Blast Furnace

Applications for our Summer 2025 Blast Furnace cohort have concluded. Information on next year’s program will be made available at a later date.

Blast Furnace is the Big Idea Center’s annual student accelerator program, providing access to a deep mentor network, inspirational co-working space, and a rich curriculum that prepares students to create and develop their ideas.

Blast Furnace was created by the Big Idea Center in an effort to work with Pitt students of all levels and disciplines who have a desire to be innovators, develop their entrepreneurial skill sets, and learn about what it takes to turn their ideas into potential startup opportunities. Throughout the course of this virtual, summer intensive, students will receive hands-on experience to achieve these goals.

Blast Furnace runs through May-June of each calendar year and focuses on themes such as customer discovery and product-market fit. If you’re curious about whether this opportunity is right for you and your team, please reach out to a member of the Big Idea Center staff.

Blast Furnace is invite-only.

Students are invited to apply to Blast Furnace if they have completed a Big Idea Center program or a similar learning opportunity. All individuals and teams that apply to Blast Furnace must apply with a vetted idea that they are willing to work on throughout the summer months.