Community Events

The iStartup Lab hosts events to help iSchool students learn about entrepreneurship and meet other entrepreneurially-minded students and alumni from the iSchool community.

Upcoming events

How to come up with startup ideas and identify a problem worth solving

Friday, May 17, 2024
10:30 am-12 pm pacific time
Format: In-person workshop
Location: UW Seattle campus
RSVP for this event

Past events

How to find a co-founder for your student startup

Friday, April 12, 2024
10:30-11:30 am pacific time
Format: Panel discussion plus virtual networking activity
Location: Zoom

Panelists

Brian Cao / Founder, Amethyst
Jake Harper / Founder, Napkin
Raiham Malik / Founder, mAlIk software

Summary of takeaways

• If you’re currently a solo founder, try to validate as many aspects of the business as possible (customer need, solution scope, pricing model, etc.) before adding a co-founder. That way, you’ll have a better sense of where the company is heading and which skills and experiences to prioritize when evaluating potential co-founders.
• While it can be appealing to bring on a friend as a co-founder, it’s hard to maintain both a friendship and a working relationship through the inevitable ups and downs of running a startup. Optimize for fit in terms of skill set, work style, values, and motivations, and if a friend is still your top choice, make sure you’re OK with prioritizing the work relationship over the friendship.
• The logistics of adding a co-founder to your team can be a bit daunting, both from a legal/contractual perspective and when it comes to figuring out the interpersonal dynamics. When engaging with a potential co-founder, try to start with a short-term test project to confirm that you work well together. Then, if you decide to move forward with adding them to the founding team, make sure to put all the necessary contracts in place — including a vesting schedule for the new co-founder’s shares or options — so you’re protected if they decide to leave the company early on. And be sure to get everything in writing, so there aren’t any disputes later.

How to find funding for your student startup

Friday, March 8, 2024
12:00-1:00 pm pacific time
Format: Panel discussion
Location: Zoom

Recording of event

How to turn your class project or hackathon concept into a startup

Friday, January 19, 2024
12:00-1:00 pm pacific time
Format: In-person workshop
Location: UW Seattle campus