One of the hidden advantages of going to college in Philadelphia is accessibility to the local startup community. Practically every other week there’s a startup weekend, hackathon or
Philly Startup Leaders (PSL) event.
When Dias Gotama, an International Information Systems major at Drexel, started attending these events he was surprised to find there weren’t many other students.
"An entrepreneurship ecosystem is growing really fast in Philadelphia," says Gotma. "A lot of events that happen aren’t well targeted to students -- they’re either really expensive or organizations don’t know how to reach students on a granular level."
Nvigor -- a student organization he cofounded with fellow Drexel student Abhiroop Das and Pulak Mittal, a Penn student -- hopes to change that.
Students who sign up with Nvigor receive a list of events culled from the PSL listserv and
Philly Startup Digest. Nvigor also helps organize student scholarships for pricey events such as
Lean Startup Machine and
Startup Weekend Health.
The group is working with the City's
Office of New Urban Mechanics on a curriculum for students interested in civic-minded startups. In addition, they’re planning a Student Startup Conference for the upcoming
Philly Tech Week.
Nvigor recently received sponsorship from
Smart IMS -- they will pay for the group's membership at
Culture Works, an organization that provides management resources and operational support. Eventually, Nvigor hopes to help students get part-time jobs or apprenticeships at emerging companies. They also plan to expand their services to suburban schools.
"If students come to these events, and they like them, word will spread about Philadelphia’s startup community," says Gotama.
Source: Dias Gotama, Abhiroop Das and Pulak Mittal, Nvigor
Writer: Dana Henry