Innovation Month 2021

Derby Entrepreneurship Center and our partners will be offering a series of in-person and virtual in September to introduce students to the rich resources across Tufts to help them become innovative and entrepreneurial. Come on in! We would love to meet you!

Sept 27 @ 12 pm: Virtual Event: Ideas Competition Info Session #1 – Tufts Students Only

Interested in making a difference via innovation? If so, the Ideas Competition is for you! Launched in 2014, the competition is the launchpad for many Tufts students who want to solve big problems via innovation and entrepreneurship.

The 2021 theme for this competition is “Innovating With Impact“. No experience is required. Join our workshops to explore your passion, find a problem worth solving, develop an idea for an innovative solution, and create a plan for widespread adoption of your solution for maximum impact. Pitch your venture to seasoned judges from the entrepreneurial community for a chance to win up to $1000 per team.

Many Ideas Competition winners go on to apply for the $100k New Ventures Competition, Tufts’ flagship entrepreneurship competition in the spring. Some go on to build new ventures over the summer and beyond.

Open to current Tufts undergraduate and graduate students and gap year students only.

Sept 28 @ 6 pm: Virtual Event: Ideas Competition Info Session #2 – Tufts Students Only

Interested in making a difference via innovation? If so, the Ideas Competition is for you! Launched in 2014, the competition is the launchpad for many Tufts students who want to solve big problems via innovation and entrepreneurship.

The 2021 theme for this competition is “Innovating With Impact“. No experience is required. Join our workshops to explore your passion, find a problem worth solving, develop an idea for an innovative solution, and create a plan for widespread adoption of your solution for maximum impact. Pitch your venture to seasoned judges from the entrepreneurial community for a chance to win up to $1000 per team.

Many Ideas Competition winners go on to apply for the $100k New Ventures Competition, Tufts’ flagship entrepreneurship competition in the spring. Some go on to build new ventures over the summer and beyond.

Open to current Tufts undergraduate and graduate students and gap year students only.

Sept 29 @ 12 pm: Virtual Event: Pitch to Match – Open to All

Have an idea and need someone to work with? Have skills and want to join a team? Come to our virtual Pitch to Match event. Everyone gets 2 minutes to pitch either an idea you have to recruit teammates, or an area of interest to find a team to join. Or just pitch your skills and interests and meet like-minded people! Open to all.

September 2 @ 10am – 11am: Virtual Speaker Event – Steven Koltai, MIT D-Lab

Co-sponsored event: Beyond Silicon Valley: Peace Through Entrepreneurship

Steven Koltai, LA ’76, F’78, EP ’08; MIT D-Lab

Join the Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship at Case Western Reserve University and the Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University on September 2 at 10 a.m. ET via Zoom as part of the Case Western Reserve University class, Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies, for a discussion with Steven Koltai, Strategic Advisor Entrepreneurship Ecosystems, MIT D-Lab.

This event is in partnership with the Veale Entrepreneurship Center at Case Western Reserve University.

Sept 14 @ 5pm – 7pm: In-Person Event – Entrepreneurship Taco Social

Hungry after a long day of classes? Tacos are on us! Meet fellow innovators and entrepreneurs, and hear alumni success stories while enjoying tacos in an outdoor space. Learn about upcoming events at the Derby Entrepreneurship Center. Vegan options will be available.

This event is open to students, faculty and staff who are on the Tufts Coronavirus Routine Surveillance Testing Program.

Sept 20 @ 12pm: Virtual Event: Networking in gather.town

Meet up with fellow innovators and entrepreneurs across Tufts in our virtual world! Our virtual world, built on gather.town, includes a courtyard where you can admire our virtual landscaping, an expo hall where you can learn more about innovation and entrepreneurship courses and resources at Tufts, and a student lounge where you can freely mingle with students, alumni and community members. Open to all.

Sept 21 @ 12pm: Hybrid Event: Fletcher D-Prize Infosession with Dorothy Orszulak, Dir @Fletcher

The world needs entrepreneurs who can distribute proven poverty solutions in the developing world. Can you figure out a better way to distribute a solar lamp, or vaccine, or any other proven poverty solution to people in need? Join Dorothy Orszulak, Director of Corporate Outreach at the Fletcher School to learn about the Fletcher D-Prize where you can pitch your idea to solve one of the challenges presented. Compete for a chance to win up to $20,000 to pilot your new venture in Africa, Asia, or another developing region. Stop by the Fletcher School on the Medford Campus for an info session (and a free lunch) to learn more.

The in-person event is at Cabot Center, Room 702 and  is open to students, faculty and staff who are on the Tufts Coronavirus Routine Surveillance Testing Program. The event will also be streamed as a Zoom meeting which is open to all.

Sept 22 @ 12pm: Virtual Event: Ideation Session – Choosing a Problem Worth Solving with Prof. Elaine Chen

You are passionate about making a difference in the world – but there are so many problems you could solve. Which problem should you start with? How do you find your passion? Join Professor Elaine Chen, Director of Derby Entrepreneurship Center, in a fast-paced ideation session to find problems worth solving. We will use problem prompts to guide you through a brainstorming session to come up with problems worth solving, and give you tools to choose one to start with. You will also learn to use a virtual whiteboarding tool to facilitate your own brainstorming process and collaborate with others in real time. Open to all.

Sept 22 @ 6:30 pm: In-Person Event: Makerfaire with Brandon Stafford, Master Maker @Nolop

Join Tufts’ Master Maker, Brandon Stafford at NOLOP, Tufts’ premiere maker space, for an evening of maker fun. You will learn to make things with your hands in one of the very best academic makerspaces in the greater Boston area. No experience is necessary! Open to students, faculty and staff members.

This event is open to students, faculty and staff who are on the Tufts Coronavirus Routine Surveillance Testing Program.