3DS – as in Three Day Startup
Three Day Startup (3DS) is a program that takes people from all over and has them come together to create companies in just three days. While this may seem crazy (well, it is a little crazy), it is a great way to learn about start-ups and gain valuable experience. Many believe entrepreneurship is something that needs to be experienced and 3DS offers you some of that valuable experience.
Once you arrive, the madness begins.
You are randomly assigned “think-tanks” in which you and a few other members discuss various ideas for startups each individual has come up with. Many of these ideas are then eliminated and the top one or two ideas from each “think-tank” are then presented to everyone. From these top ideas, a vote occurs and the most promising ideas will then be worked on by larger teams (participants pick the idea they want to work on). The idea I brought to the tank was a way to combine storytelling and coding to make learning how to code more accessible for kids. My idea was pushed to present and then was kept after the voting process. I was overjoyed and excited, as now for the rest of 3DS I would be working on an idea I was super passionate about.
The next two days were about market validation, creating a prototype, and working on our pitch. It was interesting to find out how little parents knew about coding and computer science, but great to hear that they were excited about our idea to make such topics more accessible through storytelling. It was also very rewarding to see our prototype come to life. At the end, we had a pseudo-working model to demo thanks to the work of David, the rest of the team, and myself. I was going to be giving the pitch, and found it to be a more cumbersome task than I at first thought. Not only was I trying to be persuasive, I also had to talk calmly and slowly (I’m naturally a fast talker). While this was challenging, it helped me not only give a better pitch, but also become a better public speaker.
The night of the pitch, we were excited and a bit nervous, as we were the first to go. I was doing great, until the unthinkable, a technical difficulty occurred with our audio. I simply allowed the malfunction to pass and continued as if nothing happened. Later, my teammates applauded my efforts and said the pitch was perfect minus that one uncontrollable mishap.
Overall, 3DS was a great experience. It was a busy weekend to say the least but one I learned so much from. While I’m not ready to do it all again just yet, I look forward to doing 3DS this next spring.
-Kylie
Once you arrive, the madness begins.
You are randomly assigned “think-tanks” in which you and a few other members discuss various ideas for startups each individual has come up with. Many of these ideas are then eliminated and the top one or two ideas from each “think-tank” are then presented to everyone. From these top ideas, a vote occurs and the most promising ideas will then be worked on by larger teams (participants pick the idea they want to work on). The idea I brought to the tank was a way to combine storytelling and coding to make learning how to code more accessible for kids. My idea was pushed to present and then was kept after the voting process. I was overjoyed and excited, as now for the rest of 3DS I would be working on an idea I was super passionate about.
The next two days were about market validation, creating a prototype, and working on our pitch. It was interesting to find out how little parents knew about coding and computer science, but great to hear that they were excited about our idea to make such topics more accessible through storytelling. It was also very rewarding to see our prototype come to life. At the end, we had a pseudo-working model to demo thanks to the work of David, the rest of the team, and myself. I was going to be giving the pitch, and found it to be a more cumbersome task than I at first thought. Not only was I trying to be persuasive, I also had to talk calmly and slowly (I’m naturally a fast talker). While this was challenging, it helped me not only give a better pitch, but also become a better public speaker.
The night of the pitch, we were excited and a bit nervous, as we were the first to go. I was doing great, until the unthinkable, a technical difficulty occurred with our audio. I simply allowed the malfunction to pass and continued as if nothing happened. Later, my teammates applauded my efforts and said the pitch was perfect minus that one uncontrollable mishap.
Overall, 3DS was a great experience. It was a busy weekend to say the least but one I learned so much from. While I’m not ready to do it all again just yet, I look forward to doing 3DS this next spring.
-Kylie
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