Rolling · Rolling
FastForward is Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures’ (JHTV) venture-creation platform, helping faculty, student, alumni, and community teams turn Johns Hopkins research and outside ideas into sustainable companies. Founded in 2013, it runs two commercialization hubs, R. House and 1812 Ashland Avenue, offering co-working, conference, and wet-lab space for up to two years. Accepted companies must be incorporated and have secured outside funding; some hold a Johns Hopkins technology license, others join as “virtual members” without hub space. Its student-and-alumni arm, the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship, formerly FastForward U, runs seven accelerator-style programs — Kindling, Spark, Fuel, Summer Incubator, Blaze, Social Innovation Lab, and Carey Venture Strategy — plus a separate Alumni Accelerator, none of which take equity or fees. JHTV also runs cohort-based programs like Hexcite, a 16-week digital-health venture lab, and the two-year GEM Fellowship. Since 2013, more than 150 companies have gone through FastForward, collectively raising over $4 billion, with 40+ exits. Ranks 10th on the 2026 TIME/Statista list of America’s Best Incubators and Accelerators.
Frequency
Rolling — company incubation; 2x/year — Pava Center Spark/Fuel tracks
Duration
6 weeks to 2 years, depending on program
Investment
FastForward: undisclosed, deferred/subsidized rent, JHU may take equity in lieu of unpaid rent. Pava Center/cohort programs: non-dilutive grants, $1,000 to $140,000 depending on track.
Equity
FastForward company incubation: undisclosed, priced at first institutional round. Pava Center accelerators: none, by policy.
Program fees
None for Pava Center/cohort-based programs, confirmed by their own FAQ; undisclosed for FastForward hub tenancy
Where
USA
Sectors
Sector Agnostic
Stages
Idea/Pre-Team, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Eligibility
• “Virtual members” are companies that hold a Johns Hopkins technology license but don’t occupy hub space — still counted as FastForward members
• Pava Center programs: open to current JHU students (any stage, solo founders welcome) for Kindling/Spark/Fuel/Summer Incubator/Blaze; JHU alumni for the Alumni Accelerator; any Baltimore-area founder, JHU-affiliated or not, for the Social Innovation Lab
• Hexcite: JHU/JHHS faculty, clinicians, staff, grad students, postdocs, alumni, or local entrepreneurs with a digital health idea
Selection process
• Pava Center Spark: accepted based on written application alone, no interview; Fuel, Summer Incubator, Blaze, and the Alumni Accelerator add an interview stage after application
• Fuel is the most selective Pava Center track, accepting under 25% of applicants; Spark accepts 40+ teams a semester and is less selective
• Hexcite runs a matching process, pairing Idea-track applicants (JHU faculty/students/postdocs) with Operator-track applicants (broader digital-health experience) before a JHTV evaluation
Benefits
• Seven Pava Center accelerator tracks for students — Kindling, Spark, Fuel, Summer Incubator, Blaze, Social Innovation Lab, Carey Venture Strategy — plus a separate Alumni Accelerator, none of which take equity or charge fees
• Non-dilutive grants across Pava Center and cohort-based tracks, from $2,000 (Spark) up to $140,000 (Blaze, via the I&E Challenge and President’s Venture Fellowship)
• Cohort-based programs like Hexcite (digital health) and the GEM Fellowship (2-year, scientific commercialization)
• Shared scientific instruments, a machine shop, and Bloomberg terminal access at FastForward hubs
• Legal, accounting, and fundraising support from FastForward’s law-firm and professional-services sponsors (DLA Piper, PwC, Wilson Sonsini, Venable, and others)
Network
John Fini, founding director; Christy Wyskiel, JHTV senior adviser to the university president; Jane Kagen, Director of Startup Strategy and Operations; Kayla Pindell, Assistant Director, Ventures; Josh Ambrose, Director of Student Ventures, Pava Center; Paul Nkansah, Sr. Director, Corporate Partnerships (JHTV, separate business unit); Whiting School of Engineering, founding sponsor; Johns Hopkins Ventures Fund; current FastForward sponsors include DLA Piper, PwC, Wilson Sonsini, Venable, Saul Ewing, Scheer Partners, Whiteford Taylor Preston, PTX Capital, and Beatty.
Portfolio
150+ companies formed through FastForward since 2013, spanning life sciences, engineering, and digital health
Funds raised
$4.8 billion raised by JHTV’s portfolio of 131 startups over the past decade, per its FY2024 annual report; more than 40 successful exits
🕐 Sep 2026
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