Student entrepreneurs share their innovation experiences during 2023’s IDEA Con at the Questrom Auditorium. This year’s event has moved to the GSU because of increased demand. Photo by Vishvakishore Venkatesan

Innovation

IDEA Con Returns to BU Bigger and Better Than Ever

Annual innovation conference will draw faculty, students, and staff from 20-plus schools on Saturday

On Saturday, students, faculty, and staff from more than 20 colleges and universities across the Northeast will gather at BU’s George Sherman Union for this year’s IDEA Con, which bills itself as “the largest cross-college innovation conference in the world.” 

This year’s event is bigger than ever, featuring student emcees, comedy performances, inspiring talks by young innovators, networking opportunities, and an Entrepreneurship Bazaar, where students can connect with the larger Boston entrepreneurship community. There will also be food and free swag. 

Due to the conference’s growing popularity, this year’s IDEA Con has moved from its previous home at the Questrom School of Business to the George Sherman Union to accommodate the greatly increased student interest. 

The conference is designed to give students of all majors an entrepreneurial mindset and to help them develop innovative skills that will help them turn their vision into reality. 

“We go out of our way to make it inclusive for many different people across [the University],” says Siobhan Dullea (CAS’91), executive director of Innovate@BU. “Our goal is to have someone from all 17 BU schools and colleges. We know diversity drives better innovation.”

The conference is made possible by a multiyear gift by BU trustee Cynthia Cohen (MET’77), founder of IMPACT 2040, a strategic consulting firm geared towards start-up companies. Cohen has been involved with Innovate@BU since it launched in 2018.

“It provides inspiration,” Cohen says of IDEA Con. “It’s the synergy of talking to other students that may have similar ideas and getting together. It’s the alchemy of just bringing a lot of smart young people together for a day that stimulates their ideas even more and creates new ideas and new innovations that they can come up with.”

Cohen says the conference not only provides an opportunity to share ideas, but also simulates real-world work experiences by helping students meet people from other institutions and different backgrounds. “When you go out into the workforce or you start your own business or your own not-for-profit, you’re not going to be just working with BU people,” she says.

In past years, BU has typically partnered with 3 other higher ed institutions for IDEA Con, but this year there are 10, including Harvard University’s Innovation Labs, Northeastern University’s Center for Enterprise Education, Tufts University’s Derby Entrepreneurship Center, MIT, and Wellesley College. 

“It’s all about creating connections, both between many people and all the amazing resources Boston has to offer,” says Austin Boyer, Innovate@BU associate director of marketing and communications. He urges students to step outside their comfort zones, strike up conversations, and talk with representatives at the different tables at the event to “get the most out of it.”

This year’s Innovate@BU will include talks from four young innovators who will share their stories. The roster: Rachel Li, (Questrom’24), cofounder and executive director of Connect+, a platform dedicated to fostering community and storytelling among first-generation immigrants and college students; Milan Tahliani (CAS’24), cofounder and CEO of OpenLake, a data integration platform that helps businesses achieve data-driven excellence; Sandi DeRuntz, a UMass Lowell student and CEO and founder of ZipperBuddy, a company that enhances clothing accessibility for people with mobility differences; and Jacob Nyamu, a Babson College alum and founder of Kipekee, a support community for adults with autism. 

New to this year’s conference is an Entrepreneur Bazaar featuring local Boston entrepreneurs and organizations that support the local entrepreneurship community. Students can get swag from local Boston makers Amooti, Bogosplit, Oblige Boutique, Uvida Shop, and Rainbows Pottery. Alongside the bazaar, the conference will feature a Boston TrEAT Party, where students can enjoy food from some of Boston’s best food entrepreneurs. Each product is made locally, but is globally influenced.

Emcees, and entrepreneurs, Lauren McLeod (CAS’27) and Bella Ramirez (CAS’25, COM’25) say they are excited to welcome fellow Terriers and students from across the region. 

Ramirez says Innovate@BU has been a great resource in helping her develop and launch her start-up, Wicked Smaht Comedy LLC, which produces sketch variety shows in and around Boston, and that IDEA Con offers a rare opportunity to be exposed to fellow innovators. “What’s really great about IDEA Con is that it’s that stage for young entrepreneurs to be able to promote themselves as well as learn from each other,” she says. 

“In college it’s often hard to navigate spaces, especially spaces you’re unfamiliar with,” says McLeod, CEO and founder of EduPrev, an interactive health education curriculum for elementary schools. “Having a familiar face or just someone you know you can go to get advice has been super important [and] informative in my college experience.”

IDEA Con will be held in the Metcalf Ballroom and the Ziskind Lounge at the GSU, 775 Comm Ave., on Saturday, October 26, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Obtain your free ticket to IDEA Con here. Walk-ins are welcome on the day of the event.