This morning, the Startup Institute - the 8-week career accelerator - held its 'Talent Expo' at Brad's Deals in Chicago. With over 150 prospective employers in attendance, the Expo is more 'Demo Day' than 'Career Fair;' each of the program's 24 students had 60 seconds to presents themselves, their experience, and their passions.
The Institute is designed as a "finishing school" for young professionals looking to enter the startup arena and the people and skill sets on display reflected this guaranteed polish.
And though the '1 vs. 100' style of presenting can often set up inexperienced speakers for failure, all students executed impressively, especially the developers and designers.
Yes, being surprised that a programmer impressed socially in front of a large crowd is playing into unfair and incorrect stereotypes, but my defense was temporarily down following several other displays of entrepreneurial cliches. One student pedaled out on a Big Wheel, another took a selfie before beginning, and then, gulp, there was a guitar.
But - and it's a credit to these students and to the Startup Institute - that any questionable intro was quickly forgotten due to a concise, smart presentation that showcased relevant experience and ambitious goals. Also, I'm still thinking of these particular introductions - so job well done, I guess.
Another sign that the presentations worked was evident in the intense networking that followed. To date, over 150 companies have hired one of Startup Institute's 500 grads.
One of these success stories, Gregory Ingleright, presented today to finish up his program, even though he had to run right afterwards to his new job at Avant Credit. Ingleright was a teacher for 11 years before joining the Startup Institute to jumpstart a career change. He's currently helping the fast-growing personal loan startup expand into the UK market.
We'll be sure to follow up with the Startup Institute in a couple months to get placement figures on this particular class, but if the applause that came after each student is any indicator, they should be pretty high.
