Office Hours
Get 1:1 Support with Innovate@BU Staff
Schedule some time with our staff during Office Hours designed to support entrepreneurs at every stage. Whether you need some help getting started or want advice on navigating the challenges of scaling, these sessions offer guidance and support to help you move forward.
Explore the different types of office hours below, and visit our Handshake page to sign up!
Book an apppointment!
Drop-ins
Swing by and chat with our student ambassadors who can answer questions and point you in the right direction. Drop in at the IDG Capital Student Innovation Center to talk with a student ambassador during the following hours:
- Mondays, 1pm to 4pm
- Tuesdays, 2pm to 5pm
- Wednesdays, 3pm to 6pm
- Thursdays, 1pm to 4pm
- Fridays, 12pm to 3pm
- Sundays, 5pm to 8pm
Appointment Types
Search for the appointment type that best fits your needs in Handshake.
Venture Development
Designed for students in the early stages of building a startup or looking to take an existing venture to the next level.
What You Can Expect:
- Ideating and refining your business model
- Strategies for Scaling Your Venture
- Guidance on building your team
- Support with overcoming common entrepreneurial challenges/roadblocks
Bring your ideas, challenges, and questions – our staff is ready to help you transform a vision into a successful and sustainable venture.
Book an apppointment!
Nonprofits & Social Impact
For students who are passionate about making a difference through a venture or project and looking to navigate the unique challenges of creating, operating and scaling a mission-driven organization.
What You Can Expect:
- Guidance on nonprofit formation
- Strategies for measuring and maximizing social impact
- Tips of fundraising for nonprofits, including grant writing and donor relations
- Insight on building partnerships with community orgs, foundations, and stakeholders
Whether you’re at the ideation stage or already running a nonprofit/ mission-driven venture, Office Hours offer valuable insight to help you create lasting change.
Book an apppointment!
Fundraising
Designed for students looking to secure funding for a startup or nonprofit, Fundraising Office Hours provide strategies and insights needed to attract and manage financial resources.
What You Can Expect:
- Insight into various fundraising options – VC, Angels, Grants, Crowdfunding
- Tips on Building Relationships with Investors and Donors
- Guidance on managing raised funds
Whether you’re preparing for a pitch, exploring different funding sources, or navigating investor relations, our staff is here to help you secure the funding needed to bring your vision to life.
Book an apppointment!
Mentorship & Expert Connections
For students looking to connect with mentors and industry experts who can provide valuable guidance, advice, and support throughout the entrepreneurial process.
What You Can Expect:
- Assistance in identifying the right mentors and experts based on your needs/goals
- Strategies for approaching and building relationships with potential mentors
- Insight into how to leverage expert advice to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities
- Guidance on maintaining productive and beneficial relationships
Bring your questions, goals, and problem areas – our staff is here to help you find mentorship and expertise that will propel your ideas forward!
Book an apppointment!
Marketing & Brand Strategy
For students seeking to build a strong brand identity and develop effective marketing strategies for their startups, projects, or initiatives.
What You Can Expect:
- Guidance on defining your brand’s unique value proposition and target audience
- Strategies for crafting compelling brand messaging and visual identity
- Tips on developing and executing marketing campaigns across social media, print, email, and more.
- Insight into measuring marketing effectiveness and adjusting strategies
Whether you’re just starting to shape your brand or looking to expand your marketing reach, our experts are here to help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Book an apppointment!
Pitching YOU & Pitch Deck Practice
For students looking to craft a compelling story, refine slides, and deliver a confident and persuasive pitch.
What You Can Expect:
- Guidance on developing and conducting effective customer interviews and surveys
- Tips for identifying and defining your target market
- Strategies for validating your business idea through customer feedback
- Insight into analyzing customer data to uncover trends, pain points, opportunities
- Support with iterating based on insights
Whether you’re preparing for a big pitch competition, meeting with investors, or simply looking to improve your presentation skills, you can find feedback and guidance here.
Book an apppointment!
Customer Discovery
For students looking to uncover deep insights about a target market, validate assumptions, and refine a product or service to better meet customer needs.
What You Can Expect:
- Personalized feedback on the content, structure, and design of your pitch deck
- Tips for clearly communicating your value proposition and marketing opportunity
- Strategies for storytelling and engaging your audience
- Practice Sessions to build confidence and improve your delivery
Bring your pitch deck, ideas, and presentation challenges and get ready to engage effectively with your customers and make informed decisions.
Book an apppointment!
Student Partnerships
For those looking to collaborate with Innovate@BU as a student organization/ student group on an event, project or initiative. Find support in navigating logistics, buiding strategic collaborations, and turning an idea into reality.
What You Can Expect:
- Guidance on planning and executing event partnerships, including catering, space reservations, and logistics
- Assistance with forging collaborations between student clubs and Innovate@BU resources
- Strategic advice on assessing the feasibility of your student-led projects or initiatives
- Support with managing communication, responsibilities, and expectations within collaborative efforts.
Whether you’re planning an event in our space or evaluating the feasibility of a new project, our experts are here to help you build strong, effective partnerships for student initiatives.
Book an apppointment!
