THE STUDENTS FACE A WHOLE NEW SET OF CHALLENGES ON AN ALL-NEW EPISODE OF "STARTUP U," AIRING THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8th AT 5:00PM ET/PT

Jesse Draper (Entrepreneur and Angel Investor) and Michael Volpatt (Partner, Larkin/Volpattt Communications) are Guest Speakers

Burbank, CA (October 7, 2015) - Carly finds herself in unchartered territory on an-all new episode of "Startup U," airing on Thursday, October 8th, 2015 at 5:00PM ET/PT on ABC Family. ABC Family is becoming Freeform in January 2016.

In "Prototypes, Partners & Pitches," Tim wants to make sure everyone is at their best come Pitch Day, so he brings in guest experts Jesse Draper (Entrepreneur and Angel Investor) and Michael Volpatt (Partner, Larkin/Volpatt Communications) to give the students last minute pointers and feedback on their presentations. Carly realizes she and Colin have very different working styles and they must figure out how to co-exist, which proves to be increasingly difficult when Colin's behind-the-scenes tactics lands her in hot water with Charlie. Elsewhere, Tony sets out to make a working prototype for his pitch presentation while Keyonna takes Tim's mantra about failure to heart and changes her business idea yet again.

"Startup U" is produced by Ugly Brother Studios, a Sky Vision partner. Mike Duffy, Tim Duffy, Tim Draper, Perry Dance and Ted Iredell serve as executive producers.

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family (to be renamed Freeform in January 2016) is distributed in 94 million homes. The network entertains and connects to audiences with bold, relatable programming that celebrates the epic adventure of becoming an adult, from first kiss to first kid. The programming is a combination of network-defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. "WATCH ABC Family" (also to be renamed Freeform in January 2016) is an authenticated service which allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access to such popular series at home and on-the-go via a wide array of devices. The network is also the destination for annual holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas."