UF students can pitch their business ideas to Gainesville entrepreneurs today.
In Stuzin Hall at 5 p.m., Gator Innovators, an entrepreneurship club, will host a panel for Gainesville business starters to talk with UF students about how to be a successful entrepreneur.
The panel, called Demo Day, offers a platform for startups to demonstrate its product, will be the first of its kind, said Guru Sharan, a UF graduate student studying electrical and computer engineering.
Demo Day was created to promote entrepreneurship in Gainesville, the 24-year-old said.
Students will learn how to pitch a business model and create a startup company, Sharan said.
"A lot of students are seeking leadership and don’t know where to find the resources," Sharan said.
David Whitney, the assistant director of UF’s Engineering Innovation Institute and a UF professor, will be the main speaker at the event.
Whitney said he hopes to teach the students to always play to win — as Gators do.
He also said his presentation will show the students how to identify problem-solving ideas and how to commercialize them successfully.
"I expect that the students will take away an actionable plan for entrepreneurial success," Whitney said.
UF mechanical engineering senior Adam Silver said he will attend Demo Day.
"David Whitney is very important in the entrepreneurship community, and I always want to hear what he has to say," the 22-year old said. "You never know what you’ll learn from such successful people."
