Two-Day Hackathon for Startups to Spark Student Innovations
Open to all majors, Startup UCSD hackathon brings UC San Diego students, advisors and Qualcomm Institute incubator together
San Diego, May 3, 2016 — Startup UCSD, described as a one-of-a-kind, two-day hackathon for student startups, encourages the creative, innovative, and problem-solving students at UC San Diego to bring their ideas to a venue where workshops, professional advisors, and campus resources can help bring those ideas to fruition. In addition to $15,000 in prizes, including the opportunity to be located in the Qualcomm Institute Innovation Space incubator, are expected to attract more than 200 students working in teams to the hackathon set to begin at 5pm on Friday, May 13 and continuing through Saturday, May 14, at RIMAC arena on campus.
Startup UCSD consists of networking, workshops, brunch, dinners, demos, and business-development advice from experienced mentors.
Sponsored by the Qualcomm Institute, the Jacobs School of Engineering's von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center, The Basement, and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC), Startup UCSD is one component of an aggressive, campus-wide effort to spark student innovation and business-startup initiatives at the university.
“The faculty, the students, our Entrepreneurs in Residence and other resources we offer together make up UC San Diego’s innovation ecosystem,” says Paul Roben, Associative Vice Chancellor for Innovation. “Our mission is to help anybody in the campus community to turn problem-solving ideas into economy-building businesses. Startup UCSD is a key part of that approach.”
The event’s website at http://startup.ucsd.edu offers responses to the most frequently asked questions:
What is a hackathon for startups?
A hackathon is where you turn your crazy ideas into real stuff. A startup is a where you apply your ideas to solve a problem with a particular end-user in mind. Startup UCSD is therefore the time to hack away at a particular problem, coming up with a solution in the form of a product or service. It is the time to dust off old ideas, to add the finishing touches to current projects, or to create something completely new.
Who can attend?
Startup UCSD is open to UC San Diego students from all majors! As long as you're prepared to learn, brainstorm, and work on cool things, we welcome you to join.
Throughout the event we will be holding workshops for students to immerse themselves in the worlds of startups and technology. These workshops will be held by industry professionals who will teach new and upcoming tools and strategies that assist with business development and more.
What can I build?
You can build whatever your heart desires, whether it’s a web app, mobile app, hardware, or an open-source tool. A working prototype is not necessary to win (but Startup UCSD may be an opportunity to get started on creating a working product or proof of concept). Projects will be judged on (a) market potential and (b) the quality of the team.
Startups and projects at any stage of development are welcome. Though there will be prizes, our main focus is to help foster the startup culture at UC San Diego.
To register, or for more information, visit the Startup UCSD website.
Media Contacts
Paul K. Mueller, (858) 534-8564, pkmueller@ucsd.edu, Doug Ramsey, (858) 246-0353, dramsey@ucsd.edu
Related Links