On a warm but windy evening in February, students gathered in Grainger Hall to meet other ambitious students looking to make a dent in the universe. For students in need of a partner in crime, PartnerUp! has been the perfect way to meet the perfect co-founder.
Hosted by the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship and led by Maia Donohue, Director of Student Engagement – Entrepreneurial Mindset, this year’s event took on a new format. Instead of candy and traditional pitches, students met one another in a fast-paced, “speed dating” style. Each pair had seven minutes to connect before rotating to meet someone new, creating a dynamic, high-energy environment designed to spark meaningful conversations and new collaborations.
The speed dating style was chosen for one simple reason: while complementary skill sets and drive are essential for co-founder relationships, chemistry is a must. In just seven minutes, students get a sense of whether there is a current of strong chemistry sufficient to build a company around.
Twenty-six students participated, with a strong showing of women representing half of the group. Throughout the evening, students introduced themselves, shared early-stage ideas, and explored how their skills could complement one another. The structured rotations ensured that every participant met multiple potential collaborators, lowering the barrier to starting a conversation and making it easy to find common ground.
The ideas shared were wide-ranging and ambitious. One student pitched a food delivery service tailored specifically for student athletes, aiming to solve the challenge of balancing demanding schedules with consistent, high-quality nutrition. Another concept centered on a learning platform designed for influencers — a space where creators could develop new skills, grow their audiences, and better monetize their content. A third idea proposed a financial simulation engine that models tax and cash-flow differences across a range of scenarios, helping individuals and founders make more informed financial decisions.
The energy in the room carried well beyond the structured rotations. As the event transitioned into open networking over pizza, conversations deepened and new partnerships began to take shape. Even after the event concluded, students who had met for the first time at PartnerUp! could be seen throughout Grainger Hall continuing their discussions, sketching out ideas, and exploring next steps together.
PartnerUp! once again proved that when you bring together curious, motivated students and give them a simple structure to connect, meaningful collaborations follow.
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