Eight students will eat, sleep and work in a downtown Gainesville mansion as part of a three-month mentoring program to promote technological innovation.
HackerHouse will give the students a chance to create anything from software to robotics under one roof to pitch to investors.
“It’s going to be a life-changing event for these kids,” said Augi Lye, founder of HackerHouse. “They will live, breathe what it’s like to be Steve Jobs — or more like Steve Wozniak.”
The summer class starts May 6.
Lye said the students, also known as cadets, will be guided by mentors including professional hacker Christian von Kleist and Student Maid founder Kristen Hadeed.
“I believe in having really strong friendships and relationships,” Hadeed said. “That is how you succeed.”
Students will be guided by different mentors throughout the program, and at the end, they will get to keep what they create.
“Cadets are exposed to different phases of not just prototyping but of starting a company,” Lye said.
The first two weeks of the program will consist of students creating ideas for their prototypes. After, they will finish their product and create a business plan to pitch.
The winning prototype will receive $50,000 worth of professional services and financial prizes from local companies, Lye said.
He added that UF engineers who are accepted into the program will receive college credit. Students who are interested in applying to the program can email info@hackerhouse.info.
In a downtown Gainesville mansion, eight students will participate in a three-month technology mentoring program known as HackerHouse. The students will work to make a prototype to win $50,000.
