Fall 2020 Startup Matchmaking Recap

On Thursday October 1, The Garage held it’s popular quarterly Startup Matchmaking event, which helps pair student founders in the Tinker and Residency programs with other Northwestern students eager to join a startup. The event, which took place over Zoom, attracted over 125 excited students interested in joining a startup, many of whom have subsequently joined one of the teams that pitched. 

In all, 27 teams led by students across the University in McCormick, Weinberg, Medill, Kellogg,  and the Pritzker School of Law pitched their startups, which ranged from neuroscience technology applications to social media apps and beef biltong. After all 27 teams pitched their ventures and the type of help they were looking for, they each hosted separate Zoom rooms where students could drop in, introduce themselves, and learn more. You can read more about the startups here, and watch the full event below! 

A sample of the teams that pitched at Startup Matchmaking: 

Acorn Genetics: Acorn Genetics specializes in providing private home DNA testing kits, allowing clients access to their genetic information without the concern of their data being sold or disclosed.

Amasu: Amasu brings Traditional Chinese Medicinal herbs to American consumers in convenient formats, and we’re currently launching an immunity-boosting herb-infused coffee product.

Litterbox: Litterbox provides convenient, affordable, and secure summer storage for Northwestern students.

NeuApp: Neuroscience applications develops cutting-edge technology, from mind reading to brain engineering, to optimize brain health and enhance human performance. 

Nooks: Building an app for sharing and discovering unique places!

https://youtu.be/fMQQPAqLwfM

By all accounts, the virtual Startup Matchmaking event was a success. Senior Peter Dorward, who co-founded Litterbox his freshman year, said that the virtual format worked well, and generated interest from many students to work with Litterbox. “Startup Matchmaking allowed Litterbox to connect with 15 students from across the country who were eager to get involved with a Garage startup. Through these connections, we were able to expand our team with passionate individuals who will contribute to the future growth and success of our company.”

Kellogg first-year candidate Catherine Lamb attended Startup Matchmaking looking to join a team and was impressed by the volume and quality of the startups pitching. "Wow, Northwestern students can hustle. I came in hoping to hear from one or two cool interesting startups and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was interested in the majority of companies that pitched. It's great to see the Kellogg/Northwestern entrepreneurial ecosystem is so energized!"

Startup Matchmaking is a quarterly event, and while you must be a Tinkerer or Resident at The Garage to pitch your startup, any student from the Northwestern community can attend to learn more about dozens of student startups and how to get involved with The Garage and the Northwestern entrepreneurial ecosystem. In fact, that’s how many of the students pitching their startups first got involved with The Garage. Keep up with all of our upcoming events on The Garage Events page!