Boulder and the Front Range are a leading hub for startups and emerging company activity. This not only makes it a superb home base for Colorado Law鈥檚 Silicon Flatirons Center, but also serves as a perfect location for one of Silicon Flatirons鈥� most innovative programs: Startup Summer. 听
Open to undergraduate students of all majors, who have obtained or are seeking a full-time internship at an emerging company, Startup Summer was launched in 2012. Startup Summer provides an entry point for the next generation of talent into the startup community. 听
鈥淚t is enormously powerful for students to walk into a world-class startup scene,鈥� said Brad Bernthal 鈥�01, Executive Director for Silicon Flatirons. 鈥淭his program creates a giant door for students to get involved in emerging companies, and we鈥檝e made that door much more inclusive in terms of who gets involved.鈥� 听
Startup Summer Participants receive a curated tour of the startup ideation and creation process. By day, they work as interns at innovative companies across the Front Range and beyond. By night, participants build a venture with a team of their peers. Participants gather once a week, additionally, for an entrepreneurial programming curriculum with sessions led by successful Colorado founders and C-level execs.听
鈥淭he program introduces and exposes students to some of the best entrepreneurs, technologists, and investors in the Front Range,鈥� Bernthal explained. 鈥淲e have seminars that are excellent, and that serves as big magnet to help get students more interested in the startup community.鈥� 听
Seminars include topics such as 鈥淗ow to pitch your company,鈥� 鈥淗ow to build a prototype,鈥� and 鈥淗ow to discover your potential customers.鈥� 听The role of programming is multifaceted. They allow students to build a network and engage directly with the startup community. 听They also give startup community members an opportunity to give back. 听听听
The program has evolved since its inception in 2012. 听A priority in recent years is to use Startup Summer to help create a more inclusive startup community. The program鈥檚 recent funding initiative with NextStars-- a venture studio that provides comprehensive support, expert mentorship, and essential resources to help founders from underrepresented backgrounds build and grow impactful businesses--has helped make this goal a reality. 听
鈥淲ith our NextStars funding initiative, we are able to provide professional experience to more first generation and underserved students,鈥� said Sara Schnittgrund, Student Programs Director. 鈥淪ince the pandemic, we have also allowed students who have not secured summer internships to participate. This gives students an opportunity to build their resumes where they otherwise may not have had an experience to add.鈥澨�
The reach of the program goes beyond undergrad students and the startup community. Each summer, two Colorado Law and/or graduate students are selected to expand their professional networks and develop their project management skills by serving as Managing Directors.听
鈥淭he Managing Directors help design an introductory immersive experience to the startup environment,鈥� said Beatriz Salazar, Learning Sciences and Human Development PhD candidate and Startup Summer 2023 Managing Director. 鈥淲e created a curriculum facilitated by local startup experts and encouraged participants to build their network through these interactions.鈥� 听
Salazar shared that one of the largest pieces of feedback the program received was that students felt the programming was something they could easily apply to their careers and long-term goals, even for those who had originally not thought of entrepreneurship as a career. A similar feeling of the program鈥檚 real-life application was shared by law student and Salazar鈥檚 2023 co-director, Sebastien Lasseur 鈥�25.听听
鈥淎s someone interested in entrepreneurship and Venture Capital, I really enjoyed this experience,鈥� said Lasseur. 鈥淚 learned from the knowledgeable guest speakers who supported the program and how to support startup teams as they sprinted to prepare for pitch night.鈥澨�
Veronica Chapman 鈥�26, one of this year鈥檚 Managing Directors, alongside Jacob Woodford 鈥�26, explained that the experience has pushed her further towards pursuing entrepreneurial law, while simultaneously demonstrating how strong of a startup community Boulder has. 听
鈥淢y favorite part of this role has been connecting with and mentoring the students,鈥� Chapman said. 鈥淚 love the opportunity to build ideas out through discussion and help teams realize when it might be time to pivot an idea. By connecting with the students, I can best assist them as they navigate building their ventures.鈥澨�
The summer concludes on August 15 with an End-of-Summer Pitch Night, free and open to the public. The student companies present their unique pitches and compete for at least $10,000 in prize money. This energetic community event provides an excellent chance to see what students have been working on throughout the summer. You are invited to join and see what student teams have built at this energetic event. 听
Register here: 听
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