I have the privilege of traveling frequently in my role at Grasshopper, which allows me to meet entrepreneurs from all corners of the globe. When I venture outside of Boston, two topics always seem to come up in conversation: the movie “The Town” and the sheer number of students in Boston. As a city known for its many colleges and universities, it’s easy to see that education plays a major role in our community.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to witness the strength of our college community firsthand. Thanks to BostInnovation, college entrepreneurs from across the city gathered at the Microsoft NERD center for an event called “Shut up & Start up”. The goal was to bring together aspiring college entrepreneurs, students, and local mentors to collaborate and innovate.
I was honored to serve as a mentor at this event, where students worked in groups to brainstorm ideas, identify obstacles, and discuss next steps with their mentors. I was truly inspired by the motivation and creativity of these students. Some standout ideas included:
- Book Blunder – a website that helps students determine if purchasing a required textbook is necessary by analyzing the class and comparing editions.
- Speak Easy – a mobile app that translates text messages into phonetic spellings in different languages, targeting students studying abroad.
- Risk, in real life – a location-based phone app modeled after the board game Risk, where campus buildings serve as countries.
In addition to group discussions, students learned about opportunities from Microsoft, including the Imagine Cup. The weekend also featured a presentation on using social media for job hunting, followed by a panel discussion with industry experts.
The panelists highlighted the importance of personal branding through blogging, networking on platforms like Twitter, and leveraging connections to land opportunities. It was clear that the students left the event with newfound inspiration and knowledge to fuel their entrepreneurial dreams.