STARTING A COMPANY IN

COLLEGEErin Winick

About Me:Erin Winick■Mechanica

l Engineering Student

■4 Summer Internships

■Sci Chic CEO

Copyright Erin Winick 2016

How can I find the…■Idea■Time■Support■Money■Traction

IDEA

IDEA

■Look for a problem that needs solving. Fall in love with the problem.– Look inward at your passions– Go to Hackathons and Start-Up

Weekends

■I founded Sci Chic: The Fashionable Side of Science in October 2015

■Combines my loves of encouraging diversity in STEM, fashion and 3D printing

TIME

Time

■Less classes per semester■Be mindful of projects and exams, calls running

late, etc.■Give realistic product lead times■Company growth vs school■Use down time wisely

Time

It will never seem like the perfect time to start a company. There are always reasons to say no.

Start now

SUPPORT

Support

■Local/University Incubators■Entrepreneurship professors■National organizations supporting your area

of tech or business■Maker Spaces■Other students

$

Crowdfunding

■Women Startup Challenge: http://www.womenwhotech.com/women-startup-challenge

■Kickstarter■Indiegogo

Competitions

■Project Entrepreneur: http://projectentrepreneur.org/

■Local pitch competitions■Look to your business schools for business plan

competitions

Bootstrapping

■ Sell an MVP and use the money to fund your growth■ Make your product as cheaply as possible to get the idea across

TRACTION

Traction

■Your college PR department is your friend■Alumni networks■College entrepreneurship competitions■Social media■Reaching out to news organizations

SheKnows #CampusPitch 2016

Things Won’t Always Go Your Way■Move On■Learn■Don’t Give Up

Appreciate the small and big victories

Keep Getting Better

Questions?Personal– Twitter: @bcofengineering– Instagram: @erinwinickSci Chic– Scichic.com– Facebook.com/sciencechic– Twitter: @scichicnews

Copyright Erin Winick 2016