The spring 2016 Students 2 Startups event returns to UGA during the first official Athens Georgia Startup Week. Held twice a year, Students 2 Startups brings 20+ Athens area companies and student startup businesses to the UGA campus for a unique opportunity to connect local companies seeking new talent with students eager for real-world work experience. Students 2 Startups will take place in the Atrium of the UGA Tate Student Center on Tuesday March 29th from 11:30am to 1pm, as part of the first official Athens GA Startup Week series of events, in partnership with the Terry School of Business Entrepreneurship Program. Athens startups, student projects from the UGA Idea Accelerator Program, and local tech companies are set to take over the Tate Center Atrium for the afternoon to demonstrate their products with an eye to connect with students interested in work experience opportunities.

Bob Pinckney, head of the Entrepreneurship Program at UGA Terry College of Business, described the event by saying, “This is a valuable opportunity for our students to connect with local entrepreneurs and get a real look at what it means to start and manage a business. And for the participating companies, Students 2 Startups is a unique event designed specifically to link them to qualified local talent.”

With the recent announcement of the Athens Talent Partnership, holding the spring S2S event during Athens' first official Startup Week is also contributes to  a broader effort to assist those member companies looking to fill current positions available as a result of recent and steady growth. Jim Flannery, Four Athens Executive Director, explained further: "We want to help local companies keep their business in Athens and continue to contribute to our local economy. Successful businesses require a qualified talent pool of potential team members. This event demonstrates to companies how that talent pool exists here and to students that there are well paid, meaningful jobs for them in the community."

Students 2 Startups occurs once a semester to connect business leaders and startup innovators in Athens directly to UGA students. Free food and drinks are provided, and many participating companies include giveaways for students in attendance. Hundreds of students in total have attended in the past, and previous events have been a launch point for students' internships, job opportunities, and continued engagement in the Athens entrepreneurial community.