The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI), a unit of the IC2 Institute of The University of Texas at Austin (UT), in partnership with 3 Day Startup, recapped its recent success with the sixth 3 Day Startup (3DS) event at UT. 3DS was envisioned and created by UT students to bring together 40 aspiring entrepreneurs to collaborate, over 60 intense hours, and emerge with a few solid business ideas and beginnings of companies. The 320 3DS alumni from six UT events to date over the last three years have started ten technology companies – such as Famigo, Odoro, Moodfish and Hurricane Party – that have collectively raised over $3 million in financing.
It will be exciting to watch what comes from this latest 3DS, where 37 ideas brought to the table Friday night netted out to five companies presented Sunday night. Running April 15-17, the most recent 3DS drew a few dozen UT students from over 150 applicants and 15+ different majors. More notably, the caliber of business executives in the room, and through-out the 60 hours this round indicates the value of what’s going on with 3DS. These highly seasoned, proven business executives serve as volunteer mentors through the weekend (and usually beyond) and included Ethernet inventor, new UT professor Bob Metcalfe; acclaimed tech VC, and former journalist, Stewart Alsop; C-suite executives from Rackspace, Microsoft, uShip and Homeaway; University of Texas leaders; and directors of the Austin Technology Incubator, as well as other incubators like Capital Factory.
“Obviously, I’ve been completely enamored with what 3DS makes happen, getting behind the idea from inception to make sure ATI helped bring 3DS to life at UT Austin,” said Bart Bohn, ATI IT and Wireless director and founding mentor of 3DS. “All prior events have been beyond words. But this one; to see Bob Metcalfe, Ross Burhdorf and the other mentors in the room; for upwards to 20 hours each, just collaborating hands-on with the students and wanting to be so active in the company formation process….that blew me away. And proves we have created something very unique.”
