April 28, 2025 – Judging Startup Lab at Amherst College: a day of ideas, energy, and entrepreneurial spirit

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of serving as a judge at Startup Lab, hosted by the i2i (Ideas to Innovation) student group at Amherst College. As I told the students, it’s always exciting to see initiatives started by entrepreneurial young people.

One of the panels in session at StartUp Lab, Amherst College, April 27, 2025

It was great working with students who were not only deeply interested in entrepreneurship but also bold enough to pitch their ideas – or interested enough to help organize the event. From social ventures to tech solutions, the different groups that participated shares some interesting concepts.

I also got to hear from some Amherst alumni who had returned to share their startup journeys, investment insights, and lessons learned. There was a strong sense of community and continuity, and you know me, I was wondering how this could be applied to the whole town and region (Can we have older, more experienced entrepreneurs mentoring younger ones in a structured program?).

The i2i team, led by founder Alex Nichols, is doing great work. Their mission is to make entrepreneurship a visible, supported part of the liberal arts experience at Amherst. And they’re not waiting around; they’re making it happen and creating opportunities for students to learn by doing.

Startup Lab featured:

• A student pitch competition with tracks for existing ventures and new ideas
• Thought-provoking panels on startup building and investment
• A conversation on Entrepreneurship in the Liberal Arts, and other conversations about entrepreneurship.

My big take-away? When you have systems that connect newcomers to experienced professionals in an environment of trust, magic happens at a much faster rate.

– Fungai Your Web Guy