Isaiah Baptiste| SXSW 2022
During my senior year, I was fortunate to be selected for the 7th annual HBCU@SXSW 2022, facilitated by Opportunity Hub (OHUB) to pitch my start-up, Umerge, alongside my colleague Morgan and his start-up, Invoke. This was an unmatched experience that allowed us to interact with leaders in emerging tech, gain key feedback on our companies, and expand our minds through interacting with the impossible.
Before I begin, we are greatly thankful for the support from Purdue University for facilitating this experience. This trip would not have been possible without funding and support from John Martinson Entrepreneurial Center, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Office of Undergraduate Education and Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
The heart of my experience was on Friday during the OHUB Pitch Event day. From the moment we arrived, people from all backgrounds approached asking me to explain Umerge and its story. This set the tone for the remaining days of the trip. Everyone was open to hearing and giving immediate advice, feedback and even providing resources.
The Demo Day was enlightening. Members spoke on their innovative and diverse start-up pitches and ideas that gave Umerge perspective on its own business model. The contestants were well prepared and had clear and intentional pitch decks. Each contender focused on a problem that their company claimed to solve while showing their progress toward their goal concisely. After this, Umerge had the opportunity to present its pitch deck 1:1 to some of the VC’s present and received a microscopic dissection of the revenue model and limitations of the product.
“The networking event was the most impactful part of my experience. During this, Umerge made two noteworthy connections: Zak Waddell (former contestant on the Bachelorette) who is the Customer Success Manager at Woolf University and one of the panelists at the event. Zak showed interest in Umerge and allowed me to meet with him virtually on Monday March 21st. He agreed to stay in communication, providing resources that we may need to see through to the completion of our projects. Alejandro Fernandez-Spadro, a marketing and technology expert who founded The Whisper Company (a company that focuses and security and verification within the communication ecosystem). He is excited to work with Umerge as it matures, providing mentorship, resources and direction throughout its growth. He also introduced me to Div Inc., an accelerator program similar to OHUB as another pipeline to explore.”
The rest of the days were filled with exciting talks and conventions showcasing cutting edge work on the advancements of tech. The events Umerge focused on were Blockchain, Metaverse, Ed-Tech and NFT events as it’s difficult to find information on cutting-edge advancements online. During this, I met with employees of Apple, Dell, Meta (formerly Facebook), and various crypto start-ups. A noteworthy interaction was with the CTO of Dell Technologies, John Roese. We discussed how start-ups should think when integrating their technologies into the Metaverse and how Web3.0 works to integrate an interconnected dimension to the internet. An illustration he used is learning strategy. Strategy can be learned through gaming but can also be learned through your corporate training; so why not integrate the two and gamify corporate training?
From this experience, I’ve complied three major takeaways for anyone interested in attending similar events.
Three Takeaways:
1. Optimize your time
This may sound trivial, but large cohorts and festivals tend to be packed with attractive events to attend and it can be daunting to sort through them. Plan out events that you are most interested in and account for walking time. Be intentional with who you walk around with as your team should move at the same pace. Wake up early!!
2. Build Relevant Connections
It’s easy to find people interested in your idea and you may want to connect with everyone at these events — but don’t! Focus on the people who have experiences, resources or talent in the areas that fill your objectives. Follow up 0–5 days after meeting with them and ask for a virtual or in person meet up. If they have value for your needs, engender a reoccurring interaction.
3. Be Authentic
A lot of people in these environments tend to exaggerate their traction, development or product potential. It may grab people’s attention easier but after some discussion, investors see through the glitter and gold. Be real with where you are and what you’ve done. Onlookers appreciate that and often gravitate to you as it gives them an opportunity to form a relationship in earlier stages. For any endeavor, be true to yourself!!
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
