Stanford's StartX incubator looks to hatch more startups down on the Farm
20.05.12
Entrepreneurship courses at the engineering school.
He's now mentoring two different StartX teams: One that uses social networking software to help professionals stay in touch with people they meet, another that helps students get into top colleges by connecting them to current students at those schools. "I wanted to work with companies where I thought my background would be helpful," he said.
StartX is the brainchild of Cameron Teitelman, 23, who graduated from Stanford in June but launched the program while still an undergraduate.
The idea began when Teitelman went looking to build his own company as a sophomore. The Essential Card aimed to give Stanford students discounts at local stores and restaurants, but Teitelman found the process frustrating despite the university's famed entrepreneurial streak.
"There are a lot of resources all over the place, but it's really fragmented," he said. "What was missing was a network of mentors."
After a year of buildup and brainstorming, StartX rolled out its first three-month session in summer 2010. Since then, 32 companies have gone through the program -- representing fields as diverse as cleantech, biotechnology and gaming -- and 13 more are currently enrolled.
Source: San Jose Mercury News
