On February 4^th, 2024, the Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education (NUCEE) and NU Alum, Vivek Udaykumar hosted the Boston Accelerator Showcase. This was an opportunity to unite Boston’s dynamic ecosystem and connect founders, students, mentors, and organizations driving the next wave of startups. More than just networking, this event offered exclusive insights into top accelerators and spotlighted five founders reshaping Boston’s startup landscape. 

Panelist Insights:  

The night began with a panel hosted by Vivek, with panelists from some of the top accelerator programs, including: 

• Jessica Angeles: Community Manager at MassChallenge 

• Jennifer Davis: Managing Director at Techstars 

• Kat Lawlor: Executive Director at EforAll 

• Ian Johnston: Director of Emerging Systems at The Engine 

• Dean Walsh: Senior Program Manager at Tie ScaleUp 

Our panelists shared valuable insights about the opportunities offered at their accelerators as well as how founders can best navigate the many resources available in the Boston ecosystem. 

The Spotlight on Boston Founders: The Pitch Competition 

As the showcase unfolded, five startup founders took center stage, each bringing a unique vision to the table. Each pitch was judged on innovation, market opportunity, traction, impact, sustainability, and team capabilities.  

Every founder did a phenomenal job, and we especially want to congratulate the winners of the pitch competition: 

🥇 First Place – Drip Labs – Frank Chen  

🥈 Second Place – Daero – Alex Park 

🥉 Third Place – Gradescout – Troy Gunawardene 

Thanks to Our Sponsor:

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Greenberg Traurig (GT Law), a leading global law firm, the event also provided entrepreneurs with a platform to connect with legal experts like Kris Reichlen and Sam Stone, who specialize in guiding startups through the complexities of fundraising and corporate structuring. 

Also, thanks to GT Law, we were able to support an NU student founder’s bakery, Sweet Piglet, who provided attendees with delicious macarons and cookies!  

The NUCEE Mission in Action 

At its core, this event embodied the spirit of experiential entrepreneurship providing students with the tools to scale their businesses in the “real world”. As the largest student-led entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world, NUCEE is committed to providing students with the tools, mentorship, and global network necessary to become leaders in the startup world.  

We are grateful to have worked alongside Vivek towards building a pipeline for student and alumni founders from their universities to the broader Boston ecosystem. As a BostInno 25 under 25 awardee, Vivek Udaykumar has immersed himself in Boston’s startup space, establishing himself as a driving force in the ecosystem. His vision, dedication, and ability to forge valuable connections have made a lasting impact on the local innovation landscape and helped make this event possible. Special thanks to him! 

Bridging these connections was invaluable for us, and we were grateful to hear our attendees felt the same. Thank you to everyone that joined us, and we hope to see you at the next NUCEE event! 

The energy of the night was perfectly captured by Armaan Ajoomal, an NU senior in the NUCEE ecosystem and freelance videographer!