By Yeshwant Chillakuru
This was my second time attending Clinton Global Initiative University, and it gave me a new perspective. Last year, I was rushing, competing the Resolution Project Social Venture Challenge, as well as trying to make as much out of the opportunity as possible. Returning the second time, I was much more relaxed (likely the California atmosphere may have helped as well. I landed Thursday late night, but the fun began Friday morning. I went on a pretty exciting run and discovered Mad Mark’s Castle and the beautiful garbage art on this park along the Bay, just past the Berkeley Marina.
At the conference I got to meet many old friends as well as make some new ones. I saw people from GW that I hadn’t been in touch with for some time, like Max Grossman. Also, I met many friends from the Resolution Project, both Fellows and the Resolution Team itself, and its always great to catch up and see how people are doing beyond just their commitment. At the networking event, I ran into people from University of Delaware, which is always exciting because there are so few Delawareans out there, especially in California.
The conference itself was a valuable learning experience. During the office hours with Bre from Indiegogo, I learned that Indiegogo opens up their API to certain development teams, of which is a huge resource for our venture to take advantage. Project Dream Miles has come along way since our original inception during CGI U last year. While our development timeline has been delayed, we learned strong lessons in team management, recruiting members, and project design. Now we are mid-development, and we have a strong team that can execute with Danish, Charlie, and Chanu. We are currently finalists for the GW New Venture Competition, so our prospects are looking strong and the changes we have made appear to be moving us in the right direction.
GWupstart Social Innovation Lab 