Georgetown McDonough School of Business students and alumni shared their enterprising business ideas at 1776—an event that capped off the two-month long incubator program through the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s StartupHoyas. This year, 18 ventures made of students and alumni participated in the Summer Launch Program where teams developed a broad range of business ideas, from food to fashion to fantasy soccer.
“The Summer Launch Program is an in-depth opportunity for our students and alumni to really pursue their entrepreneurial dreams,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of the Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Initiative. “Some companies are off and running and have great promise. Others will continue to develop and may morph into other ideas. Either way, the participants each learned a lot about the process of launching a company and connected with our group of amazing mentors.”
Luisa Santos was one of the entrepreneurs who pitched their ideas at the gathering. Her venture, LuLu’s Ice Cream, already has achieved a loyal following in the DC area.
“This experience has been one of tremendous growth,” she said. “With each step I learn more and more. It is incredible how generous these people are with their time, their resources, and their networks. Spending time with the mentors who are real entrepreneurs who have done this very well in the past is priceless.”
This is the fourth year of Georgetown’s summer incubator program. Through this program and other entrepreneurial initiatives, Georgetown prides itself on allowing students and alumni from all backgrounds to explore their passions and think creatively about their business pursuits.
“That’s special about Georgetown,” Crocker said. “To be in StartupHoyas, you don’t have to be a business student— nothing stops you here.”