Events
Past Event
VentureCat 2024 Public Showcase
The Garage
6:00 PM
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White Auditorium, Kellogg Global Hub
Details
VentureCat is Northwestern’s annual student startup competition and celebrates the University’s most promising student founders.
The program culminates in a pitch competition in which a prize pool of non-dilutive prize money is distributed to student ventures.
Join us on Wednesday, May 22 at 6 PM CT for the Public Showcase where we will feature the six finalist teams and their pitches. You will get the chance to vote to award our audience favorite prize and we will announce our finals prize winners–including the grand prize of $100,000. This year, we're welcoming past grand-prize winners, Ben Preston '21 and Charlotte Oxnam '23, back to the VentureCat stage as the event MC's!
Our 25 semifinalist teams span five tracks - Business Products & Services; Consumer Products & Services; Energy & Sustainability; Life Sciences & Medical Innovation; and Social Impact. Learn more about the selected startups in our announcement here.
This event is free and open to the public to attend. We're excited to offer a hybrid event, with an in-person showcase on Northwestern's Evanston campus and a livestream.
Time
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location
White Auditorium, Kellogg Global Hub Map
Contact
Calendar
The Garage
Founder Workshop Series - Session 2: Founders Agreements + Worker Classification
The Garage
11:00 AM
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The Garage, North Campus Parking Garage/Academic Building
Details
Come to The Garage for this amazing 2-in-1 workshop!
Founders Agreements - Getting Your Deal in Writing
The purpose of this workshop will be to explore many of the terms that founders should discuss at the beginning of a new venture and what agreements should be documented in a founders’ agreement. We will discuss why many founders often skip this step and some of the potential risks not having a founders’ agreement may cause.
Worker Classification (Employees, Independent Contractors and Unpaid Interns)
The purpose of this workshop will be to discuss many of the tests for properly classifying workers. When a new venture is putting together a team, it is important to understand the legal distinction.
Time
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location
The Garage, North Campus Parking Garage/Academic Building Map
Contact
Calendar
The Garage
Northwestern Problem Summit
The Garage
12:00 PM
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The Garage, North Campus Parking Garage/Academic Building
Details
The inaugural Northwestern Problem Summit invites the Northwestern community to share the big, pressing problems in their disciplines with hundreds of Northwestern students from across the University, eager to solve big problems in the world. Our goal is to expose students to dozens of problems worth solving and focus their energy and enthusiasm on these important issues.
On February 28th, 2026, the Northwestern Problem Summit will consist of presentations from the Northwestern community sharing the big problems that they hope will inspire action from Northwestern's ambitious, entrepreneurial students. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions and connect with others interested in solving the same problems.
Time
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location
The Garage, North Campus Parking Garage/Academic Building Map
Contact
Calendar
The Garage
Design Thinking & Communication (DTC) Expo
Segal Design Institute
9:30 AM
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Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center
Details
Join us at the Spring 2026 DTC Expo to see how first-year engineering students have collaborated with community partners to solve real-world design challenges! Explore their creative solutions and engage with student teams as they present their work. The Expo will take place on the Ground Floor and Basement of the Ford Building, with presentations running from 9:30-11:30 AM and 1:30-3:30 PM. We hope to see you there!
Time
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location
Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center Map
Contact
Calendar
Segal Design Institute