Start Summits
Roux Hackathon Brings Together Students, Faculty, and Staff to Tackle Big Challenges Facing Maine
Roux Hackathon Brings Together Students,…
The Roux Institute at Northeastern University hosts hackathons, bringing together students, faculty, and staff from various disciplines to tackle challenges facing Maine while cultivating an atmosphere of networking and entrepreneurship.
Our Entrepreneurship Community and Student Education Programs at The Roux Institute are designed to catalyze innovation, foster collaboration, and empower entrepreneurs across Maine. These dynamic initiatives bring together founders, investors, corporate leaders, and community stakeholders to spark bold ideas, build meaningful connections, and drive the future of entrepreneurship.
From flagship events like Start Summit and Venture Forward to our Student Programs like the Pine Tree Challenge and Innovation Challenge our programs provide unparalleled opportunities to engage, inspire, and grow. Roux ENT education programs are designed at the heart of Maine’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, gaining visibility, influence, and access to the people shaping the next wave of innovation.
Join us in fueling Maine’s startup momentum, forging impactful relationships, and leaving a lasting mark on the region’s business landscape. To learn more click HERE.
The Roux’s entrepreneurship education partners include:
Our Community and Student programs are designed to ignite curiosity, cultivate creativity, and empower the next generation of innovators. Through immersive learning experiences, hands-on workshops, and tailored mentorship, we provide a structured yet dynamic environment that supports participants from early ideation to full-scale execution.
These programs are more than just learning opportunities—they serve as launchpads for aspiring entrepreneurs, equipping them with real-world skills, critical thinking frameworks, and problem-solving strategies essential for building successful ventures. Participants engage in interactive sessions led by industry experts, seasoned entrepreneurs, and academic leaders, gaining practical insights and actionable knowledge to refine their ideas and bring them to market.
Partner with fellow innovators and community members to tackle a challenge in your community using innovation
Participate in Design Thinking and Pitching 101 workshops led by industry experts
Pitch your big idea for the opportunity to win a cash prize!Â
Our community and student programs foster innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving through tailored experiences that connect participants with industry leaders, drive impactful solutions, and support entrepreneurial growth. These initiatives provide opportunities to learn, network, and develop real-world skills.
Start Summit is a dynamic 1.5-day hackathon-themed event where diverse participants collaborate to solve a challenge. Teams engage in design thinking, customer discovery, and business modeling, culminating in a high-energy pitch competition for cash prizes.
Venture Forward is an 8-module program that helps participants turn vision into action. Through hands-on discovery, customer research, and lean business modeling, they refine solutions and develop a launch-ready concept backed by data and insights.
IdeaJam is a dynamic 4-hour workshop where participants engage in design thinking, customer discovery, and basic prototyping to tackle real-world challenges. Through hands-on activities, they learn to apply innovative problem-solving techniques, think critically, and collaborate to develop creative, practical solutions.
The Pine Tree Challenge is a dynamic multi-day event where aspiring student entrepreneurs team up, tackle real challenges, and develop solutions with expert mentorship. Through hands-on workshops and coaching, teams refine ideas and pitch live for cash prizes and exposure.
Innovation Challenge connects companies with founders, Roux graduate students, and entrepreneurs to tackle industry challenges. Organizations crowdsource solutions, with top participants selected for co-development, testing, and potential launch partnerships—driving real-world impact.
The Maine Summer Accelerator is a premier summer program for college students, designed to refine ideas, develop prototypes, and launch ventures through expert-led workshops, mentorship from industry leaders and access to the Roux’s world-class facility.
Introduction to Design Thinking Workshop
Prototyping Workshop
Building an End User Profile Workshop
Pitch 101 Workshop
Access to subject-matter experts and mentors
Real-time feedback from judge panelists during pitch competition
Sponsors
Anyone over the age of 18 and interested in startups is welcome and eligible to register for our ENT educational programs. Students, community members, small business owners, employees of larger businesses, and retirees looking to upskill come together to brainstorm and develop an idea.
You can register to join a team as a full participant or simply join us as an audience member for the pitch competition and networking event.
No. While Start Summits will equip participants with the entrepreneurial tools and resources that can be applied to current or future ventures, teams will not be working on existing startup companies.
While at one of our events you can expect meals, light snacks and beverages to be provided throughout the event. We will accommodate those with dietary restrictions, allergies, or religious preferences.
No. Transportation to events like a Start Summit, as well as hotels or lodging, will not be offered. If you are looking to carpool, contact us and we can try to connect you with others from the same area.
