Networking event turns pitches into partnerships
Ethereal Co. co-founders Michael Li (left), a biomedical engineering student, and Ben Voller-Brown (second from left), a mechanical engineering student, pitch their venture to a room of techies, investors and founders at Techiepalooza. The students are pictured with Wiley Larson (second from right), originator of Techiepalooza, and investor Michael Hool (right). Photographer: Erika Gronek/ASU
Perfect timing, quick decisions and electrifying energy are vital aspects of both startup ventures and auctions. In an environment where every moment matters, everyone is searching for the deal that catalyzes their career.
Techiepalooza, a biannual auction-inspired networking event hosted by E+I @ Fulton, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, connects student startup founders and “techies” — or students with technical skills — whose paths and class schedules may not have otherwise intersected.
In lieu of a gavel slamming, new deals are solidified with eye contact, a nod and a quick “let’s talk later.” Featuring keynote speakers, venture pitches and a skills showcase, the event immerses students in an ASU entrepreneurial ecosystem that can enable them to chart their own paths, too.
Brent Sebold, director of E+I @ Fulton, says founders should get used to selling their ventures, skills and themselves.
“Some of our most impactful startup management teams at ASU were formed as a result of serendipitous connections, often outside of the classroom,” Sebold says. “Potential co-founders must establish an instinct for opportunity and talent sharing to be best prepared for the path ahead.”
On the auction block
At the event, connections begin as they seldom do but often should: with a declaration of intentions.
Student founders give rapid-fire pitches of their ventures to a room of fellow entrepreneurs and their tech-savvy peers in two rounds of pitching. In just one minute, founders must establish their brands and outline their recruitment goals to lure in techies. Promptly after the pitches, the techies take the floor and detail their expertise. During both rounds, founders and techies alike call out and answer each other’s questions, offering a quick “let’s talk after” as matches are made.
Sandul Gangodagamage, a sophomore studying computer science and founder of an online games company called LEGiON Platforms, which already has more than four million users, says that his venture has been scaling successfully and continues to create high-quality products to release across the world.
“If you’ve made it to this event, I know we already have a shared passion,” Gangodagamage said during his pitch. “Come talk to me after about what we can make happen.”
Gangodagamage has been active in the E+I @ Fulton community since the beginning of his academic career. During his time at ASU, he has also won Venture Devils and attended the annual Tech Devils innovation retreat. He says the environment created by these organizations and events like Techiepalooza keep him consistent and focused on future possibilities.
“Being at ASU and on campus with all these entrepreneurial programs reminds me to take the opportunities in front of us, everything we can achieve and the valuable connections we can make,” he says.
Going once, going twice, going a few more times
Along with fresh faces were also Techiepalooza alumni returning to recruit.
“The E+I @ Fulton ecosystem is like an elephant because it’s huge and doesn’t forget,” Sebold says.
Cameron Weber, a Fulton Schools alum, returned as a founder looking to recruit for his venture AdpT, an influencer marketing agency using software to match companies to authentic micro-influencers.
Weber says it’s his third Techiepalooza and that he is fond of the network and opportunities it brings to work with others in the ASU community.
“It’s great to be able to come back offering new opportunities to the network,” Weber says. “The community within Techiepalooza is here to support and guide young entrepreneurs. It gives them the space to fail freely, develop new skills and test out different things.”
Former roommates and co-founders of Enchanted Baby Ilan Chmelnik, a Fulton Schools alum, and Brad Moren, a W. P. Carey School of Business alum, are a testament to the interdisciplinary spirit behind Techiepalooza.
Chmelnik developed the idea for Enchanted Baby, a sleep sack inspired by scent cloths used in hospital neonatal intensive care units, but found himself frequently consulting Moren about the business side of development. Years later, Chmelnik still describes their randomly assigned roommate match as a perfect pairing.
“I would see the problem from one perspective, and he would see it from the other — our skills just complemented each other,” he says. “We have encountered a lot of different customers and investors who are either analytically minded or emotionally inclined, and we can connect with both.”
Reducing barriers to entry
For students like Michael Li, a biomedical engineering student and co-founder of Ethereal Co., who joined ASU during the pandemic when there were limited opportunities to get involved in new business ventures, turning to entrepreneurship through E+I @ Fulton and Venture Devils
was a way to set his own course.
“I wanted to get experience doing something, not just attending classes online,” Li says. “Being around other entrepreneurs inspires you to stay consistent. In business, you have to keep trying and pivoting and getting back up when you fail. Seeing other people fight for their ideas is a powerful influence to keep going.”
Anushka Madiwale, a computer science senior, founded the club VentureVerse to offer students various entry points into entrepreneurship. The club connects students with entrepreneurial ideas to an ecosystem of mentors, investors and startup founders.
“VentureVerse is a link between students with a raw idea and a network of mentors, investors and other startup founders,” Madiwale says. “We have a wonderful community here at VentureVerse, and Techiepalooza is the perfect place to get the word out and encourage students to be a part of the entrepreneurial madness.”
Madiwale emphasizes that the club is for students at the early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys and it aims to be a resource for those seeking advice and support.
“Succeeding from scratch takes a lot of patience, commitment and iteration,” Sebold says. “We provide resources and opportunities to upskill as entrepreneurial thinkers, but what carries ventures into the market is passion, drive and the right team of co-founders.”
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