Creating a Culture of Startup Ducks

The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) fosters collaborative student innovation and practical, hands-on learning opportunities that spark students, of all majors and backgrounds, to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Through such diverse cross-campus experiences as competitions, hackathons, entrepreneurial programming and events, students are challenged to take what they learn in the classroom and apply that knowledge in the launching of an actual business venture or innovation initiative. 

For the first time ever, we want to send an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate students to the 2016 SXSW Interactive conference taking place in Austin (TX) from March 11-15, 2016 with this challenge: translate what you learned at the conference into your own unique student-led program or initiative that will drive student innovation and collaboration for the benefit of all students at the University of Oregon upon your return.  As the recognized nation’s preeminent innovation and startup conference, SXSW Interactive offers participants to hear from acclaimed international business founders, inventors and technology leaders on the latest trends in innovation. The Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship is particularly excited to send UO students to this year’s SXSW conference as they will have the opportunity to see and hear UO LCE business ’09 alum, Ryan Hoover, the founder of Product Hunt, as one of SXSW Featured Speakers.

The students selected for this opportunity will be deliberately cross-disciplinary ‘go-getters’ so that this once-in-a-lifetime experience will have meaningful and transformative impact throughout the entire campus. Future Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship initiatives are already being planned to leverage this opportunity and drive undergraduate student innovation across campus through coordinated competitions, hackathons and events that better connect students, with diverse majors, to one another as well as to the wider entrepreneurial eco-system through resources like RAIN@UO.

Experiential learning opportunities like this one are not covered by student grants or financial aid so we need your help to support our student innovation efforts.  Your tax-deductible contribution will go toward covering each students’ travel, lodging and conference expenses.

The trip is not contingent on reaching our goal. Any level of funds raised will be applied toward student scholarships.  The more money raised, the more students we can take.

An entrepreneurial mindset provides unlimited opportunities for student success. Help us foster student innovation and create the next generation of University of Oregon Startup Ducks.  Support and spread our campaign through social media by using #StartupDucks.