Startup Exchange is the largest student entrepreneurial community at Georgia Tech. We support and inspire our students to create and develop their ventures. We promote entrepreneurship education at Georgia Tech by organizing speaker events, workshops, and panels for students. We connect students with startups through our network of fellow students, founders, and mentors. Above all, our mission is
to foster a group of people who support and help each other reach new heights. A connection space. A home for designers, coders, businessmen, and ideators to begin something together. It is multidisciplinary, student-run and Institute supported. It is meant for chatter and discussion on ideas which are full of rough edges and immense potential. This space will cultivate thought-leadership, community, and a deep desire for learning. It creates cultures which aspire to collaboration, problem-solving, and a deep rooted sense of humility. History
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In the Fall 2012, a pilot program to simulate the conditions of a rigorous startup accelerator was launched to prove that there was a need and potential for entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech. This program was called "Startup Semester" and it provided ten student teams with structure, mentorship, and curriculum on the business model canvas. It was an aggressive grassroots initiative which quickly gained recognition. By the end of 10 weeks, the program made it to Hacker News, was praised in the blog posts of the Atlanta Startup Community and even garnered some national attention from similarly motivated student groups in CU Boulder, Penn State, etc. The need to expand this culture was clearly evident. After months spent lobbying for space, the founders of Startup Semester had a breakthrough. The Georgia Tech Library generously donated the old Presentation Rehearsal Room on the first floor to student entrepreneurs. In February 8, 2013 it was dedicated as the Startup Exchange.
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We believe that Georgia Tech's entrepreneurial renaissance is underway. We've come a long way since our humble beginnings in the Georgia Tech library. We've now expanded our location to the Garage Under Tech Square. Our mission has expanded as well. We no longer simply serve as a beacon of student entrepreneurship, but the driving force behind its growth and presence at Georgia Tech and ultimately Atlanta as a whole. And we won't stop until we change Georgia Tech. Here's to the Institute. To Atlanta. And to the exchange of ideas.
