There are a plethora of career opportunities within the local community. Some of the most helpful events for college students are for networking, not only with fellow students, but professionals in whichever field they’re pursuing. 

A great resource for students trying to get into the business scene or hoping to get feedback on their projects would be startup crawls. A startup crawl is a networking event in which different student startup companies join together to share ideas and talk to other students and professionals alike that would be interested in their projects.

This opportunity is not just limited to business students. Any individual can go to a local or UT startup crawl if they would like to receive feedback on their potential business endeavors.  

Though it may be nerve-racking to put one’s ideas out there, a startup crawl is worth attending because it can help introduce a student to the tools they’ll need to develop their idea. Whether it be by talking to like-minded students or seasoned professionals, a person going to a startup crawl is bound to learn something new and useful to their project. 

Christy Grady is a program manager for Jon Brumley Venture Labs, a McCombs initiative aimed at helping student startups grow.

“It gives (students) an opportunity to network with others (who) are like-minded individuals,” Grady said. “They’re also able to gather resources through the crawl, because many times there’s other entrepreneurial centers, or those in the entrepreneurial space, also attending the event.”

Zenith Jahid, a management information systems senior, has attended several startup crawls and has even helped in the creation of some. 

“You can meet other students … (who) are pursuing something that they are really passionate about,” Jahid said. 

This type of event is meant to have the same opportunities that are offered at professional events in a more casual atmosphere. 

Given that the purpose of a startup crawl is to be a more relaxed environment to share professional ideas, attendees can take comfort in the knowledge that they are surrounded by people that have similar goals and similar mindsets.

“You learn more about other people’s stories like, ‘Oh, how did this person who is maybe my same age … start doing what they’re doing, and how are they finding success with that,” Jahid said.

 In the modern world, it pays to have some basic understanding of the knowledge on how the business ecosystem works. However, many students aren’t always interested in going to those highly professional events that require more in-depth preparation. 

“(Startup crawls) are very approachable for students that may just have ideas and they’re trying to bounce these ideas off of people,” Grady said. “I would say that the crawl is really nice for early-stage people who just are trying to figure out what their next steps are.”

Whatever major a student is, it doesn’t matter. If a student has an idea and is looking for feedback, they will likely get something out of the experience. 

“Everyone at this event is a student as well. So it’s not that formal. And startups, even tech startups, are very, very informal,” Zenith said. “It’s just to learn about other students and their passion projects.”

Whether you’re just looking for a sense of the business world or are trying to get people interested in an idea, it’s worth going to a startup crawl and making use of the wide range of resources accessible there. 

Bernal is an English junior from Dallas, Texas