Two-Day ‘Hackathon for Startups’ Hopes to Spark Student Innovations

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The new “Startup UCSD,” described as a two-day hackathon for startups, encourages the creative, innovative, and problem-solving students at UC San Diego to bring their ideas to a venue where workshops, professional advisors, and campus resources can help bring those ideas to fruition.

And $15,000 in prizes should make some of them profitable, too.

Set for Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, in RIMAC arena on campus, Startup UCSD consists of networking, workshops, brunch, dinners, demos, and business-development advice by experienced mentors.

Sponsored by Qualcomm Institute, the von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center, The Basement, and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC), Startup UCSD is another aspect of an aggressive, campus-wide effort to spark student innovation and business-startup initiatives at the university.

“The faculty, the students, our Entrepreneurs in Residence and other resources we offer together make up UC San Diego’s Innovation Ecosystem,” says Paul Roben, Associative Vice Chancellor for Innovation. “Our mission is to help anybody in the campus community turn problem-solving ideas into economy-building businesses. Startup UCSD is a key part of that approach.”

The event’s website answers the most frequently asked questions:

What is a hackathon for startups?

A hackathon is where you turn your crazy ideas into real stuff. A startup is a where you apply your ideas to solve a problem with a particular end-user in mind. Startup UCSD is therefore the time to hack away at a particular problem, coming up with a solution in the form of a product or service. It is the time to dust off old ideas, to add the finishing touches to current projects, or to create something completely new.

Who can attend?

Startup UCSD is open to all majors! As long as you're prepared to learn, brainstorm, and work on cool things, we welcome you to join.

Throughout the event we will be holding workshops for students to immerse themselves into the world of startups and technology. These workshops will be held by industry professionals who will teach new and upcoming tools and strategies that assist with business development and more.

What can I build?

You can build whatever your heart desires, whether it’s a web app, mobile app, hardware, or an open source tool. A working prototype is not necessary to win. Projects will be judged on market potential and the quality of the team.

Startups and projects of all stages are welcome. Though there will be prizes, our main focus is to help foster the startup culture at UCSD.

To register, or for more information, visit the Startup UCSD website.