Perfect timing, quick decisions and electrifying energy are vital aspects of both startup ventures and auctions. In an environment where every moment matters, everyone is searching for the deal that catalyzes their career.
Techiepalooza, a bi-annual auction-inspired networking event hosted by E+I @ Fulton, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, and powered by Hool Coury Law, connects student startup founders and “techies”, or students with technical skills, whose paths and class schedules may not have otherwise intersected.
In lieu of a gavel slamming, new deals are solidified with eye contact, a nod and a quick “let’s talk later.” Featuring keynote speakers, venture pitches and a skills showcase, the event immerses students in an ASU entrepreneurial ecosystem that can enable them to chart their own paths, too.
Brent Sebold, director of E+I @ Fulton, says founders should get used to selling their ventures, skills and themselves.
“Some of our most impactful startup management teams at ASU were formed as a result of serendipitous connections, often outside of the classroom,” Sebold says. “Potential co-founders must establish an instinct for opportunity and talent sharing to be best prepared for the path ahead.”
On the auction block
At the event, connections begin as they seldom do but often should: with a declaration of intentions.
Student founders give rapid-fire pitches of their ventures to a room of fellow entrepreneurs and their tech-savvy peers in two rounds of pitching. In just one minute, founders must establish their brands and outline their recruitment goals to lure in techies. Promptly after the pitches, the techies take the floor and detail their expertise. During both rounds, founders and techies alike call out and answer each other’s questions, offering a quick “let’s talk after” as matches are made.
Sandul Gangodagamage, a sophomore studying computer science and founder of an online games company called Legion Platforms, which already has more than four million users, says that his venture has been scaling successfully and continues to create high-quality products to release across the world.
“If you’ve made it to this event, I know we already have a shared passion,” Gangodagamage said during his pitch. “Come talk to me after about what we can make happen.”
Gangodagamage has been active in the E+I @ Fulton community since the beginning of his academic career and has won Venture Devils and attended the annual Tech Devils innovation retreat. He says the environment created by these organizations and events like Techiepalooza keep him consistent and focused on future possibilities.
“Being at ASU and on campus with all these entrepreneurial programs reminds me to take the opportunities in front of us, everything we can achieve and the valuable connections we can make,” he says.