It is a question asked around the nation as the economy continues to trouble policymakers a question that some at Texas A&M may hold the answer to. The question was even plastered on the front cover of the January issue of The Economist.
Will we ever invent anything useful again?
For some at Texas A&M University, the answer comes from an idea whose results continue to attract and promote entrepreneurship on and off campus.
Texas A&M officials, local leaders and entrepreneurs gathered Thursday evening to celebrate the grand opening of Startup Aggieland, A&Ms student-run business accelerator. The grand opening points to continued success in promoting entrepreneurship throughout campus.
Andrew Karl, sophomore communication major and vice president of the Entrepreneurship Society said that Startup Aggieland has created a place where any student can come with an idea and turn it into reality.
Startup Aggieland has served as a call for people to get involved, Karl said. We are fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship on campus, and are working toward making entrepreneurship a new tradition at Texas A&M.
Startup Aggieland began in summer 2012 with a soft opening, in which a few students with existing business ideas were chosen to kick-start the program. Shelly Brenckman, marketing manager of Startup Aggieland and university studies business major said the grand opening held Thursday marks the transition of the organization into a business accelerator capable of serving the most students as possible with quality resources.
We are now at the point where forms have been finalized and procedures established to help students effectively operate Startup Aggieland and to better serve other students, Brenckman said. Ultimately, Startup Aggieland is about students helping their peers and faculty educate students to be entrepreneurial thought leaders who will lead and serve later.
Although open for less than a year, Startup Aggieland has already served as the catalyst needed to give many student businesses the resources needed to succeed. Jon Moeller, graduate student and entrepreneur founded his company, Moeller.io, after the work he did on electronics for graduate studies led him to continue his ideas with Startup Aggieland.
We focus on making electronic device tools that allow people to learn how to make electronics, Moeller said. These devices can be [put together] by the user to make any electronic device they think of, like high-tech Legos.
Moeller said Startup Aggieland has provided him with the resources needed to market his idea and further his business.
Through Startup Aggieland, I have office space and connections as well as free web hosting, Moeller said.
Several other companies are provided with free office space at Startup Aggielands office. SCHOOL D, co-founded by senior finance major Travis Crawford and senior information and operations management major Natalie Attaya, offers users an innovative way to give back to their University. Users place money on their favorite college team during a game, and if their team wins, the funds are donated to the University.
Albedo, co-founded by sophomore computer science major Joshua Gyarmathy and junior computer science major Joshua Dover, aims to give businesses and organizations a way to receive instant feedback from customers on their experience through text messages.
The way in which Startup Aggieland has fostered these and other businesses has gained the attention of several interested groups.
Startup Aggieland is now a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Brenckman said. The Brazos Valley Small Business Development Center and the TEEX Product Development Center work with our students, and also provide free opportunities for them to gain knowledge in prototyping, e-commerce, business formation and more.
Brenckman said that delegations from Mexico, Belgium and China visited the facility during the fall semester.
Karl said the grand opening held Thursday points toward a new and promising future for Aggie entrepreneurs and the University.
Our generation [matured] with job insecurity in the recession, Karl said. We are taught how to get a job, but not always how to go and create jobs. I want A&M to become known for its entrepreneurship. There is no limit to what we can do here.