STARTUP SYNAPSES
Connecting students to startups all over the world
Entrepreneurship is an increasingly global endeavor with connections that span far beyond College Hill. The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship — in conjunction with BrownConnect and other partners — offers a variety of programs and initiatives, such as our Startup Synapse programs, that support students exploring these critical linkages from Barcelona to Silicon Valley.
“From the people to the city, I could not have envisioned or planned a better experience. Barcelona Synapse was truly an opportunity of a lifetime. Aside from the exposure to the start-up culture, Synapse proved to be a catalyst for self-reflection and intergroup dialogue.”
– Julia Sepúlveda-Ávalos ‘20, International Relations
TOKYO
The Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship partnered with our student club, Brown EP, for Tuesdays in Tokyo, 2022, a speaker series focused on the macro view of entrepreneurship in Japan with a focus on Tokyo. As part of our ongoing Synapse program, students met with founders, policymakers, and others via video conference. Students examined entrepreneurship in Japan through the lens of Japan’s social, cultural, policy, and financial structures. Students presented their findings to the greater Brown community over sushi at the end of the semester.
Connections made through Tuesdays in Tokyo resulted in site visits with founders for a group of students planned for January of 2023 and lasting relationships between the speakers in this series and Brown University.
BARCELONA
The Barcelona Synapse trip, a partnership between the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship and the BrownConnect Internship initiative, provides Brown students the opportunity to explore the entrepreneurship culture of Barcelona, Spain. Students will meet with potential employers throughout Barcelona, and get a practical understanding of the day-to-day life of a global startup, an opportunity to expand their professional network, and exposure to a variety of entrepreneurial career paths.
BOSTON
Boston Synapse takes students up the road to one of the world’s powerhouse entrepreneurial ecosystems. Students have the opportunity to explore companies in a variety of industries, from software to life sciences, to consumer goods. What’s more they have the opportunity to engage with one of Brown’s strongest alumni entrepreneurial hubs, who help make connections and provide further insight into the ins and outs of navigating the area’s startup scene.
EAST AFRICA REGION
Join Brown EP, sponsored by the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, for a virtual trip to East Africa with 15 other Brown and RISD students to explore the region’s vibrant emerging entrepreneurial community.
LONDON
The London Synapse trip, a partnership between the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship and the BrownConnect Internship initiative, provides Brown students the opportunity to explore the entrepreneurship culture of London, England. Students will meet with potential employers throughout London, and get a practical understanding of the day-to-day life of a global startup, an opportunity to expand their professional network, and exposure to a variety of entrepreneurial career paths.
NEW YORK
NYC Synapse is a longstanding trip started by the student-run EP program. Under EP’s guidance, students travel to New York City with thirty fellow Brown and RISD students to visit the greatest startup ecosystem on the East Coast. Students engage one-on-one with leading innovators, inventors, and investors and tour the headquarters of renowned firms such as Ellevest, MongoDB, and BuzzFeed.
PROVIDENCE
Rhode Island entrepreneurs interested in training and networking are welcome to Brown’s Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship to attend and participate in its programming. The Center has already established partnerships and hosted events with local organizations, such as Practico Innovation, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, the Providence Lady Project, IntraCity Geeks, Venture for America, Slater Technology Funds, and Social Enterprise Greenhouse.
The Nelson Center is also actively involving students from RISD, URI, Bryant, JWU and other local universities in its programming and is inviting them to join Brown student venture teams.
SAN FRANCISCO
The San Francisco Synapse trip, a partnership between the Brown Entrepreneurship Program (EP) and the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, provides Brown students the opportunity to explore the entrepreneurship culture of San Francisco, CA. Students will meet with potential employers throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, and get a practical understanding of the day-to-day life of the global center for high technology, innovation, and social media.