Victoria Agbey, DMSB’15, the event manager for IDEA, Northeastern’s student-run venture accelerator, believes that starting a company is a life-changing learning experience—one that all members of the Northeastern community should be able to access. She says NEXPO is the ultimate celebration of entrepreneurship at Northeastern, an opportunity to celebrate Northeastern’s current and future entrepreneurs by building a community of students, alumni, and faculty that want to follow their passions and turn them into businesses.

In past years, NEXPO has focused on showcasing only ventures it is working with. This fall, IDEA is broadening the event’s scope by opening its doors to new businesses from across the Northeastern community. We asked Agbey to explain what’s in store for NEXPO this fall, which is scheduled for Nov. 20 and will serve as the culmination of Global Entrepreneurship Week at Northeastern.

NEXPO is open to all Northeastern entrepreneurs! If you have a new business and are interested in exhibiting at the event, please contact idea@neu.edu by Oct. 31. If you would like to attend NEXPO and check out all of Northeastern’s ventures, please register. 

What can we expect to see at NEXPO this fall?

NEXPO’s primary purpose is to connect Northeastern ventures with the public in a celebration of forward-thinking and diverse entrepreneurship. As in previous years, NEXPO will focus on showcasing the startups founded by Northeastern students, faculty, and alumni. However, unlike previous years, NEXPO’s focus will shift to put emphasis on the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem at Northeastern, showcased as interactively as possible. There are so many unique and exciting clubs, programs, and initiatives available at Northeastern, and NEXPO has evolved to be celebration of all its facets, with IDEA as one part of this incredible ecosystem.

Also new this fall, specifically as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Northeastern will be hosting a CoFoundersLab matchup during NEXPO. This will be an optional breakout session for students or alumni interested in networking and meeting potential co-founders or building their startup team.

What do ventures and attendees gain from attending NEXPO?

Ventures gain valuable exposure at NEXPO. With more than 500 attendees each semester, NEXPO brings in many industry professionals, investors, and others with connections to Northeastern. From potential customers to future investors, NEXPO is the perfect way for startups to showcase what they are working on, practice their pitches, network with other entrepreneurs, and engage with the community.

Attendees get the chance to see all the exciting new ventures coming out of Northeastern, as well as all the entrepreneurship-related resources, programs, and opportunities available to members of the university community. Attendees also have a unique opportunity to engage with Northeastern founders and university representatives, and hopefully some will be inspired to start their own new business.

The Northeastern Entrepreneurship Pavilion was added to NEXPO last year. How does this add to the NEXPO experience, and is the pavilion offering anything new this year?

The Northeastern Entrepreneurship Pavilion has been a valuable asset to both the participating organizations and NEXPO’s attendees. The clubs and resources that comprise the Pavilion include the Northeastern University Center for Entrepreneurship Education, the Center for Research Innovation, the Northeastern Entrepreneurs Club, Scout (Northeastern’s student-led design studio), the Michael J. and Ann Sherman Center for Engineering Entrepreneurship Education, the Student Enterprise Institute, the Health Science Entrepreneurs program, the School of Law’s IP Clinic and Community Business Clinic, University Libraries’ 3D printing and prototyping lab, the Center for Family Business, the Family Business Club, the Northeastern Center for the Arts, the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Development, and Green Line Records.

Everyone in attendance at NEXPO will see the quantity and breadth of resources available to the Northeastern companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs. They will also have the opportunity to interact with representatives from each organization to learn more about them and potentially develop a working relationship. A huge part of NEXPO is celebrating the fact that all of these organizations have directly impacted entrepreneurship at Northeastern. We are really excited that once again, the Pavilion will continue expanding to encompass the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem here at Northeastern.