The Year so Far - Reflections from the EPIC Committee
We hope that everyone had a good break! We at iGEM EPIC were taking a well-deserved one as well, and now we’re gearing up for the last few months of 2021, starting with the Fast Track Programme! Also do keep an eye out for our EPIC Consulting Calls for iGEM teams this year, and of course, all iGEM alumni startups - do join us at our Startup Showcase where you can pitch to a live audience, win great prizes and showcase your company! Signups close on 20th September, so be quick and apply here: bit.ly/EPICSuS
Participants in our first ever iGEM Summer Bootcamp!
But first, let's take a look back at the year thus far.
It has been a busy and fruitful year so far at iGEM EPIC - kicking off the year with our first BioHackathon, running the second iteration of the Venture Creation Labs and Mentorship Programme, hosting events with guests such as Jason Kelly and Emily Leproust, and more.
What we’ve done to this date:
Hosted our first ever EPIC BioHackathon, attracting >100 participants
Graduated over 30 startups in our 2nd run of the VCL
Build up a community of over a 100 enthusiastic founders, mentors and partners
Ran a Summer Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for current iGEM participants to grow the seed of entrepreneurship within them
Started a series of talks about entrepreneurship books, featuring our awesome Americas Wildtype, Ivan
And most importantly, helped innumerable people get a better understanding of what they can do to make a difference with Synthetic Biology!
With over 30 startups now in the next stage of their entrepreneurship journey, we decided to sit down and have a chat with the people running the programme behind the scenes and get to learn about what they’ve been up to so far!
Cheng Kai (Global)
As the current global chair of iGEM EPIC, it has been a wild ride, interacting with people from all around the world, running the global committee and keeping things on track. Having been the head of the APAC region last year, I had an idea of what the goals and aims of the EPIC programme was. However, I’m still happy to say that it has been a great learning experience guiding the global team along with my Co-Chair, Marjolein, hosting various events and juggling the various nuances of each region. I would say that one of the most rewarding experiences that have come through in this time is seeing how each committee member grew into their roles, guiding and taking the initiative to come up with their own ideas and implement them, which is something I hope that whoever joins the committees in the future will similarly get to experience as well!
Marjolein (global)
It has been a wild ride indeed! This year, we expanded to host more teams in our program and to increase the variety of our EPIC activities. These global programs (VCL, the upcoming FTP and Startup Showcase) and events (Hackathon, Bookclubs and the upcoming Summer Bootcamp) come with their own challenges. How to host something that is available for each time zone? How can we make sure each region of the world is represented? These fun challenges were all ably tackled by our committee! We have been working hard to show the iGEM community that innovation and entrepreneurship is not limited to the Boston area, or Silicon Valley. Our Biofounders are located in 36 countries, representing even your local neighborhood. We encourage you to join us in this journey!
Achala (Americas)
Being the regional head for iGEM EPIC Americas has been a great privilege. I have had the opportunity to learn from both the EPIC committees and the participating teams. The Americas teams hail from 6 different countries throughout North and South America, and it has been fascinating to learn about regional challenges for our entrepreneurs and ideating how to overcome them. EPIC helps our founders through 1) the foundational knowledge of entrepreneurship and 2) through a global network from the mentorship program, and our participants have had the opportunity to connect with other experienced iGEM Entrepreneurs from around the world and learn from their experiences.
This last year has been a challenging year for everyone, especially so for iGEMers who were unable to get into labs to work on their projects. However after this year's EPIC bootcamp it's safe to say that iGEMers are redefining entrepreneurship not in spite of difficulties but because of it. That is a powerful force and one that will change the world in the years to come.
Additionally, a shout out to the amazing EPIC Americas committee. Each of our committee members are entrepreneurs themselves and have committed countless hours to enabling the next generation of SynBio entrepreneurs. They are the pillars of this year's successes.
Onkar (APAC)
Being part of the iGEM EPIC Program as the Regional Head for APAC was an amazing albeit challenging addition to my ‘List of 2021 Experiences’. From putting together a team for the region, to helping the chairs with events, to helping new bio entrepreneurs kick start their own startup ideas, this experience has been a true rollercoaster and learning opportunity. Cheng Kai and Marjolein’s steadfast support, shared ideas from my fellow regional heads and the perseverance of the APAC team has helped me work towards making the program a success for all those involved.
Nerea (EMEA)
This year, I went from participant to organizer. In 2020 I was one of the lucky “testing subjects” that participated in the first EPIC program in iGEM history. I was very inspired by the previous organizers’ - Will and Albert- motivation and passion to help teams and organize the program. This year I decided to change my founder’s hat for that of EMEA’s Regional Head, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Recruiting and leading a remote team has its challenges, but the reward is definitely worth it. During our Demo day, when I saw all the teams presenting their startup projects and how much they had developed during the 3 weeks of the VCL program, I felt incredibly proud of all that talented iGEMers have to offer.
Our fantastic conversation with Jason Kelly, Marc Martin-Casas and Emily Leproust!
We hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the life of our committee members! And remember, if you are an iGEMmer, we have plenty to offer you!
Current iGEMmer? Join us at our Open Calls where you can Ask Us Anything about entrepreneurship!
Alumni? Join us at our Startup Showcase, where you can get the opportunity to pitch your company! Signups close by 20th September, so do be quick! Sign up here: bit.ly/EPICSuS
We look forward to continuing to interact and engage with you all in the months to come!
