Today is the 66th day of the iLab summer incubator, the Demo Day and conclusion of the program. But before all 23 teams from the 2018 cohort gather their progress together for a presentation tonight for Demo Day (registration can be found here), they offered some of their favorite quotes -- and made a few of their own -- regarding the iLab, life, and everything in between. (These quotes are organized from most serious and inspirational to silliest.)
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"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be." - Maya Angelou
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” - William Bruce Cameron (often attributed to Albert Einstein)
“All that you can take with you is that which you have given away." - From the 1946 movie, It's A Wonderful Life
"If an idea seems crazy, do it anyway." - iLab member (on entrepreneurship)
"Confidence is key." - iLab member (on life mantras)
"Just do it." - iLab member (on life mantras)
"[The iLab] has been a rollercoaster with 22 other totally kick-[butt] teams." - iLab member (on iLab experience)
"I'll miss the random deep discussions and therapy sessions with whoever was around." - iLab member (on iLab experience)
"Don't worry... we'll figure it out." - iLab team (commonly said catchphrase)
"You do you!" - iLab member (on life mantras)
"Look at it with your real eyes, not your crazy eyes." - Louis CK (comedian)
"I'll be back in 4 years to watch the World Cup with everyone again!" - iLab member
"It's chaos, but it's good." - iLab member (on iLab and life in general)
"Live long... and prosper." Spock, from the TV and movie series Star Trek
“I have nothing but confidence in you - and very little of that.” - Groucho Marx
"Get it, gurl! (And guys!)" - iLab member (commonly said catchphrase)
"It's Chenam -- like 'denim'." - iLab member (on how to pronounce Chenam Barshee's name)
"I just want to play ping pong right now..." - iLab member (on current state of affairs)
"Is there free pizza involved?" - iLab member (when asked to provide a quote)
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Below are photos taken over the course of the iLab sessions featuring various team members.
Melissa Stefaniak and Lyon McCandless in a collaborative baking session...
... Later joined by Alexander Sarris and Chenam Barshee.
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(From left) Liz Heinberg and Margaret Bloom chat nearby as Zadie Lacy, Rohit Rustagi, Erik Quigg, and Chenam Barshee watch the World Cup while Darius Nabors extricates his bike from behind his desk in the background.
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(From left) Erik Quigg, Melissa Stefaniak, John Cleveland, Dawn Cleveland, Fritz Steuer, Rohit Rustagi, and Alexander Sarris chat and laugh on the trip to see the 1717 Innovation Center in Richmond, Virginia.
Interns Christina Anton (left) and Thinh Tu (right) capture footage and photos at the 1717 Innovation Center.
(More photos and quotes from the teams about the trip can be found in the Darden Report news article here.)
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(In order of appearance, from left) Chenam Barshee, Sogyel Lhungay, Rebecca Perea-Kane, and Melissa Stefaniak presenting their products at the Charlottesville City Market
(photo of Melissa courtesy of Single Baked Sweets)
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Darius Nabors taking Rohit Rustagi and Nagea Delaya (not shown) hiking in Shenandoah National Park...
Modeling Shafat Khan's Shakti Apparel pants...
...And clearly getting more in tune with nature. (Nagea shown in center)
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Here is a selection of miscellaneous photos that weren't part of any organized event, showing iLab participants in their day-to-day work and fun.
(In order of appearance, from left to right: Zadie Lacy and Emma Hitchcock at the Downtown Mall after visiting fellow teams at the Charlottesville City Market; Rohit Rustagi explaining Rubik's Cube algorithms to Christina Anton; Victor Layne and Christina Anton play ping pong while Fritz Steuer, Rohit Rustagi, and Thinh Tu watch. Lyon McCandless and Phoebe DeVito lounge on couches in the back, typing away.)
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Please join us tonight at the iLab to meet all of our incubator teams and see what they've been up to this summer! The event runs from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Registration can be found here.
A big thanks to all 23 iLab teams for a wonderful summer, and a special shoutout to Jason Brewster, Incubator Director; Sandra McCutcheon, Assistant Director; and David Touve, iLab Director. The iLab and the incubator program wouldn't be possible without them and their tireless efforts. We'd also like to thank our interns Olivia Jones, Christina Anton, Thinh Tu, and Christopher Nelson for all of their hard work.
Thank you to everyone, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors!