Idaho Startup Lab is built for founders at the very beginning, whether you have an idea you want to test or a side project you’re ready to take seriously. Every other week, your cohort comes together for a two-hour session led by local founders and operators who have been in your shoes. By the end, you’ll put it all into a pitch and compete for prizes to help you keep building.
Here's what's ahead.
Every step of Idaho Startup Lab is built to help you turn what’s in your head into a business you can stand behind.
Tell us about yourself and the idea you’re working on. No business experience is required, just an idea you’re ready to build.
Once applications close, accepted participants hear from the Trailhead team with everything they need to get ready for the first session.
Sharpen your business idea into a clear, compelling value proposition. You’ll define the problem you’re solving and why your solution matters to the people you want to reach.
Find out whether your idea has a market before you build it. You’ll learn practical ways to research your industry and test your assumptions with potential customers.
Map out how your business will create value and make money. You’ll work through the core pieces of a sustainable business model and how they fit together.
Turn your concept into something customers can try. You’ll explore how to build a first version of your product or service and use early feedback to improve it.
Put everything you’ve built into a pitch and compete for prizes in front of a panel of judges.
Each cohort becomes a close-knit community, and many of its founders continue to champion one another well after the program ends. Three cohorts and more than 50 founders later, the next one could include you.
Co-Founder, Be Spooned
“Idaho Startup Lab gave BeSpooned the structure to move from idea to first customers. Since the cohort, we’ve shipped pilot bundles with trusted growers, started building a small but engaged Instagram community, and launched a Kickstarter campaign to collect pre-orders.”
Faith joined ISL’s Summer 2025 cohort while building Be Spooned. A year later, she took second place at the Trailmix Pitch Competition, winning $5,000 and a spot on Albertsons shelves.
Idaho Startup Lab is free!
You need an idea and the time to show up for every session. Most of our participants are first-time founders.
Idaho Startup Lab is step one. We help you validate the idea and lay a strong foundation, and programs like Boise State’s Venture College take those concepts deeper over a longer, more extensive experience.
The 2026 cohort met at The Junction on Boise State’s campus. Each cohort’s schedule and location are posted when enrollment opens.
