College doesn’t always offer real world knowledge
College is a great environment to learn a lot of theory, but when you get out into the real world, it doesn’t seem like you’ve ready because you’ve never actually applied the theory in a real-world situation. It’s very difficult for a professor to make an assignment that involves a startup and to follow it throughout the semester. Let’s not even discuss how you would grade the project. Some of the best entrepreneurs failed in their first attempt, but that’s not say they didn’t work hard and learn from the experience.
3 Day Startup, an Austin-based organization, wants to change this. In 2008, founders Philip Knuth and Joel Hestness came together and held their initial 3 Day Startup program at the University of Texas. They held an intensive learning session designed to give college students the opportunity to collaborate and create a business. It’s a hands-on workshop that kickstarts the student’s mindset into forming the business they’ve always dreamed of.
3 Day Startup has touched five continents
Today, 3 Day Startup is a non-profit organization that has held these workshops at 60 different schools across five continents. They’ve reached 6,270 students. Out of the companies that came together in the class, 29 of them have been accepted into accelerator or incubator services. They’ve launched 79 companies. Which, I’ll admit, doesn’t sound too impressive, until you know that the criteria that meets a “launch” is very high. The actual business has to be successful, which is based on longevity, the funding that they raise, or the actual dollar amount that is earned.
Currently, 3 Day Startup is only available in the college venue. If you want to bring it to your college, they’re completely willing to help you make it happen. Whether it gets college credit or not, that’s up to the college. It’s worth the effort, even if it doesn’t count toward your degree. You don’t need to be a business student to apply. Entrepreneurs come from all disciplines. Check out what 3 Day Startup is doing, and get a jump start on your future.
