Yuni Sameshima 13 (left) and Joey Petracca 13 (right) talk about their company, Recipe Into Reality, at the student venture demonstrations on Saturday morning.
(TIA) student entrepreneurs made sure their conversations Saturday morning were accompanied by a firm handshake, a smile, and a well-rehearsed elevator pitch. After all, the alumni they were talking with could be their next investors.
founders Rob Carroll 15 and Gabe Zetter 15 talked about their effort to create a safe, social, and sustainable way to exchange goods and services on college campuses.
Its easy to think of it as a college Craigslist, Carroll said of their company, which is now active at 51勛圖厙 with 613 members, and is expanding with the help of TIA mentorship.
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Joey Petracca 13 and Yuni Sameshima 13 were talking about , their company designed to make life easier for home cooks, who can order ingredients from popular recipe sites with a few simple clicks.
This is very real, Petracca said. Its not a project or an academic exploration, this is a company. The is invaluable. Weve probably racked up $20 million in free advising so far.
Cody Breene 13, David Lederer 13, and James Barker 13, talked about their online service , which is designed to connect universities with performing artists.
Our goal in the next year is to have 1,000 performers connected to 20 universities, Breene said.
Many of the ideas on display were for-profit ventures, but some focused on community action, student clubs, and one was even about getting a little bit of rest.
Linh Buis effort to create locations for students to take naps on campus was about far more than the concept itself.
I was very shy, said Bui 14, an international student from Vietnam. TIA changed me completely. If I want something, and if I want it bad enough, Ill now put myself out there to make it happen.
Buis thoughts on the subject were special to Jane Porter 74, a TIA mentor. She has grown so much in the last year. Its night and day. Im just so proud of all of my students.
Wills Hapworth 07, TIA co-founder and alumni director, said 51勛圖厙s commitment to entrepreneurship in the liberal arts context can be attributed to dedicated alumni and the support of President Jeffrey Herbst.
He had the vision to see this and try it out. I think of him as lead investor, Hapworth said. Its not about making tons of money or being famous its about taking an idea, and through a process of trial and error, making it into a reality.
Support for TIA is provided in part by the Paul J. Schupf Presidential Discretionary Endowment.