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Startup House Lets Students Live Their Ventures

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As Tech students have ramped up their entrepreneurial pursuits in recent years, campus programs and resources have multiplied to support their efforts. Now, this fall, budding entrepreneurs will be able to literally live out their ideas in Startup House.

This new living learning community for 2014-15 is part of the ThinkBig program, which offers a variety of housing opportunities based on student interests.

“Everyone is starved for time on campus, so living together 24/7 would be a tremendous asset for a team of founders,” said Brandy Nagel, who is helping to organize the program with VentureLab. Last year, VentureLab was named the No. 1 early phase university incubator by University Business Incubator, and No. 2 worldwide in its Global Benchmark Index. Keith McGreggor, VentureLab’s director, will serve as the Startup House faculty sponsor.

Startup House is open to returning students of all majors and backgrounds with an interest in startups or entrepreneurship, whether or not they have fully developed a product or idea. Students will spend the year learning lean startup methodology and touring local facilities that provide resources and support to budding entrepreneurs. They’ll also get an adapted version of the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps curriculum, a seven-week class designed to take research out of the lab and into the marketplace.

“It’s a great opportunity for someone who has an idea but doesn’t have a team, or who wants to be part of a startup but doesn’t have an idea yet,” Nagel said. Students will either be able to launch their own ventures during the year or work on one with others in the program.

Participants also will have access to VentureLab’s large network of alumni entrepreneurs and connections in Atlanta and beyond, and will be paired with mentors in that community.

“Startup House ties in nicely with our renewed focus on innovation with students,” McGreggor said. It also serves the Institute’s strategic goal of ensuring entrepreneurship is a fundamental characteristic of graduates.

Other ThinkBig community topics for 2014-15 include humor, Atlanta, arts, science fiction, storytelling, sustainability, food, and women, science, and technology. Students can learn more at startuphouse.gatech.edu and can sign up for ThinkBig during regular 2014-15 housing signup at housing.gatech.edu. Signup closes on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Kristen Bailey
  • Created:02/10/2014
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016