鶹ƽ

Skip to Main Content
鶹ƽ College

Fostering entrepreneurship and creativity at StartUp 鶹ƽ

November 6, 2023
by James Helicke

Do you think you have an idea for the next great startup?  

This fall, StartUp 鶹ƽ offered 鶹ƽ students the opportunity to develop their business ideas, work and network with successful entrepreneurial alumni, receive feedback, and even make prototypes — all in an intense, one-day workshop.  

Thirty-two students participated in the session, which celebrated creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the College, on Sunday, Oct. 22. Together, students pitched ideas for 13 potential projects that ranged from biodegradable sportswear to social media apps. The program was open to students from all majors. 

Rob Downey ’86 P’27, CEO at Third Place Inc.; Neil McKinnon ’97, an agent owner at State Farm; and Max Walker ’13, founder of the tech consulting company Piton Labs, helped students develop their ideas.   

Arjun B K '25, Siyabonga Mabuza '25, Kartik Vaish '25 can be seen presenting their idea, Wearcast, in front of a crowd in Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences.

An audience of more than 80 community members then offered their support and selected their favorites. Categories included most innovative, crowd favorite, most entrepreneurial, most likely to purchase, likely to improve the world, and even “best fail” — a reflection of a supportive environment that encouraged students to use their creativity and experiment.   

Our goal is to give students access to mentoring from our alumni, to make their entrepreneurial ideas better, and to help students understand the value of prototyping.
Cathy Hill, Teaching Professor of Management and Business

The event — a follow-up to an inaugural event in the series last year — took place in 鶹ƽ’s Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences and took advantage of its Schupf Family IdeaLab, where students could use the innovation center’s state-of-the-art equipment to support their projects. Teaching Professor of Management and Business Cathy Hill and Schupf Family IdeaLab Director Christopher Emdin were among the organizers. 

StartUp 鶹ƽ is supported by the Sands Family Foundation Initiative for Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at 鶹ƽ, which encourages the expansion of entrepreneurship among all 鶹ƽ students.   

The StartUp 鶹ƽ program is an outgrowth of 鶹ƽ’s marquee Freirich Entrepreneurship Competition, founded by Ken Freirich ’90, a trailblazer in conversations about entrepreneurship at the College. That program is scheduled to take place next semester and, like StartUp 鶹ƽ, is open to students from all majors.

New IdeAs

Most Innovative 

Wearcast  
Arjun B K '25, Siyabonga Mabuza '25, Kartik Vaish '25 

Crowd Favorite   

College Mart 
Isiah Karitanyi '26, Ryan Tevie '26, Nico Seguin '26, Sofia Salveson '26 

Most Entrepreneurial               

Clear 
Tate Brandon '24, Cal Rogers '25, Blaine Moore '25 

Most likely to purchase 

Remodeling the Car Seat  
Murphy Alcantara '24, Leo Parra '24, Natasha Wozniak '25 

Best Fail    

Teen Talk 
Phoenix Goldenberg '25 


Existing Ideas 

Most Innovative 

Little Hooves, Big Dreams 
Diva Belo '25, Heba Salman '25 

Crowd Favorite   

Ur Space 
Avery Mathis '26, Kubair Bahl '25, Taha Bhatti '25 

Most likely to purchase            

Armada Clothing 
Milan Lombardo '24 

Likely to Improve World         

Tribocloset 
Muhammad Salim '27, Yash Manandhar '27 

Related News


From+left%2C+Associate+Professor+of+Political+Science%2C+Republican+pollster+and+Partner+at+Public+Opinion+Strategies+Patrick+Lanne%2C+and+Associate+Professor+of+Political+Science+and+Research+Director+at+the+Center+for+Election+Innovation+and+Research+Christopher+Mann.
鶹ƽ faculty and a Republican pollster reflected on the significance of shifts in the vote and assured students and the public about the health of the American electoral system.
Nov 18 2024

Ayelen+Pagnanelli+%2714+curating+the+exhibit+Vor%C3%A1gine%3A+Yente+and+Cecilia+Biagini+at+the+Frances+Young+Tang+Teaching+Museum+and+Art+Gallery
Ayelen Pagnanelli ’14 celebrated her 10th Reunion in 2024 with an exhibition at the Tang Teaching Museum — where she also curated her first exhibition as a student.
Nov 12 2024

Leighla+Waterman+%E2%80%9921
Leighla Waterman ’21 enjoys making a ‘tangible impact’ as a consumer insights analyst for the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.
Nov 12 2024