Moxie Center Holds Open House

From left: Rady graduate student Peter Butler, Moxie Center Director Jay Kunin and Cody Noghera, deputy director of the Jacobs School's Corporate Affiliates Program.

Students who want to create smart phone apps. Students who have an idea for a business, which they'd rather not talk about to protect their intellectual property. Graduate students who are starting their own business and are trying to recruit undergraduates.

These were some of the people in attendance at the Moxie Center's first Open House Jan. 15, in the basement of the Computer Science and Engineering building. The center is a business incubator targeting undergraduate students, which also offers educational programs.

Sharon Kuo, a senior majoring in computer science, wants to develop an Android app. She came to the open house to see whether the center would be a good place to develop her project. "It seems really cool," she said. "But I want to learn more."

Computer science students Nick Troast and William Samuels, along with computer engineering major Sayed Amir, found out about the open house from one of their professors. They want to start a business and were excited to learn about all the services the center provides, including advice about protecting your intellectual property; mentoring; and funding. "We're going to try to take full advantage of it," Samuels said.

Meanwhile, Peter Butler, a graduate student at the Rady School of Management, was looking for undergraduate students to work as software engineers for his next business venture. "I come from Silicon Valley," he said.

To learn more about the Moxie Center, visit the center's website; and read this story about the center's creation and goals.

Below are some pictures of the Jan. 15 event.