Goodwin Procter’s commitment to helping startup founders reaches far beyond the tools and tips available on Founders Workbench® – it also includes participating in valuable educational events for entrepreneurs like the 2015 Harvard i-lab Scramble™ on October 23-25th.
For the 4th consecutive year, Founders Workbench® teamed up with Scramble™ Systems for the Harvard i-lab Scramble™, which took place at the Harvard innovation lab. The program helps launch the i-lab's series of startup and innovation competitions, challenges, and programs for greater Harvard University community. The program was developed by Scramble Systems, a pioneer and leader in immersive education systems, in partnership with the Harvard i-lab. The 2015 i-lab Scramble™ convened 75 students from Harvard’s 12 colleges for 3 days of intense founder and innovator training.
"It has been wonderful to partner with Goodwin Procter over the past four and half years," Harvard i-lab Managing Director Jodi Goldstein said. "Starting with Dave Cappillo’s, and the firm's support of student legal office hours through the Lawyers-in-Residence program, as well as Goodwin's support of the Startup Scrambles, we are very fortunate to have such great partners in Goodwin."
Goodwin attorney Bill Collins, a member of the firm’s Technology & Life Sciences group, addressed attendees representing a diverse cross-section of Harvard undergraduate and graduate students. As part of the Scramble™ program, Bill and the Goodwin team led a rapid knowledge-building session with a student-friendly legal perspective about startup and innovation ventures. Additionally, Goodwin associates Bill Collins, Robert Dzialo and James Xu met with dozens of teams during the Coaching Module, to help students navigate challenging scenarios and conversations they will encounter as aspiring founders and innovators.
Bill commented, “Participating in programs such as the Scramble™ provides a unique opportunity to help educate the next generation of entrepreneurs on how to navigate various legal challenges typically faced by startups. Working with Scramble™ Systems has been a rewarding experience for the firm as it allows us to interface and mentor emerging entrepreneurs in the tech space in Boston.”
Stephen Douglass, Managing Director at Scramble Systems, led students through the immersive program designed to minimize the chance of unnecessary failure when launching student-led ventures. “This is our 4th year in partnership with the Goodwin team. Goodwin always brings an 'A' game--truly world-class,” highlighted Mr. Douglass. He added, “The Scramble™ attracts students interested in tackling a range of multidisciplinary challenges, complex social issues, and local/global market opportunities. Bill, Brandon, and the team know how to reframe and untangle legalese in ways that quickly build students’ awareness and ability to grasp critical concepts.”
Check out some pics below – the Crimson students were truly engaged!
