We the Geeks: Student Startups

Ed. note: This event has concluded. Watch the full hangout below.

“Let us come together and help aspiring entrepreneurs take a chance on themselves and their visions for a brighter future.” —President Obama on National Entrepreneurship Month, November 2013

For generations, Americans have turned innovative ideas into small businesses, large companies, and entire industries that have revolutionized the economy, created millions of jobs, and transformed life as we know it—here at home and around the globe. That entrepreneurial spirit is the foundation of America’s story and is critical to ensuring future successes for generations to come. We know from experience that potentially game-changing innovative ideas are born in all corners of the Nation—in every state and region, at laboratory benches and on factory floors, in boardrooms and city halls, at community meetings, in classrooms, and on college campuses.

That’s why, on November 22, which the President has designated National Entrepreneurs’ Day, we’re celebrating the extraordinary stories of young entrepreneurs—students who, along with all the usual demands of pursuing a high school, college, or a graduate degree, are building companies today that are spreading homegrown ideas all over the world. Two proven entrepreneurs featured on the popular TV show Shark Tank will join these student innovators to share lessons from their own entrepreneurial journeys.

Join us this Friday November 22, at 2:00 pm EST for a “We the Geeks” Google+ Hangout, called “Student Startups” – where leading student entrepreneurs and business moguls will talk about how anyone can cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship in his or her own community. 

The conversation will be moderated by Doug Rand, Assistant Director for Entrepreneurship at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and five teenage finalists of the 2013 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. The panel of pioneering entrepreneurs, includes:

• Barbara Corcoran: real estate mogul and celebrity investor on Shark Tank
• Daymond John: entrepreneur, author, and celebrity investor on Shark Tank
• Jenny Corbin: former graduate student at University of Louisville; Co-Founder of TNG Pharmaceuticals
• Jared Karp: undergraduate at University of California, Berkeley; Co-Founder of Design Engineering Collaborative and BetaVersity
• Spencer Quinn: undergraduate at Brigham Young University; Co-Founder of FiberFix
• Jolijt Tamanaha: undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis; Co-Founder and COO of Farmplicity

Hear from stellar students who are starting companies and building an entrepreneurial by tuning into “We the Geeks: Students with Startups” on WhiteHouse.gov/WeTheGeeks and the White House Google+ page on Friday, November 22, at 2:00 pm EST.

Got comments or questions? Ask them using the hashtag #WeTheGeeks on Twitter and on Google+ and we'll answer some of them during the live Hangout.

Randy Paris is a Confidential Assistant at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy