ScottyLabs (scottylabs.org) was started to run TartanHacks (tartanhacks.com), but the students that were attracted to the hackathon were also interested in building useful applications for CMU students.

That instinct birthed our Tech committee and projects now used by >80% of campus — cmueats.com, cmucourses.com, cmumaps.com, and more.

Building against campus needs proved an engaging task, but two things became clear:

• ScottyLabs' strong building culture would soon exceed the limitations of campus projects
• There were too many talented and interested students to fit into our small, focused project teams

So, the Labrador committee was created to solve both these issues — we could run more projects, with broader scope, in a scalable fashion.

After two years of Labrador, we discovered a fundamental tradeoff between scalability and impact. We could run more projects, but especially after the workflow improvements with coding tools, for the most intense builders, building real companies required a unique approach.

ScottyLabs runs Foundry because building real companies is a natural extension of how we've always approached student innovation at CMU. ScottyLabs has a long track record of taking technically strong students and giving them the structure, community, and resources to turn ambitious ideas into real-world impact. Foundry transfers this approach to the scope of the real world.

Foundry is a strong fit within ScottyLabs because it combines deep technical talent with a bias toward execution. The accelerator is designed to meet founders where they are while surrounding them with experienced founders, investors, and peers who push progress forward. Foundry is outcomes-driven: teams leave with real traction, sharper conviction, and a clearer path forward.

By housing Foundry within ScottyLabs, we're able to leverage an established culture of collaboration, credibility with partners and VCs, and operational support that lets founders focus on building. The result is an accelerator that feels founder-first, high-caliber, and deeply aligned with CMU's strength in turning research and talent into lasting companies.

Let's build something real.