The latest Silicon Valley reality series Startup U begins tomorrow night on ABC Family and we got a sneak peek at what the show is about.
Startup U features 10 student entrepreneurs as they compete in a seven-week program at Draper University. Each of the show’s subjects must go through the fundamentals of launching a startup the Draper U way – including wilderness survival training and reciting billionaire VC and founder of Draper U, Tim Draper’s pledge to be a “hero.” The students then present their ideas in a Shark Tank-style pitch session to several judges to find out if they make the entrepreneurial cut.
This is the first reality show for the network but not for San Francisco’s more popular than ever tech scene, which has had several failed attempts to document life in Silicon Valley in the past. Draper prefers we call this one a “docu-series” rather than a reality show and says the show is different because it focuses on entrepreneurship.
We caught up with Draper to discuss his starring role in Startup U and to get some behind-the-scenes details.