It's not every day that you get advice on your startup from one of the guys who co-founded Apple.
But that's what students in High Point University’s Webb School of Engineering got during a virtual session with Steve Wozniak on Nov. 30.
Wozniak, who pioneered the first personal computer, is HPU’s Innovator in Residence. He regularly visits campus to connect with students in all majors, while also guiding students in the engineering school through a specific project.
For the last several months, students have worked on a project that includes reading brainwaves through a headset, then converting those thoughts into commands to control a device. A small robot is the group’s target device, and Wozniak has regularly checked in on their progress, helping with technical issues as well as questions about productivity and the overall goals of their project.
“When it comes to what should really come out of this project, the main thing I want you to focus on is your own learning,” Wozniak told the students during a virtual session on Nov. 30. “This project is giving you experience that will take you further in your own life. I would love to see you grow from learning in this experience and even influence other students. Let them see what you did and say, ‘Wow, they stuck to this project. Look what they did.’ You could inspire others.”
Wozniak told the students that working on different projects leads to confidence, skills and motivation.
“I hope some of you engage in startups in the future because you had a neat experience through this project,” Wozniak said. “This is what’s like. It’s hard. It doesn’t come about easily and trivially. Not giving up and keeping at it is so important. You’ll move forward with greater minds and reach greater goals.”
Students were grateful for the opportunity.
“The call with Steve Wozniak was an incredibly valuable opportunity that I was honored to be a part of,” said Ash Corcoran, a computer science major. “He is an inspiring presence who loves to share his unbridled excitement for technology with anyone.
"He spoke to us not only about technical questions we had regarding our current project, which involves using a very complex brain scanner, but also about the problem-solving process, productivity ‘hacks and goal setting. One of the most memorable moments was his encouragement to follow our hearts and enjoy the learning process of this project.”
“Meeting with Steve Wozniak was a dream come true for me as I've always wanted to meet with him since I was back in Togo,” said Rafik Tarbari, a student from West Africa. “It was such a pleasure to have him share his successful and very motivating experience with us, and on a personal level, have him give me such great pieces of advice on how I should be flexible in reshaping my start-up ideas to follow the market.”
“One of the most important pieces I got from this exchange with him is that working on a start-up is much more difficult than working in a company,” added Tarbari. “As a start-up owner, I know I will have to work harder and consider alternative architectures of the product I want to build and sell. More than ever, talking to him made me see things from a different angle and has given me a much stronger motivation in achieving my goals.”
Some of the students in the group have interacted with Wozniak before. For freshman Landon Hardister, it was his first time interacting with the tech industry titan.
“The experience was empowering as most 18-year-olds like myself do not get to speak to someone as knowledgeable as Woz,” says Hardister. “He was wonderful to chat with and was very good at answering our questions. It’s amazing that he also bought a headset that he can use to guide us on our project. It was very useful hearing him talk about problems we have and how to solve them.”
