Introducing TechTogether’s Host Partner: Boston University
Boston University, a private, non-profit, research university, is the host partner for TechTogether Boston as part of a three-year partnership agreement. Through this partnership, Boston University has committed to provide financial support, assist with high school recruitment, and explore research opportunities. TechTogether Boston will bring around 1,000 female and non-binary individuals to Boston University this year and we hope to continue to grow this number by 500 participants over the next 3 years.
TechTogether, which was incubated with support from entrepreneurship programs BU Spark! and Innovate@BU, found its roots at BU from its early beginnings. When a team of students across universities in Boston and New York proposed the idea, BU jumped to support their mission of creating a community of inclusivity within the Boston tech industry. SheHacks Boston (now known as TechTogether Boston) was held from January 26–28 in 2018 at the Metcalf Ballroom on BU’s campus.
Many departments and programs at BU such as the Questrom School of Business, the College of General Studies, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Computer Science Department, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, BU Information Services & Technology, Innovate@BU, and Spark! all assisted with marketing and funding last year. They supported TechTogether Boston’s mission of increasing female and non-binary participation at hackathons to aid in closing the gender gap in tech.
A noteworthy contribution from Innovate@BU at SheHacks Boston last year was the entrepreneurship panel, “Here It First From Women in Tech”, that gave tips on joining or creating a startup for young entrepreneurs. In addition, Spark! helped to create challenge ideas and promoted our event on various news outlets such as BU Today.
This year, TechTogether Boston 2019 will be held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena from March 22nd to 24th. Here are the three main ways BU will contribute to our event:
- Financial support: Several departments in BU have decided to team up to donate to our event’s expenses each year during the three-year partnership. The funds will go towards providing accommodations to our hackers including food, sleeping accommodations, swag, and more.
- Research Round Table: Boston University’s interest in advancing women in technology and fostering an inclusive environment has created a research round table. Members of the BU community and external partners will discuss incorporating research into our hackathon, hosted by Spark!. This will massively assist in growing our brand, ensuring its longevity.
- PreHacks: A high school program headed by BU’s Director of Spark!, Ziba Cranmer, to guide students through the hackathon experience and encourage more high school students to apply.
TechTogether is thrilled to be working with Boston University again and looks forward to the opportunities that will emerge from this partnership. We thank Boston University for being our host sponsor for our event this year and in the upcoming years.
