This past year, several ESTEEM students had the opportunity to participate in the pilot of a new program: The ESTEEM Unusual Academy, led by Unusual Ventures Co-Founder and Managing Partner, John Vrionis.

The result of an exciting new collaboration between Unusual Ventures and the ESTEEM Graduate Program, participation was application-based and open to a select few ESTEEM and Notre Dame startup teams. Six student teams were selected to participate in the program. Those teams were given the opportunity to explore, clarify, and refine product-market fit as early-stage founders through numerous interviews and invaluable feedback. During the 2024-2025 academic year, Unusual Academy teams took part in three intensive sessions led by John. Session one, held on Notre Dame’s campus, emphasized customer discovery. Session two, which focused on design partners and fundraising, took place at the Unusual Ventures headquarters in Menlo Park, CA, and was led by John and several members of his experienced team. For the final session, John returned to Notre Dame and led students through the pitching, hiring, and leadership process.

The ESTEEM Unusual Academy was born out of ESTEEM’s commitment to provide world-class opportunities for our students. 2025 graduate Eoin Leonard says, “[Unusual Academy] gave me a real glimpse into what it takes to build something meaningful, not just in theory, but through conversations with people who’ve done it at the highest level. The emphasis on finding product-market fit, building with empathy, and being intentional with how we spend our time really stuck with me.” Eoin also shares that the greatest lessons he learned during the program were about clarity, focus, and curiosity: values ESTEEM makes an effort to instill in our students from day one.

Perhaps most exciting is that the successful launch of Unusual Academy at Notre Dame has led to its integration into ESTEEM’s curriculum as a class titled “Product-Market Fit Lab.” The class is an improved version of ESTEEM’s previous Startup Sprint class and will be co-taught by John and ESTEEM faculty member Germán Estrada. Germán shares that “the addition of John to our faculty is a huge asset for our students, and will allow us to increase the focus of ESTEEM’s curriculum on startups.”

Building on the foundation laid by the ESTEEM Unusual Academy this past year, Product-Market Fit Lab will begin during the Fall 2025 semester and will give incoming ESTEEM students the same opportunity to learn from some of the very best in the industry. As ESTEEM continues to expand its startup-focused curriculum, options like this ensure our students are able to learn by doing. ESTEEM is thrilled to welcome John Vrionis to the faculty team, and we are grateful for the wealth of knowledge and experience he will bring to the ESTEEM student experience.

About the ESTEEM Graduate Program:

Over the course of this 11-month Master of Science degree (in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship) program at the University of Notre Dame, students from technical backgrounds are equipped with the skills and experience to launch new businesses, become innovators within large corporations, and be leaders of dynamic, innovative teams. Students are immersed in an entrepreneurial sandbox, where they get their hands dirty with entrepreneurship and innovation through a cutting-edge curriculum, a capstone commercialization project for an emerging technology, and outstanding out-of-the-classroom experiences.

To learn more about the ESTEEM Graduate Program or to apply please go to our website.

Originally published by ESTEEM at esteem.nd.edu on June 06, 2025.