For Network Partners

Three students sit on stage under a screen that reads "Stevens Institute of Technology: Student Presentations"

Unlocking Overlooked Potential

Higher education institutions have long struggled to identify and nurture students whose exceptional talents don't align with traditional academic metrics. The growing global demand for innovation in fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, climate technology and healthcare requires us to cast a wider net for talent.

Many of today's most successful tech entrepreneurs and innovators performed unevenly in traditional educational settings. Their gifts for pattern recognition, creative problem-solving and visionary thinking often went unrecognized — or were even perceived as obstacles — in conventional classroom environments.

Emilio's idea was to build a program that nurtures and supports students with unconventional strengths and passions that can be put to good use — students like him.
Nariman FarvardinPresident of Stevens Institute of Technology

Join the iSTEM Network

A Proven Success Story

Since 2019, iSTEM at Stevens has achieved remarkable outcomes from a program serving just 69 total students:

  • Created 20+ portfolio companies — with some achieving extraordinary success

  • Maintained a 91% student retention rate — demonstrating the power of an educational model that engages unconventional thinkers

  • Averaged 3+ new business incorporations per year — an extraordinary rate for a program with only ~40 active students at any time

  • Achieved 100% employment for graduates — with placements at leading tech companies or founder roles in promising startups

  • Generated $5M+ in venture capital — proving the market value of solutions created by iSTEM students

The scale of these outcomes demonstrates the extraordinary potential of the iSTEM model when applied to even a small cohort of unconventional thinkers.

Why Partner With Us?

  • Tap into new talent pools: Identify and nurture students with remarkable abilities who might otherwise be overlooked. Our experience shows that these students often become your most productive innovators and entrepreneurs.

  • Drive innovation: Foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem that generates an average of 3+ new companies per year from a small student population.

  • Enhance retention: iSTEM students at Stevens show a 91% retention rate — higher than the university average and significantly above national norms for STEM programs.

  • Increase diversity: Reach students with different learning styles and backgrounds who can contribute unique perspectives. Our graduates have created solutions ranging from secure video conferencing to virtual campus tours in the metaverse.

  • Build your reputation: Join a select group of forward-thinking institutions transforming STEM education and producing outsized results in student ventures and career placement.

Our Impact: Small Program, Extraordinary Outcomes

$5M
Venture-Capital Raised By Student-Led Companies
Includes backing from Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator
20+
Ventures Created
With a total of 69 students since inception, 29% have started companies
3+
New Business Incorporations Per Year
Nearly one new company for every three students admitted
91%
Retention Rate
Significantly higher than national university average
100%
Employment Rate For Graduates
Employers include industry leaders like Google, Intel, Oracle, BMW and Stripe
$5M
Venture-Capital Raised By Student-Led Companies
Includes backing from Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator
20+
Ventures Created
With a total of 69 students since inception, 29% have started companies
3+
New Business Incorporations Per Year
Nearly one new company for every three students admitted
91%
Retention Rate
Significantly higher than national university average
100%
Employment Rate For Graduates
Employers include industry leaders like Google, Intel, Oracle, BMW and Stripe
$5M
Venture-Capital Raised By Student-Led Companies
Includes backing from Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator

Where Different Thinkers Become Exceptional Leaders

We recognize that brilliance comes in many forms. Some students process information, approach problems and express their creativity in ways that don't align with conventional education. These students — including those who are neurodivergent, those who learn differently and those whose talents simply don't translate to standardized tests or traditional classwork — often possess exactly the kind of innovative thinking our world needs most. We believe that intuitive problem-solvers are inspired, challenged and even consumed by finding solutions to problems with technical components. These individuals deserve to be encouraged, nurtured and given the tools and support they need to pursue their passion. iSTEM is a groundbreaking educational model that provides a structured pathway for clever, driven students who see interesting problems in the world around them and use their distinctive ways of thinking to create innovative solutions, technologies and businesses that shape the future. As artificial intelligence reshapes the job market, these unconventional thinkers possess exactly the cognitive flexibility and creative problem-solving abilities that will thrive alongside AI. While routine tasks become automated, iSTEM students develop the uniquely human skills — innovation, intuition and entrepreneurial thinking — that cannot be replicated by machines.

What You Receive as a Network Partner

As a network partner, your institution will receive:

  • Complete Program Blueprint: Curriculum, admission framework and implementation guide

  • Training and Support: Expert guidance for faculty and staff from the iSTEM Hub at Stevens

  • Resource Sharing: Access to program materials, best practices and collaborative opportunities

  • Startup Funding: Initial grants to establish your campus program

  • Ongoing Assistance: Regular check-ins, site visits and problem-solving support

The Network Expansion

The iSTEM Netowk expansion timeline:

  • 2024-2025: On-boarding of second partner institution (George Washington University)

  • 2025-2026: Growth to include two or three additional partner institutions

  • 2027-2028: Completion of the initial network six or seven total institutions

The iSTEM Network

Stevens serves as the host of the iSTEM Network, providing central coordination, ongoing research and program innovations to all partners. The Network offers:

  • Regular check-ins and support for implementation challenges

  • Periodic site visits to evaluate program execution

  • Regular reporting and data sharing across the network

  • Startup funding and incentives for participating institutions and faculty/staff

  • Technical and administrative support for partner sites

Selection Criteria

The iSTEM Network will expand thoughtfully, with up to six additional institutions selected based on:

  • Commitment to innovative STEM education

  • Robust entrepreneurial ecosystem

  • Institutional agility and willingness to adapt

  • Demonstrated support from leadership

  • Capacity for program sustainability

  • Geographical and institutional diversity

iSTEM at Startup Garage

Explore the iSTEM Network Partnership Opportunity

Discover how your institution can join a select group of forward-thinking universities transforming STEM education. Learn more about the proven success of the iSTEM model, partnership benefits and implementation timeline for this innovative approach to nurturing unconventional thinkers.

Join the iSTEM Network

Brodie Remington
iSTEM Network Advisor
[email protected]
(301) 906-8417