Startup Matchmaking

At any startup, its team is a major catalyst that drives growth, innovation, and a clear vision. At The Garage, we understand the challenges student founders face in looking for teammates to propel their ideas into marketable products. Each quarter, we host a virtual Startup Matchmaking event to connect student founders from the Tinker and Residency Programs at The Garage with passionate Northwestern students eager to join our startup community. From technical support to marketing assistance, this event offers various opportunities that we encourage students from across Northwestern to explore—regardless of school or level of study.

On October 5th, 2023, 25+ student-founded startups took 60 seconds each to share about their company, their goals, and the kind of help they are looking for with over 300 interested students. These rapid-fire pitches are also recorded and re-posted to YouTube, which means students can still participate even if they missed the event! You can watch this quarter’s livestream below.

Check out the full list of startups that pitched, and the skills they're looking to add to their team, here!  

There was plenty of excitement over Zoom from intrigued students and student founders alike, as the event fostered numerous connections.

John Ferrara, Weinberg/Medill ’26 and founder of Auctus, a platform that uses AI to diagnose and fix car problems, shared that "Startup Matchmaking was one of the best things that could’ve happened to Auctus! Before the event, I was doing all of the coding and outreach, which was a difficult juggling act to keep up. Startup Matchmaking was a super seamless and low-stress way for me to pitch my company and find other students who were interested — I ultimately walked away with a few new team members, including a few masters students and future investment analysts! I couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone looking to grow their company."

Startup Matchmaking is a quarterly event. Students who pitch must be part of The Garage’s Residency or Tinker program, but all Northwestern students are encouraged to attend. If you missed this quarter’s event, our next Startup Matchmaking will be held during the spring quarter.

If you have an idea you’d like to work on, our Tinker program is open for sign-ups during the entire academic year. Learn more about the Tinker program here.