Just months ago, COVID-19 began to disrupt society and business in more ways than we could have ever anticipated. For many college students, being removed from productive and social school environments brought forth feelings of anxiety. Summer internships, programs, and opportunities had been canceled, leaving many with a strong feeling of uncertainty. We’ lost access to some of our healthiest outlets; educational resources, social connection, and even a sense of purpose.
After a few weeks of self-doubt and discouragement, Thijmen began to view these circumstances as an opportunity. An opportunity to establish healthy habits, to reflect on what he is grateful for, and to think about what tools and resources he might provide his peers to mobilize change in a time of disparity.
COVID-19 will change the way societies function, whether we are prepared for it or not. Our generation is now strongly encouraged to step into leadership positions; to reconstruct this societal fabric in a way that is equitable and accessible for all. We are yet again at the frontier of innovation.
What evolved next was The Egg.
Through long Facetime calls with his friends and family, he began to notice a common trend. When young, passionate students are left in the solitude of quarantine, they begin to question the world around them- and right, and what they can do from home to help change the world. Of everyone he talked to, very few felt they understood how to approach the development of their ideas and projects. The term “entrepreneurship” seemed convoluted and intimidating to most.
He thought to himself why is it that so many students don’t even know where to start when developing their ideas?
Through reading, research, and conversations with other students, he realized the problem: entrepreneurship is typically presented in a dense, esoteric, and disjointed way, focused on theory rather than application, disincentivizing students from discovering what they really care about.
So how do we change the narrative and accessibility of entrepreneurship?
Within 4 days, thanks to Amazon Prime, he was staring down an overwhelming stack of books on entrepreneurship, from Steve Blank’s The Startup Owner’s Manual to Reid Hoffman’s The Startup of You (highly recommend both!). He got a lot less sleep than he should have, but he knew what he needed to happen next.
Thijmen distilled the jargon to what ultimately was the most essential and simple truths of smart entrepreneurship. Finally, he began to reach out to some friends: “Hey Liam, are you interested in entrepreneurship? Do you want to get involved in something productive this summer?” As the team came together, they were fortunate enough to find a centralized living and workspace. They are dedicating their summer to exploring the process of entrepreneurship through their curriculum, mentorships, and a hands-on development process where the learning is applied in real-time to the launch of their own startups.
And thus, The Egg was hatched.
On May 13th, his group moved into their current space in Los Angeles, which functions as an “incubator” of sorts. It is both a living and working environment, centered around the ideas of understanding and applying entrepreneurial concepts.
They are currently developing their curriculum, which incorporates weekly lessons, discussions, application sessions, and hosts guest speakers and external mentors with the goal of digitally disseminating valuable information and resources to young entrepreneurs globally.
Their mission: To make entrepreneurship more accessible to students by providing access to the foundational tools, mentors, and hands-on experience to launch their ventures with confidence.
So where can you start?
Well, you don’t have to take expensive college courses or scour the web for applicable resources to develop your problem-solving skill sets. Through their social media, blog, and website, they hope to provide insightful daily content that outlines the principles and resources of the lean startup model in their most basic and understandable form.
As the summer progresses, they will post updates on their experiences, learnings, and ventures, and they will share opportunities for you to get involved and network. Their hope is that those of you out there with an idea that can change the world will take the initiative to try to do so.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Egg with questions, feedback, or just to connect! Thijmen and his team look forward to embarking on this entrepreneurial journey with you, hatching ideas with the confidence to take them from simmer to boil.