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Startup U

Startup U

2015Ended1 season10 episodesTV-14Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

Docu-series that follows 10 entrepreneurial techies looking to make names for themselves while also perhaps bursting others’ bubbles. To do so, they must enter a grueling seven-week program at Draper University, a program led by billionaire founder and venture capitalist Tim Draper. After a semester of learning the fundamentals of launching a startup company under the mentorship of America’s business leaders, the students will pitch their ideas to venture capitalists eager to find the next big tech innovation.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Startup U?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Startup U to rent or buy on Apple TV, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Startup U?

Startup U earns 1 badge: Hopeful.

Reception

Is Startup U worth watching?

Startup U's Midcredits score is the 8th percentile of all shows, from 52 ratings across 2 sources (very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional). 39% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

8th percentile

Better received than 8% of shows

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

21st percentile among Reality-TV8th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)11th
Approval (how many liked it)8th

Acclaim

Divisive: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

59 /100

Very few ratings yet, so treat it as provisional.

11th percentile of all shows

27th percentile among Reality-TV12th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

39% liked it

8th percentile of all shows

19th percentile among Reality-TV7th percentile among 2010s
39% rated it 7–1061% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

5th percentile

49 ratings across platforms

17th percentile among Reality-TV8th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 61% in 30 days

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2015 · 5 episodes

  • S1E1

    Welcome to Draper University

    Aug 18, 201542 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    The Hack-A-Thon

    Aug 18, 201542 min
  • S1E3
    S1E3

    Chain Reaction

    Aug 25, 201542 min
  • S1E5
    S1E5

    6 Degrees to Nowhere

    Sep 8, 201542 min
  • S1E6
    S1E6

    The Great Outdoors

    Sep 17, 201542 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Startup U like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you hopeful.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
HopefulTriumphantTense
Heaviest: middle
Warm humor
Register
WarmAdventurous · 15% of shows
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe series presents its entrepreneurial subject matter straightforwardly, without irony or self-mockery.
The rideThe mood swings between optimism during mentorship and tension during pitches, with a moderate overall intensity.
StructureThe series follows a linear, chronological progression through the seven-week program without employing narrative devices like flashbacks or multiple perspectives.
Episode formatEach episode follows a repeated non-scripted format with challenges, mentorship, and pitches.
Season formatThe series concluded after one season, covering a single cohort's semester.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
HopefulRousing · 9% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayViewers are left inspired by the participants' drive and the possibility of startup success.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeStartup U is an unscripted reality series following a cohort of entrepreneurs through a structured program; it has no narrative plot shape in the Booker sense.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfAmbitionSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% (this title) · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27% (this title): Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% (this title) · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Self

Ambition · 14% of showsPurposeFriendship
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series focuses on the drive of young entrepreneurs to launch successful startups, their personal growth, and the bonds formed during the program.
StanceThe show presents the entrepreneurs' ambitions and struggles without strong editorializing, letting the audience observe the process.

The world

ContemporaryInstitutionalUrbanRealistic
PopElectronicSupportive music · hybrid
SettingDraper University in Silicon Valley, California

Content guide

Is Startup U okay for kids?

TV-14

Startup U is rated TV-14.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Startup U have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Startup U?

Cast

David Kram
as Contestant
Ana Marte
as Contestant
Erin Brady
as Contestant
Shawn Isaac
as Contestant
Keyonna Patterson
as Contestant
Tony Capasso
as Contestant
Carly Martinetti
as Contestant
Malcolm Tyson
as Contestant
John Frye
as Contestant
Sharon Winter
as Contestant

Crew

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