Georgia Institute of Technology

Student Groups

Startup Exchange - student-run startup community with weekly networking events and workshops

Design Club - club hosting weekly talks and workshops that explore design, UI, UX, etc

Gourd Visual Arts Club - club promoting drawing, graphic design, and media production through weekly events

Society of Women in Business - Georgia Tech's premier pre-professional organization for undergraduate women - 75 members supported with community, development and networking

GITMAD (Georgia Institute of Tech. Mastering Android Development) - mobile app development club

GreyHat - community of hackers and cybersecurity enthusiasts, meets weekly

GT Web Developers (GT WebDev) - community of web developers, also teach workshops

iOS Club - app development club with a focus on teaching and learning

The Agency - machine learning club hosting workshops for a range of skill levels

The Makery - maker club blending software and entry-level hardware

Big Data Club - community focused on big data and machine learning

Data Science @ GT (DSGT) - community hosting events focused on data science

Accelerators and Incubators

Startup Launch - selective summer accelerator program focused on taking promising products to market with mentorship and grant funding ($4k + $30k in legal & accounting services). Runs an annual Demo Day with lots of visibility.

Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) - Tech Square-based incubator program housing a number of promising startups

General Assembly - startup space at Ponce City Market offering classes and workshops on technology, business and design both online and in person

Applab - A hackerspace devoted to mobile app creation and development across platforms.

Change Accelerator - a new social justice accelerator - teams will work on game-changing projects that will further their causes around social justice, diversity, inclusion, equity, Black Lives Matter, and more

TechStars - TechStars runs various 3-month accelerators - updated listings are available on their website. Applications open six times a year, and stay open typically for 12 weeks.

Hackathons and Competitions

HackGT - Georgia Tech's annual student run hackathon brings together over 1000 hackers of all majors and backgrounds, sponsors, and mentors to build for 36 hours

InVenture Prize - Shark Tank style competition for student inventions. First place receives $20,000, a patent filing, and acceptance into CREATE-X Launch

Ideas to Serve Competition - early stage idea or product competition to determine which venture can best help make the world a better place - winner receives up to $5,000

1000 Pitches - a two-month long pitch competition where students of any background, any major, any field can submit a pitch of their idea in a number of categories for a chance to win $200 in their category and potentially a grand prize for the overall winning idea.

Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC) - people, technology, and how they come together, featuring app-based and device-oriented ideas

Other Resources

CREATE-X - GT-backed entrepreneurial programs organized into 3 major initiatives: LEARN (Startup Lab), MAKE (Idea to Prototype), and LAUNCH (Startup Launch)

Deep Startups - roughly monthly events bringing in industry experts to take a deep dive into lesser-known spaces for innovation (run by CREATE-X)

Legal Buzz - pro-bono office hours run periodically by a local law-firm (run by CREATE-X)

Center for Deliberate Innovation (formerly Flashpoint) - pioneer of Deliberate Innovation framework. Runs an annual Change Accelerator and a VIP

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) - faculty-led multidisciplinary research projects for both undergraduate and graduate students

Design Bloc - The Design Bloc is where your ideas take shape. Learn how to think, behave and invent like a creative problem-framer using design thinking through our various workshops and classes.

Maker Spaces - Georgia Tech is home to many make spaces including the Invention Studio (ME) and the Hive (ECE). Fantastic places to begin prototyping and development

Mentor Jackets - mentorship program pairing alumni to students on a 1:1 basis

CREATE-X Scholars - a scholarship program for incoming freshmen students who want to pursue an entrepreneurial future.

VentureLab - on-campus startup incubator that has helped launch more than 300 companies

Georgia Tech Integrated Programs for Startups (GT:IPS) - A streamlined licensing process and facilitation program that provides training and support to Georgia Tech faculty and students interested in launching companies based on Georgia Tech intellectual property.

GVU Center - Computer research lab - active for over 25 years

Startup Village - A monthly gathering at Atlanta Tech Village to bring people together and present new ideas and pitches

Hypepotamus - the go-to source of startup and technology news, interviews, events, job listings, and resources for the Southeast's innovation community.

Tech Square ATL Social Club - a members-only community that provides a curated environment designed to foster growth and innovation. Provides exclusive access to a shared workspace, community events, custom programming, mentorship opportunities, and more.

Notable Courses

Startup Lab - 3 credit course focused on evidence-based entrepreneurship, particularly market validation and customer discovery. Conduct at least 20 customer interviews every week

Idea to Prototype (I2P) - 3 credit course focused on building functional prototypes with faculty mentors, guidance, and early funding

CREATE-X Capstone - undergraduate junior/senior design track similar to Startup Lab, where students validate and develop an early-stage venture

Tech Ventures - Class on the theory and practice of startups. Topics covered include customer discovery, cognitive biases, rapid prototyping, pivots, teaming, ideation, leadership, negotiation, and capital raises.

MGT Courses

• Social Entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurial Finance

• Innovation & Entrepreneurial Behavior

• New Venture Strategies

• Social Impact: In-depth Exploration and Design

• Strategic Entrepreneurship

• Marketing Management I

• Principles of Management

• Entrepreneurship (Capstone for Entrepreneurship Certificate)

Funding

Contrary - University-focused venture fund investing up to $500K in emerging startups launching from the university scene around the US

Atlanta Technology Angels - Atlanta Technology Angels is one of the more venerable angel groups in the Southeast. Members typically make seed and early-stage investments between $150,000 and $2 million. Investments include Wisegate, Predikto, CodeGuard and TerraGo.

CTW Venture Partners - Focused on seed and early stage companies, CTW Venture Partners makes $1-3 million investments in Atlanta startups. Investments include SoftWear, Sarvint Technologies, CodeGuard and Virima Technologies. CTW is led by Raj Rajan, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and investor.

TechSquare Ventures - Atlanta based seed and early-stage venture capital firm. We partner with visionary entrepreneurs and help them with what they need most - access to markets and customers.