91探花

December 27, 2013

Innovative Robinson Center alumni inspire students

91探花 students crowded into Mary Gates Hall last fall for the third-annual Robinson Center Alumni Speaker Series. Many shouldered backpacks of books in anticipation of mid-term exams. The event鈥檚 topic鈥擲tartups & Entrepreneurs鈥攅nergized students to appreciate that today鈥檚 studying can blossom into tomorrow鈥檚 business opportunity. From computer science to liberal arts, the 91探花is world-class incubator for innovative thinking.

鈥淭he Robinson Center has alumni who are doing amazing things. It鈥檚 an incredible resource. We want to formalize those connections and bring former students to speak to current 91探花students,鈥� says Christina Chan, the event鈥檚 moderator, Robinson Center alumnus and 2007 91探花graduate.

The (RC) offers accelerated, college-level academic tracks for highly-capable students, high school age and younger. The launched in 2011 and Chan served as last year鈥檚 keynote speaker. An attorney who specializes in corporate law, Chan believed that startup businesses would be a topic of interest since many RC alumni are entrepreneurs. A three-person, alumni panel was invited to share practical and philosophical advice with students. (See image gallery below.)

鈥淪eattle is a very good place to be entrepreneurial. There are great people to be around from the 91探花 as well as friends from the Robinson Center (RC) who are fantastic,鈥� shared panelist Lukas Svec, a 2008 91探花graduate currently pursuing a Ph.D. in physics.

Svec鈥檚 entrepreneurship was unexpected and born from personal passion. A culinary enthusiast, Svec saw a market to develop an at-home sous vide machine鈥攁 water-bath, cooking technique. The three-employee company, , launched in September 2012 and subsequently raised over $800,000 via Kickstarter crowd sourcing. The product will publicly launch in December 2013.

Students and parents were quick to inquire about Svec鈥檚 funding process and the nuts-and-bolts of getting a business underway.

鈥淵ou can go very far with your idea with very little,鈥� reassured Svec. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need funding right away. You don鈥檛 need a whole bunch of people right away.鈥�

French cooking and perfecting his duck preparation helped inspire Svec鈥檚 startup. Panelists Jason Tan and Allen Chen, however, shared how entrepreneurship can also be a viable career path without a specific business concept.

鈥淚 vividly remember feeling when I was 6-years-old that owning a hot-dog stand was my calling. It seems a bit silly, but thinking about it now, it does involve the skills, patience and execution that any business requires,鈥� says Allen Chen, a 2007 91探花graduate. Chen is chief executive officer of , a tech startup launched in January 2013 that helps companies develop effective, online merchandising experiences.

Chen left a lucrative career at Amazon and opted out of pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in business to launch his startup. Humorously referring to the transition as his 鈥渜uarter-life crisis,鈥� Chen encouraged students to remain flexible when planning their futures. He partially credits his RC experiences for encouraging thinking outside the box.

鈥淏eing an RC student means you鈥檙e younger and you get used to playing above your weight class a bit,鈥� says Chen. 鈥淔or these students to talk to people (the panel) who鈥檝e experienced similar academic arcs, it gives them good data to make decisions about their futures while still in school.鈥�

Jason Tan has been involved in numerous startups鈥擝uzzLabs, Optify, Zillow鈥攕ince graduating from the 91探花in 2006. He is currently chief executive officer at , which helps protect businesses from falling victim to fraudulent, online activity. He encourages students to consider both the societal and individual benefit of entrepreneurship.

鈥淟arge corporations have certain obligations, such as to shareholders, and the threshold for innovation isn鈥檛 that high,鈥� says Tan. 鈥淪tartups offer a brand-new, clean slate. There is an opportunity to bring something to the world that鈥檚 truly different and new.鈥�

Tan鈥檚 original, post-college aspirations were to assimilate into the corporate world. Disappointed by a lack of job offers, he was forced to consider other career options. He adamantly encouraged students to prepare for inevitable professional detours and embrace them as opportunities.

鈥淢y background is as an engineer and developer. Running a start-up, though, my job functions run the gamut鈥攔ecruiting, sales, fundraising, operations. It鈥檚 quite the mental exercise to keep up with different aspects. It鈥檚 intellectually stimulating and fun to learn something new and different.鈥�

As the third-annual RC speaker series wrapped, the purple-and-gold audience converged on the speakers to ask further questions鈥攚hat college clubs should I join, what competitions should I pursue, how do I incorporate my business? They eagerly feasted on the answers while simultaneously snacking on a smorgasbord of pizza.

The alumni answered all questions and encouraged students to remain passionate while practical.

鈥淚 tell people all the time that the best part of my day is having lunch with my team. I learn so much and my mind is stretched in ways you鈥檇 never imagine,鈥� says Tan. 鈥淲e discuss things like how big the universe is. And you know what? It turns out it鈥檚 a really big, exciting place!鈥�

Image Gallery of Panel Discussion