While walking through the maze of displays put out by startup companies at the USC/Columbia Technology Incubator Showcase Thursday, David He said one of his goals would be to create and manage his own company.
The showcase, held on Thursday night, has been an annual tradition for Incubator since 1998. For He, it was his first time attending.
“I saw an email about it and figured it would be good to meet new people, network and learn more about the industry,” He said.
Laura Corder, director of operations and communications manager for the incubator, said the event was a “true celebration of entrepreneurship” and was a great way for members of the community to interact with the companies in their own hometown.
“It’s a great way for the public to experience innovation in Columbia, and I think we’ll continue to see more community support,” Corder said.
Representing the tech industry were companies like Digitize Marketing, which specializes in connecting companies and their brands to potential consumers, and Environment Health Group, which creates mobile health applications for issues like caring for dementia patients.
Other companies focused on niche industries. For example, Cretematt develops an “innovative, patented no mix lightweight concrete paving system,” according to the company’s literature. Trimensional Robotics says its mission is to help people learn how to use 3-D printers for their own personal use.
Combining political science and social media outreach, Voterheads works to connect potential voters to local politicians by finding out what issues they care about and what their opinions are. According to Karl McCollester, CEO of Voterheads, about 300 users are already profiling their personal interests and learning more about how they can be involved in the political system.
Corder said about 150 people attended the event, and she expects that number to continue to grow over the next few years. For those like He, who work in technology and software development, the event also enabled different companies to exchange ideas on problem-solving and consumer outreach.
“There’s some amazing innovation in these walls,” Corder said.