Celebrating a Decade of CYstarters

Ten summers ago, the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University launched a bold experiment: what if, instead of just awarding $500 during a standard pitch competition to students with big ideas, the university gave them the time, funding, and support to actually pursue their ideas?

The answer to that question was CYstarters, an 11-week summer accelerator that has since become one of the most transformative programs for Iowa State’s student entrepreneurs. What started with a handful of students and a simple vision has grown into a highly competitive, deeply supportive community of innovators that stretches across campus and beyond.

In 2024, CYstarters received national recognition for its extraordinary impact, earning the University Accelerator Award from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE)—a prestigious honor that affirms that CYstarters is a model of excellence in entrepreneurial education and support.

Pappajohn Center staff receiving the Model Accelerator Award from USASBE.

Before 2016, support for student entrepreneurs at Iowa State was limited. “Students would win $500 in a pitch competition… and there wasn’t much continued support of their businesses beyond the competition,” recalls Judi Eyles, Director of the Pappajohn Center. There weren’t ongoing programs or touchpoints to keep students engaged, no infrastructure to help them take their ideas further.

With the help of David Spalding, dean of the Ivy College of Business at the time, and Michael Crum, then-vice president of newly-formed Economic Development and Industry Relations, the Pappajohn Center secured enough funding to launch a pilot program. “The goal has always been to let these students focus 100% of their attention on their business to see if they could really get it off the ground, and that’s still what we do today,” Judi said.

“We started this because it was the right next step for our students,” she added. “We were actually one of the leaders in creating an accelerator like CYstarters. Even today, there are only a small number of schools that host immersive summer accelerators like this. Moreso, others have worked to replicate what we offer.”

Members of CYstarters Cohort 1.

The first cohort of CYstarters launched in the summer of 2016 with eight businesses and was run by a small but dedicated team: Judi, Diana Wright, and the late Ted Bair, whose passion and entrepreneurial wisdom helped shape the program in its earliest days. The programming was lean but intentional—group accountability sessions, 3–4 educational events each week, and plenty of trial-and-error learning alongside their peers.

From there, the program steadily expanded. Funding support began arriving from individual colleges. Kevin Kimle from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was the first to step in, recognizing the value for students in his college. Soon, other deans across campus followed suit and began providing funding for the students from their colleges who were accepted into the program. It became clear that CYstarters wasn’t just a program for business students, it was a campus-wide effort to support all kinds of innovation, from all corners of the university.

Cross-campus collaboration became one of CYstarters’ most defining strengths. “We began relying on the colleges to help us recruit the right students. Students who would be dedicated and who would bring great ideas to the table,” Judi said. Whether they were engineers, designers, agriculture majors, or studying human sciences, any student with a promising idea was welcome, and that diversity made the program stronger.

The funding also grew. Originally, students received a $5,000 stipend. Today, that number has increased to $6,500 for individuals and $13,000 for teams. Alongside that, the programming has become significantly more robust. One of the most impactful additions came in the form of mentorship, first through a formal professional mentor program introduced by Tom Swartwood, who was employed at the Pappajohn Center from 2018 – 2023, and later with the introduction of peer mentors, thanks to one very familiar face.

Megan Sweere, who was a member of the very first CYstarters cohort in 2016, returned in 2019 to join the Pappajohn Center team. A few years later, she became Director of CYstarters and Student Ventures. Her return to lead the program she once participated in is a full-circle moment that speaks volumes about its impact. “This is my dream job,” Megan said. “I had a really positive experience in the program myself, and it’s rewarding and fun to help people do a hard thing like starting a business. I love to see students have that ‘light bulb’ moment and realize they can really make a business work. I can’t believe I’ve been here for six years!”

Megan Sweere (front, center) with CYstarters Cohort 9.

When Megan stepped into the director role, she brought with her a few ideas for the program based on her own experience. She knew she wanted to provide more structure, more accountability, more support. “I went into my business after college feeling confident and organized, but once I was on my own, I realized I didn’t really know what it meant to be the CEO. So when I came back, I was really passionate about accountability and mentorship. I wanted the students to learn how to be their own boss in a safe environment, rather than trial by fire.”

That passion reshaped the program. She implemented one-on-one accountability check-ins, introduced peer mentors—many of them past CYstarters—and created an environment where students felt both challenged and deeply supported. The connections students build during the program, she said, are long lasting. “I’ve seen CYstarters from different cohorts team up on new ventures. I’ve seen past participants hire current students. There’s such a respect for one another, knowing they’ve walked the same path.”

CYstarters Demo Day Audience (2024).

One of the most visible successes of the summer accelerator is Demo Day, a public showcase of each cohort’s progress. From the beginning, Demo Day has served as the capstone to the program. Today, the event regularly draws over 150 attendees—mentors, investors, family members, university deans, university president Wendy Wintersteen, and community supporters eager to see what these students have accomplished.

But for Judi and Megan, success isn’t measured by number of attendees at an event or unicorn startups. “To the outside world, the best-case scenario might be that every business becomes wildly successful,” Judi said, “but there’s more to it than that.” Megan agrees. “If a student learns they don’t want to run a business, that’s a success. If they pivot and discover a new passion, that’s a success. If they realize they’d rather work for a startup than run one, that’s a success. The whole idea is to give them the space to try.”

That safe space continues long after the summer ends. Many CYstarters alumni stay connected to the program and return to Megan for business advice, sometimes years later. “I can’t tell you how many students I don’t hear from for awhile, and then suddenly they text me wanting to meet up. We talk for a few hours, and they leave feeling reinspired with their idea and have action steps to take. I love that.”

Recognizing that CYstarters wanted a way to keep their momentum going during the school year, Megan launched CYstarters 2.0 in 2025, a course focused on advanced business topics, personalized to the needs of the students enrolled. She also started monthly alumni lunches, the annual Jingle & Mingle Holiday Market, which highlights CYstarters alumni vendors and drew over 1,000 attendees in 2024, and a CYstarters gift guide to support alumni businesses during the holidays.

“Once a CYstarter, always a CYstarter,” Judi says. And the students give back, too. Alumni regularly speak at events, mentor new participants, and advocate for the program around campus. “Our alumni are some of our best recruiters,” Megan said. “And now, I’m hearing from students who say they came to Iowa State specifically because they want to be in CYstarters. That’s when you know the word is out.”

The program has also benefited from broader university support. President Wendy Wintersteen frequently references CYstarters as a cornerstone of Iowa State’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the growing culture of innovation on campus means more students are coming through the doors of the Pappajohn Center, confident and ready to pursue their business ideas.

CYstarters met with President Wendy Wintersteen for Lunch.

After ten years, the core of CYstarters remains the same: give students the time, funding, mentorship, and community to explore their business ideas. Whether those ideas take off or take a back seat, what matters most is that students are given the opportunity to try, without the high stakes of post-graduation life.  They also acquire skill sets and an entrepreneurial mindset that apply in whatever professional experience they pursue after leaving Iowa State.

And while Megan and Judi aren’t necessarily looking to grow the number of students accepted into the program because they know part of its power lies in its exclusivity, they are always thinking about how they can continue to support CYstarters long after Demo Day ends.

Because CYstarters isn’t just a summer program. It’s a launchpad, a community, a legacy. And now, ten years in, it’s clearer than ever: we’re just getting started.