, making this the largest cohort yet.

‍A Multi-University Effort with National Reach

Mental Health Xperience has evolved into a true cross-institutional collaboration. The University of Maryland, College Park leads with the largest number of teams, joined by strong participation from partner institutions including the University of Maryland, Baltimore and SUNY Binghamton.

Each institution contributes distinct expertise, from undergraduate innovators to graduate and professional students, strengthening a shared effort to address one of today’s most urgent grand challenges: mental health.

From Ideas to Investment-Ready Ventures

For these student innovators, this isn't just a competition. It's a venture-building journey.

Over the next 12 months, 50 teams will move through four phases designed to push the strongest ideas toward investment-grade solutions:

• Build: Establish problem-solution fit, identify target users, and develop a business model
• Test: Move from wireframes to functional prototypes through iterative user validation
• Implement: Pilot the MVP with real users and generate evidence of product-market fit
• Conclude: Prepare investment-ready pitches and present to a panel of venture investors

The winning team will have the opportunity to secure up to $250,000 in investment through the Xponential Fund and a pathway to market through xFoundry's Xcelerator.

A Full Innovation Ecosystem

Our student innovators aren't doing this alone. As Xperience competitors, they get access to xFoundry's full resource suite: the AI-powered Resource MatriX, the Mission Guide curriculum, mentor office hours, and direct connections to industry CXOs through the Xperts network. This structure ensures teams are not just building ideas, but developing solutions with real-world validation and guidance.

‍Momentum on the Ground

The starting line is already behind us. MiXers, team prep sessions, and campus meetups are underway as student innovators sharpen their ideas. They aren't just discussing the mental health crisis, they're building scalable products and ventures to solve it. The work ahead is significant, and the coming months will determine how these ideas translate into meaningful, lasting impact

The resources are in place. The mentors are ready. Now, the stage is set to build solutions that make a real difference.

Follow xFoundry for team spotlights and competition updates as the Mental Health Xperience unfolds.