The twice annual Students 2 Startups event hosted by economic development nonprofit Four Athens, returns to UGA this fall on Tuesday, September 6th. More than your typical “career fair,” Students 2 Startups brings over twenty Athens-based startup companies and tech organizations to campus, giving UGA students a rare opportunity to connect directly with high growth companies in town seeking new talent. In partnership with the Terry Business School Entrepreneurship Program, the Fall 2016 S2S event will be held in the Grady School of Communications and Journalism, taking over the Peyton Anderson Forum for increased visibility among New Media Institute and Graphic Design students-- expertise many local startups and small businesses currently need.

On Tuesday, September 6th from 4:30 to 6pm, at least twenty local startup companies will gather in the Peyton Anderson Forum to connect with students seeking real-world work experience opportunities in the Athens startup community. Startup founders, including student startup projects from the UGA Idea Accelerator Program, will demonstrate their vision, products, and need, in hopes of finding the right fit to grow their core team. Free food and drinks are provided for attendees, and many participating companies have fun giveaways for students they meet with.

Jim Flannery, Four Athens Executive Director, explains the purpose of the event: "Our members have hired over 60 people in the last 6 months, and are looking to hire another 60 before the end of the year. It’s part of our core mission to help those companies keep their businesses in Athens so they continue to contribute to the local economy as they grow. S2S demonstrates to early stage startups that the talent pool they need to be successful is here-- and it shows the students that interesting, meaningful, and well-paid jobs exist in Athens."