How the Shea Center turned the Pandemic into an Opportunity

The spring semester is always a wild ride for the Shea Center. But this year had them doing a total 360 pivot after COVID-19 shut down the campus. From weekly Lunch with Entrepreneurs to Accelerator workshops, Fireside Chats, and the annual Demo Day and Strakosch Venture Competition, the Shea team took it all online. Assistant Director Kelsey Renda ’12 explains how they did it and how the Boston College spirit sprang into action like never before.

Moving at megabit speed

When campus classes moved online on March 19, the Shea team knew what they had to do. March through May are busy times for the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship. This year, they had over a half-dozen programs lined up, and they moved at megabit speed to get them all online.

The weekly Lunch with an Entrepreneur turned into multiple weekly Zooms with Entrepreneurs. The Accelerator program’s last three workshops moved to Zoom too.

And student-entrepreneurs rallied to the cause, helping to prerecord Demo Day pitches that later livestreamed on YouTube (with a record turnout). The venture competition also ran virtually, from applications to judging.

“Our students have been extremely resilient throughout all of this, adapting to this new world and our new program and exemplifying the true spirit of entrepreneurship,” said Renda.

Happy accident

With their programming moving online, the Shea team saw unexpected opportunities to engage alumni from around the world. Suddenly, scheduling time for a successful venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley to meet with students became easy.

“Traveling across the country for a one-hour event is a lot for anyone,” said Renda. “Giving us an hour of time right from the comfort of your desk is a lot more doable.”

Thanks to Zoom, the Shea Center hosted speakers from New York, California, Massachusetts, and Arizona. They even adjusted the timing of events to accommodate students in different time zones.

True entrepreneurs

Led by Jenna Steichen ’21 and Bozhena Kulchyckj ’22, the Start@Shea student board played an integral role in delivering a steady stream of high-quality programming and resources to BC students.

“The board has demonstrated such incredible resilience as true entrepreneurs,” said Renda. “They took a tough situation and found the silver lining.”

One example of the board’s resilience is the Start@Shea blog they created. The blog features full event coverage for students who couldn’t tune in for the live broadcasts. It even dedicates an entire post to a list of coronavirus resources, including exercise apps to stay healthy while at home.

Creativity and resilience

Besides helping live programming go virtual, the Start@Shea board and Shea students showed their creativity and resilience in many other ways.

They changed their approach to marketing events, increasing their social media and online presence. Strakosch Venture Competition participants submitted ideas directly related to solving problems inspired by COVID-19. Accelerator program teams with businesses related to travel and food also pivoted, hoping for a better chance to survive in a post-pandemic world. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the Start@Shea team and the positive way in which everyone adapted to making our programming virtual,” said Steichen. “Everyone stepped up during this difficult time to continue inspiring and supporting each other even though we were dispersed around the world.” 

Serendipity in change

Opportunities always arise in times of crisis, and this time is no different. Dealing with COVID-19 has taught Shea’s entrepreneurs to adapt in ways even they never dreamed of.

It’s also proven serendipitous. Post-COVID-19, the Shea team plans to continue hosting live Zoom with an Entrepreneur events in addition to the on-campus Lunch with an Entrepreneur. “The Zoom format allows us to engage with alums from across the world, furthering student connections with successful entrepreneurs,” said Renda.

The pandemic has also brought out the best in Shea students. “Our students have the desire to help others and to make the world a better place,” said Renda. “They are great at reflecting and asking themselves, ‘What does the world need me to be?’

“I believe this will be even more apparent post-COVID-19, as our students look to tackle the world’s biggest issues to create a better world, for all.”