Ways to a Get a Foot in the Door to Entrepreneurship

As a high school student, there was no business club at my school but I still wanted to explore my interest in entrepreneurship and business. Luckily, information (thanks to the internet!) is free, and there are tons of resources and opportunities for those who wish to try their hand at competing. Here is a compiled list of great opportunities:

Hackathons

Hackathons, the term coming from “hack” and “marathon”, are typically competitions in which teams work within a set period of time (say 48 hours) to develop a product. “Hack” is used to refer to how technologies explore and push boundaries. Even if you’re not experienced, hackathons often host workshops and have mentors available. Hackathons encourage creativity and industry disruptions, pushing together a variety of individuals from entrepreneurs to savvy coders to hardware experts. Hackathons are typically free as well, thus a great low-risk environment for students to explore and experiment in.

HackATL: The largest business hackathon in the Southeast, HackATL is hosted by an organization on Emory, EEVM (Emory Entrepreneurship and Venture Management).

PennApps: UPenn hosts the largest college hackathon in the Fall and is free to attend! learn more at pennapps.com

HoyaHacks: A 36-hour event hosted by Georgetown University in Washington D.C. This year the hackathon is on January 31st to February 2nd.

SwampHacks: The same weekend, University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida is hosting SwampHacks.

UGAHacks: UGA in Athens, Georgia, hosts their fifth annual hackathon on February 7th to 9th.

HackHer 413: Created to promote diversity in the technology industry, HackHer is an all-women and non-binary hackathon at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Business Competitions

DECA

With both high school and collegiate divisions, DECA is an international business competition with a variety of different categories (including marketing, sports business, etc) as well as online competitions like Deca’s Virtual Business Challenge.

Diamond Challenge for High School Entrepreneurs

With over tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, the Diamond Challenge is a competition that allows any high school entrepreneurship from any location around the world to enter and submit their ideas. The Diamond Challenge hosts pitch events around the world and provides feedback and mentorship connections.

Rice University Business Plan Competition (www.ricebusinessplancompetition.com/)

Graduate students with a business in the seed stages can apply to this three-day competition that incorporates pitches, feedback, and professional judging. The competition is at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

MIT Clean Energy Prize

College Teams create a business aiming to innovate energy under the four categories of generating energy, delivering energy, improving energy usage, and energy for developing economies.

There are, of course, more opportunities out there, but here is a list to get you started. Don’t underestimate the people around you as well: sometimes, talking to other students interested in the same passions or professors can help you find the perfect opportunity. Remember it’s always about more than just winning; it’s also the lessons and people you meet that will always be invaluable in the long run!

Written by: Amanda Chu | IQ Associate