Three Northwestern entrepreneurial organizations presented information about innovation opportunities to more than 70 people at The Garage’s annual Entrepreneurship Open House on Thursday. 

“It’s a great opportunity for various stakeholders in Northwestern’s robust entrepreneurial ecosystem to come together and explain our different offerings to our students,” Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation director Hayes Ferguson said.

Attendees, more than half of whom were freshmen and sophomores, listened to representatives from the Farley Center, The Garage and the Entrepreneurship in Action student organization, known as EPIC.

Weinberg senior and Farley Center student ambassador Joe Maino told attendees that although he didn’t become involved with the center until his junior year, he has since fallen in love with it. 

“If it weren’t for the course I have taken (with the Farley Center) and also the courses I have been fortunate enough to lead — I’m a teaching assistant and I love doing that — I would not have that upbringing and that entrepreneurial drive that I now really embrace,” Maino said. 

EPIC co-Presidents McCormick junior Charlie Tanas and McCormick senior Rawan Mohamed highlighted their organization’s Launch and Sprout programs. 

The Launch program allows members to create their own venture under student guidance, while Sprout is a weeklong trip to Silicon Valley.

“I know entrepreneurship can be intimidating,” Mohamed said. “‘Oh, I have to have my own startup idea,’ or ‘I have to do all of this amazing stuff to be able to use those spaces.’ That’s why we’re here to tell you that that’s not the case.”

Following the presentation, attendees explored the organizations’ tables. The Garage table featured pamphlets about the Tinker Program and Startup Matchmaking. During Startup Matchmaking, Resident and Tinkerer Teams within The Garage pitch their ideas to students interested in joining a startup or utilizing the space.

“I am excited to be a part of this matchmaking process because entrepreneurship is something I’ve been interested in for a while,” Weinberg freshman Anika Dewjee said. “Working for a startup on campus is definitely something I want to get involved in.”

Dewjee said she looks forward to coming to the space to study and potentially create her own startup.

Weinberg freshman Raymond Wang said The Garage and EPIC stood out to him from the open house. He said he was impressed that EPIC is completely student-run.

“I’m really new to entrepreneurship, but (the open house) definitely sparked a lot of interest,” Wang said. “I’m definitely interested in seeing what kind of startups I can join.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @PavanAcharya02

Related Stories:

— Virtual matchmaking event at The Garage connects students to Northwestern-based startups

— Letter to the Editor: The Garage is a valuable resource to student start-ups

— Garage Founder-in-Residence launches Rhetoric, providing feedback for start-up pitches through AI-based coaching