For university affiliates

Give students the real-world experience employers now expect.

xFoundry's turnkey experiential learning programs expand career readiness, industry connection, and problem solving through venture formation for students of every discipline on campus.

4
industry-adjacent programs
1,500+
credentialed hours of real-world skill building earned by students
100%
operational from day one. No build or new hires to implement
92%
of campus-wide student talent tapped and primed for existing programming
The ADVANTAGE

A different kind of learning layer

xFoundry amplifies and strengthens programs already present on campus, giving visible, outcome-based proof of student impact and university positioning.

Multidisciplinary teams

Engineers, designers, scientists, arts, and business students build side by side, so diversity of thought becomes the team's competitive edge.

Industry-validated challenges

Industry partners set the problem and the bar. Teams build investment-grade solutions over 12–18 months to real market requirements, judged by working investors, not a classroom rubric.

Employer-legible, credentialed experience

Participation produces an individual credential for resumes and LinkedIn showing each student's precise portfolio of software development, marketing, operations, and sales strategy, amplifying their degree with a career-ready edge.

Group of diverse young adults collaborating on assembly work with metal rods in workshop.
Group of people in a lit room listening to woman with a prosthetic leg speaking and gesturing.
Older man in a blazer speaking to a group of young men with backpacks in a lecture hall.
ONE MEMBERSHIP, FOUR PROGRAMS

Define

Horizons Challenge

Solve

Xperience

Xpand

Launch

Xcelerate

THE PARTNERSHIP

A solution engine that gives back

xFoundry connects colleges with one experiential ecosystem that amplifies the programs you already run instead of competing with them. A single membership opens every program to every eligible student, across one or more cycles, and gives you visible, outcome-based proof of student impact.

Students work in a bright makerspace with 3D printers, computers, and modern lighting fixtures.
Woman in red sweater speaking to seated and standing listeners in a modern classroom setting.
Team DefenX holding $250,000 check and trophy on stage at University of Maryland event.
University of Maryland logo: Red "M" with gold outline

Proven at the University of Maryland

xFoundry was founded and launched at the University of Maryland's E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory as a Presidential Strategic Initiative. It's validated by a historic five-year Space Act Agreement between NASA and the University System of Maryland to continue xFoundry programs to connect students to real-world, NASA problem sets.

65+
degree programs represented
794
student competitors
81%
of first-cohort graduates placed in professional roles or advanced study
+394%
cohort growth to 73 teams at the latest launch
Aerial view of a forest wildfire with a long line of flames and thick smoke covering the area.

Featured venture

Norden Labs

Norden Labs started as a University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering student and faculty team in the XPRIZE Wildfire Competition. Within an xFoundry cycle they engineered, validated, and pressure-tested an AI system that could detect wildfires in real time. After finishing as semifinalists, their work grew into a venture that develops sovereign AI vision systems designed to run on the edge wherever connectivity and computing power are limited. Its technology now powers product lines like Ember for wildfire detection and Talos for drone-based reconnaissance where normal communication isn't possible.

$20 Million
current valuation
NASA logoView of a star-filled night sky with a bright nebula and dark cosmic dust clouds.

Featured Partner

NASA

xFoundry works alongside NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate to connect university student teams with real space-exploration challenges, pairing students with NASA experts through design challenges, competitions, and mentorship. The collaboration builds on the 2025 NEXPLORE Summit, where students tackled technology gaps in deep-space exploration.

5-year
Space Act Agreement signed with NASA.

Real stories.

Real impact.

"This is a watershed moment for the University of Maryland. This is the most innovative ecosystem that we could have ever created."
Darryll Pines, Ph.D.
President, University of Maryland
"It is critical that you interact with broad disciplines in order to solve problems. You bring multiple disciplines to the table in order to find the best solution, fastest."
Samuel Graham, Ph.D.
Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
"By collectively bringing these different entities together, I think our students will have a profound impact on these really important problems. So I am super excited about the prospect of our students being involved in this."
Sarah L.J. Michel, Ph.D.
Dean, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
"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
"When different teams with diverse skills come together for a real-world project, the collaboration results in a great idea."
Prabhudev Konana, Ph.D.
Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
"The xFoundry experience is about bringing people together across campus to develop transformational solutions to society's biggest problems."
Jennifer Rice, Ph.D.
Provost, University of Maryland, College Park
"This is a watershed moment for the University of Maryland. This is the most innovative ecosystem that we could have ever created."
Darryll Pines, Ph.D.
President, University of Maryland
"It is critical that you interact with broad disciplines in order to solve problems. You bring multiple disciplines to the table in order to find the best solution, fastest."
Samuel Graham, Ph.D.
Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
"By collectively bringing these different entities together, I think our students will have a profound impact on these really important problems. So I am super excited about the prospect of our students being involved in this."
Sarah L.J. Michel, Ph.D.
Dean, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
"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
"When different teams with diverse skills come together for a real-world project, the collaboration results in a great idea."
Prabhudev Konana, Ph.D.
Dean, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
"The xFoundry experience is about bringing people together across campus to develop transformational solutions to society's biggest problems."
Jennifer Rice, Ph.D.
Provost, University of Maryland, College Park

Keep exploring.

Join the xFoundry Alliance

Tell us about your institution and your goals. We'll show you what a named xFoundry program looks like on your campus.

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