Virginia Tech is a university well known for its technological prowess, filled to the brim with talented students to the upteenth degree. And there's no better way of showcasing such innovative minds than with the launch of an event geared towards grooming the next big thinkers of tomorrow. I'm talking about SV to BB (Silicon Valley to Blacksburg), a workshop full of inspiring speeches dedicated to those interested in creating their very own startups. Virginia Tech's Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) is bringing some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley to campus in an effort to promote entrepreneurship and allow students to see that creating your own business, that's an opportunity and a good one at that.
Now I'm no foreigner to the startup scene at Virginia Tech, it's an up-and-coming incubator built for unique ideas to grow into something truly revolutionary. The Blacksburg school is bursting at the seams with tech savvy 20-somethings ready and willing to build their own business from the ground up. But while there is definitely no lack of passion, there is a reason why only a select few students venture into the startup world: it's risky.
There's no denying that taking on a business of your own is a hefty task, one that may not end in success, but Virginia Tech's E-Club aims to make your transition into the startup realm feel like less of a burden and more of a chance to explore a whole new world. With their event due to take off tomorrow morning, the E-Club's goal is to increase the profile of entrepreneurship on campus and it looks like they will be successful in doing just that.
Hayden Lee, Vice President of the E-Club at Virginia Tech explained to me that within a few short hours, they had a surge of students, faculty, and the like signing up for SV to BB. There is definitely no shortage of interest. Perhaps it's because of the impressive names Lee and Drew Stegmaier, President of E-Club, managed to attract to their upcoming event. Co-Founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian? Count me in. But that's not all.
James Beshara and Khaled Hussein of Crowdtilt; Ashu Desai of MakeGamesWithUs; and John Fallone of SendHub will all be present as well, sharing their invaluable insight into what it takes to develop your own startup with a crowd of prospective entrepreneurs, techies, geeks, coders, and the university community as a whole. This is clearly an event not to be missed.
Check out the startup companies that will be in attendance below:
What's more, SV to BB will be hosted at TechPad, Blacksburg's very own coworking space. Located directly across the street from Virginia Tech, this startup-friendly hot spot will serve as a welcoming space for all who wish to venture into the startup world.
If you're interested in attending SV to BB (which I highly suggest you do), then make sure to RSVP here. The affair will take place on Saturday, March 23 at TechPad (432 North Main Street, Suite #200, Blacksburg, VA). You can find the full schedule for the day below:
12:30PM - 1:30PM Crowdtilt
1:30PM - 2:30PM SendHub
2:30PM - 3:30PM MakeGamesWithUs
3:30PM - 4:00PM Snack Break
4:00PM - 5:00PM Reddit
5:00PM - 6:00PM AMA Panel
6:00PM - 8:00PM Socializing & Pizza
8:00PM - ? Entrepreneur Barcrawl
