On Wednesday, October 17, IDEA: Northeastern’s Venture Accelerator hosted the 5th NEXPO, a biannual celebration of all things entrepreneurial. Throughout the night, 40 of IDEA’s ventures showcased their products and services to members of the Northeastern and Greater Boston entrepreneur communities.
With over 500 students, industry professionals, and investors and a record number of ventures attending, the event marked a significant milestone for IDEA. In the last year alone, the program has grown from 56 to 107 ventures – NEXPO was a true testament to this growth.
Chris Wolfel, CEO of IDEA, remembers a much different atmosphere three years ago at IDEA’s first NEXPO. “It was small, probably about 12 ventures and 100 attendees,” he describes.
The event was originally held in the Curry Student Center Ballroom, followed by the Curry West End Addition. Having outgrown both venues, Wednesday night’s expo was held in Cabot Athletic Center. But the location and size of the event weren’t the only changes that took place this year.
“Our ventures this year were far more prepared than in the past,” Wolfel explains. “Many companies brought samples of their product, interactive displays, and an eagerness to talk about their work. This energy was a tangible force as ventures spoke with students, alumni, faculty, investors, and other local entrepreneurs.”
“NEXPO was the perfect opportunity for our ventures to gain additional exposure, as well as further experience in pitching their business to potential talent and investors,” explains James Gorman, IDEA’s Head Coach. “The event was a huge success for IDEA, our ventures, and our supporters. We’re confident that our future events and expos will continue to build on this success.”
View the night’s top tweets here.
For additional NEXPO coverage, visit all that was written here on BostInno and news@Northeastern.
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Exhibitors at NEXPO included: TBubble, KeeWee Listings, IUN, The Handle Bar, SimpleCollegeRecipes.com, If I Were President, Incendiary Industries, Clear Classics, Hoffzaz, influencers@, ChatterMob, SplashScore (Apifia Inc.), Dpicd, College-X, Tuatara Corporation, Kush Groove Clothing Company, StageBandit LLC, PreApps, Brewed Bikes, U-Turn Audio, College Swagga, Prospective Plus, Mini Pops Inc., Cobar Systems, Harper Lei, Upgrade Journey LLC, Candlepin for Kids, Moniker Guitars, Presskit.to (Indie Ambassador), LeanWagon, Collaperty, Typeli, BIOLOM, AndrosRobotics LLC, Njabini Apparel, USpin, Encore Realty, Northeastern University Health Sciences Entrepreneurs, Northeastern University Social Enterprise Institute, NU Entrepreneurs Club, D’Amore-McKim School of Business Graduate Programs, and MassChallenge.
To learn more about these ventures and programs, visit IDEA’s portfolio page here.
