ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech’s commencement speaker left graduates with more than inspiring words Friday — he promised to cover incorporation costs for any graduate launching a startup.
“This is about more than just covering fees — it’s about lighting a spark,” alumnus and speaker Christopher Klaus said in a press release. “Every founder needs someone to believe in them early. Through this gift, we’re offering that belief and giving graduates the chance to start building with purpose and confidence.”
Georgia Tech has spent years trying to cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem, partnering with real estate developers to build multiple phases of Tech Square, a development of offices, labs and residences that anchors part of Atlanta’s booming office-filled Midtown district. That and a similar development on the other side of the campus has helped cement Tech’s relationship with companies that partner with the university for research and hire Tech graduates.
The school attracted record applications this year.
Klaus currently leads Fusen, a startup he founded in 2022 to help students build startups by connecting them with mentors and funding. He also co-founded the school’s entrepreneurship program CREATE-X in 2014, which has helped launch over 500 student startups. He received an honorary Ph.D. during the ceremony.
“We invited Chris Klaus to speak at Commencement because he embodies the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that has defined Georgia Tech for 140 years,” President Ángel Cabrera said in a statement. “Through his groundbreaking work, his message, and now his generous gift to this semester’s graduates, Chris continues to inspire a new generation to lead with imagination and creativity.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who recently announced his run for re-election, has sought to make make Atlanta one of the top five tech hubs in the country. A report released last year said that would require the launch of 2,000 tech startups each year in the city by 2027.
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