We are excited to share the Skandalaris Center Annual Report for Academic Year 2022 (July 2021-June 2022). Last year, we saw students return back to campus full-time and the energy was electric. While we all worked to understand our new normal, it was exciting to host more in-person events and continue connecting with the WashU and St. Louis communities.
One thing we’ve learned though the pandemic is the importance of creating alternative ways of connection. We truly love hosting events both in the Skandalaris Center and across the Danforth campus; however, we understand the flexibility that virtual programming offers. We have worked to produce events, host meetings, and create meaningful connections both in-person and virtually, as we aim to be a resource that meets people where they most need us. We are proud to report that we engaged with 163 startup teams and more than 500 mentors and volunteers across a total of 64 events and programs. Our reach extended to all Washington University schools and all levels.
We are thrilled to see that the programming and resources provided by the Skandalaris Center continue to contribute to the strong entrepreneurial ecosystem here, as WashU was ranked among the most entrepreneurial institutions.
A few highlights:
Skandalaris’ IdeaBounce® platform continues to be a valuable tool for our community to share ideas, describe new ventures, and solicit help. We are growing the platform as other universities, like Harris-Stowe, Principia College, and University of Missouri-St. Louis, use and share IdeaBounce® with their students and communities. We’re excited to continue building and connecting with entrepreneurs!
Out of 49 entries in the Global Impact Award, two ventures took home a combined $50,000 in non-dilutive funding donated by Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal. HIVE Medical (co-founded by Joe Beggs – BME ’20) and Patika (founded by Gulcan Yayla – MBA, MSW ’17) received funding due to their scalable, sustainable, and quick-to-market products with broad impact.
We continued to see an increase in students with ideas who wanted to start a new venture. Over the course of two Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC) cycles – one in the fall and one in the spring – $45,000 in non-dilutive funding was distributed, thanks to support from Skandalaris National Council Member, Kishore Kanakamedala.
It has been so rewarding to be back on campus this year, allowing us to reconnect with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Entrepreneurship is a community endeavor, and we are proud to be the hub of amazing innovation happening at Washington University. In 2023, we will continue to foster and empower an inclusive community that finds opportunities in problems and transforms ideas into action.
The work we do would not be possible without the help of our National Council, experts on call, in-residence experts, volunteers, colleagues across campus, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. You all collectively help us advance entrepreneurship at WashU and within the St. Louis community. We couldn’t do it without you!
Please contact us if you have questions about our Annual Report, or would like to engage with us in 2023!