Startup Bootcamp

Meet Lindsey and Mia

Lindsey and Mia are second-year students in the LTXD program and they were accepted into NYU's Startup Bootcamp. They are passionate about making professional development more accessible to international graduate students at NYU.

Reflection By: Lindsey Du (LTXD)

Photo credit: NYU Photo Bureau, Leslie eLab

Lindsey's Startup Journey

In the Design Process for Learning class, I was the project manager and another 3 students designed a learning course to help international students navigate through professional development in the United States, including but not limited to applying for different types of visas, composing resumes and cover letters, conducting networking, searching and applying jobs online. We designed an online interactive course using RISE 360 and a personalized AI tutor to scaffold students.

One day Mia, one of my teammates from the DPL project, and I participated in the NYU Entrepreneurs Festival hosted by Leslie eLab. It's an annual event featuring panels from expert entrepreneurs and NYU alumni to guide students in developing their startups. I saw some start-up team pitching for their ideas and products. We realized that all of our school projects are just like those ideas, and even better because we have prototypes. We were exposed to Startup Bootcamp, The Sprint, and Launchpad programmings held by Leslie eLab, and thought we already had those projects in hand, so why not just apply and try to make it a business?

The NYU 2023 Entrepreneurs Festival keynote speakers were Michael Montero (CAS '96), Founder of Resy, and moderator Ope Runsewe, Head of Business Development at Amex Ventures.

The NYU Accelerator Program supports teams at different stages of their startup development. Following the Startup Bootcamp, teams can do longer, more-intensive programs like the StartUp Sprint and Summer LaunchPad.

At the Leslie eLab, aspiring entrepreneurs can network to find people to support their projects.

So we scheduled with a coach from Leslie eLab, validated our ideas, and submitted the online application. We didn’t have much expectations because personally, I think I know nothing about business. But one day I received an email from Leslie eLab saying that we got accepted into the Startup Bootcamp! Mia and I were so excited about this. We participated in activities for international students hold by Wasserman Center, I-HUB, International students council (ISC), and OGS, then realized that our DPL project was kind of headed in the wrong direction. We thought the problem international students are facing is because there is an information gap between learning content and students. However, after participating in those events and speaking with directors of some org, we realized the problem lies in a mental state. So in the Bootcamp, we changed our project a little bit with a more precise user group and targeting a different problem.

About the Startup

Users

International graduate students at NYU (for now, we are starting with Chinese international students)
Native language is not English
Experience cultural differences/come from a different culture compared with U.S. culture
Highly motivated to their professional development (PD) in the United States.

Problem

Barriers to Professional Development:

Cultural barriers
Language barriers
Fear
Low self-esteem

Solution

Re-design and deliver some activities and events that are currently held by Wassermen Center, OGS, I-HUB, and ISC
Design focus: increased confidence and sense of belonging
After using our product, users are able to navigate and reach their professional goals in the United States confidently with less emotional distress.