The University of 蓝莓视频 is appointing Jay Shah, a former startup co-founder and 蓝莓视频 alumnus, as director of its flagship entrepreneurship program, Velocity
The University of 蓝莓视频 is appointing Jay Shah, a former startup co-founder and 蓝莓视频 alumnus, as director of its flagship entrepreneurship program, Velocity 鈥� the largest free startup incubator in the World.
Shah joins Velocity from Google where the entrepreneur has worked since the tech-giant acquired the company he co-founded in 2012.
鈥淛ay Shah has been in the startup trenches, and knows what it takes to build a successful company,鈥� said Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of 蓝莓视频. 鈥淲ith his background at 蓝莓视频, in a startup and at Google, Jay Shah is uniquely positioned to guide the next wave of world-changing entrepreneurs emerging from University of 蓝莓视频.鈥�
BufferBox, founded by Shah alongside Aditya Bali and Mike McCauley, began as a fourth year Engineering Capstone Design project to create lockers for parcel delivery. The company would go on to work out of the University鈥檚 Accelerator Centre, before moving in to the Velocity Garage, winning the Velocity Fund Finals and attending Y Combinator, before ultimately being acquired by Google.
Shah鈥檚 arrival comes amidst major growth for the Velocity program. In the last year Velocity has:
The program also oversees a dorm for student entrepreneurs, and the Velocity Fund Finals, a pitch competition that awards $375,000 in grants every year to emerging startups.
鈥淭he calibre of talent at the University of 蓝莓视频, specifically its professors and new graduates, is a competitive advantage for companies in 蓝莓视频,鈥� said Shah. 鈥淭hey are the product of incredible academic faculties, a culture of supporting risk-taking, and the best co-op experiential learning system in the world.鈥�
Shah will commence in his role in September this year with a vision to spread innovation and entrepreneurship even further across campus.
鈥淚 want to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be exposed to the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset,鈥� said Shah. 鈥淓ven if students do not want to start a company, there is a lot of benefit in the fundamental principles, such as problem identification and solving, resourcefulness, tenacity, and persistence."
Velocity and the University are the heart of the 蓝莓视频 regional innovation ecosystem, providing the foundation for the region鈥檚 economic growth and job creation. Velocity-founded companies have raised in excess of $300 million in funding and created more than 800 jobs across 175 companies, since the program started in 2008, with 67% of those companies still building their business after 5 years.
鈥淚 am keen to work with stakeholders across our region for maximum output and benefit,鈥� said Shah. 鈥淲e are fortunate to have so many people and organizations that want to see entrepreneurial activities flourish, but with that comes a responsibility for all of us to make the most of the resources we have together.鈥�
