Generation She @ Rice hosted its annual makeathon Jan. 24-26 to empower women and nonbinary students through workshops, inspiring keynotes and the chance to participate in a pitch competition with teams that present to top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in Houston. Participants received guidance from innovative product strategists and startup founders, helping them at every step — from crafting groundbreaking ideas to pitching them confidently.
Angie Bastian, founder of Boomchickapop, joined as a keynote speaker and shared reflections from her entrepreneurial journey and lessons in perseverance. Participants also worked with alumnae Alley Lyles-Jenkins, whose experience spans product strategy, design and marketing, and Emma Konet, a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy honoree and co-founder of Tierra Climate, a carbon-aware, technology-agnostic platform designed to align economic and environmental goals.
Generation She @ Rice’s mission is to close the gender gap in the current leadership landscape. It empowers female and nonbinary students to pursue leadership and create a community of support and inspiration.
“I am a sociology and cognitive science major, and that major is not commonly found in entrepreneurial spaces, but I think that entrepreneurship is all about designing human-centered solutions for people,” said Claudia Lin, a Sid Richardson College junior who attended the event. “Gen She was the first time that I felt included in the discipline that I was studying at Rice. I saw how my major of studying human behavior and decisions as well as norms could tie into entrepreneurial space. For me, it was really comforting to be surrounded by people who had diverse interests and who pursued entrepreneurship in different ways. Gen She allows us to take a step back and reflect on the current culture and how we can break down barriers for women to enter business.”
The weekend aimed to make entrepreneurship less daunting for participants by providing a supportive community and mentorship as well as a safe space for attendees to ask questions and explore their ideas without fear of judgment, said the event organizers.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural project, this year’s makeathon reached further by extending beyond the hedges to welcome all college students in Houston; attendance grew from 25 to 80 participants this year. The community support to fuel the program included sponsorships by H-E-B, Kendra Scott, Boomchickapop and the Rich Family Endowment for Student Community Service through Rice’s Center for Civic Leadership.
