ICYMI*: Second #YaleTech conference celebrates rise of entrepreneurship on campus and among alumni

This academic year saw continued growth in the “creative construction” of entrepreneurship on campus. In March, for example, the university announced new investments to expand the Department of Computer Science. The entrepreneurial spirit was also the focus for the annual assembly of the Yale alumni association in November, when a record number of alumni delegates and guests heard updates about how entrepreneurship and innovation are vibrant forces across Yale.

That the vitality of the Yale entrepreneurial ecosystem is especially strong and growing among alumni was evident on April 24 when a capacity crowd gathered at the Yale Club of New York City for the second annual Yale Tech conference for alumni in technology. The day-long event featured 18 Yale graduates who are leaders in technology speaking about transformation across sectors from journalism to retail, legal, hiring, and investing. Speakers included the Yale alumni founders of Business Insider (Henry Blodget ’88), Rent the Runway (Jennifer Fleiss ’05), LegalZoom (Eddie Hartman ’92), Spylight (Aly Moore ’14, ’15 M.P.H.), among many others.

All of the discussions and presentations can be viewed online through a playlist of 10 videos on the Yale University YouTube page here.

At the first conference, held in May 2014 in San Francisco, organizer Victor Wong ’11, co-founder of the advertising technology startup PaperG said, “I’m sure the next event will see even more people as awareness of Yale’s leadership in tech grows and more of our alumni enter the space as entrepreneurs, operators, or investors.” New York City’s turnout proved him right and added further momentum to the Yale Tech alumni group. One of the Yale alumni association’s newest shared-interest groups, Yale Tech is also one of the fastest growing. In addition to the networking events and conferences, Yale Tech has plans for future events in London, China, and elsewhere, Wong said.

Alumni and others interested in connecting with Yale Tech can visit its website and sign up.

* For those not savvy in social media slang, “ICYMI” is shorthand for “in case you missed it.” Watch YaleNews for future ICYMI stories about events of note.