The National Science and Technology Park has hosted 80 freshmen from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the National University of Sciences and Technology, all enrolled in the BS Artificial Intelligence program, as part of its ongoing freshmen outreach initiative. The students were introduced to the park’s innovation ecosystem through a session led by Amer Sheikh, Director of the park, who spoke about the role of entrepreneurship, innovation, and startup incubation in turning ideas into impactful ventures. The visit gives first year students an early view of the startup activity on their own campus, well before they begin the research and final year projects that often lead to new companies.
The session gave students insight into how the park supports founders and technology driven startups through its incubation and acceleration programs. Brainswarm Robotics, a robotics and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning startup founded by a university alumnus, shared its entrepreneurial journey with the group. The company described its path from pre incubation at Hatch 8 to Cube 8, giving the freshmen a firsthand account of what it takes to build and scale a venture inside the park. Hearing from a founder who studied at the same university and went through the same programs offered the students a close and realistic example of how a student idea can become a company.
The students, who are studying artificial intelligence, showed particular interest in robotics applications and learning technologies, which made the exchange both relevant and inspiring. Robotics is a natural extension of the machine learning and intelligent systems that the students are beginning to study, and a startup that applies these ideas to education shows one way that technical skills can be turned into a business. For many freshmen, a session like this is the first time they see that a degree in artificial intelligence can lead not only to a job in a large company but also to a startup of their own.
The visit is one of a series of sessions the park has organized for first year students from different schools at the university. The aim is to give them early exposure to what is being built at the park, so that by the time they reach their later years they already know where to find mentorship, workspace, and support for their own ideas. The announcement did not share any plans for follow up activities, but it made clear that the park sees outreach to freshmen as a lasting part of its work. For the 80 students from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the afternoon offered a first look at the startup world that sits alongside their classrooms and labs.
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