IDEA Con 2026
- Date
- 2026-10-24
- Location
- George Sherman Union
- Host
- MassRobotics
About this event
IDEA Con 2026: Boston University’s cross-college student innovation conference Innovate@BU, Boston University’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, hosts IDEA Con on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The day opens with IGNITE talks, four short talks by student founders: Aria Ma of Tufts University (Jadewell), Grace Lightfoot of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (The Kidney Connective), Jakob Esterowitz of Boston University (LET), and Shaun Devan of the University of New Hampshire (Agent Integrator). Attendees then choose two hands-on workshops; the current lineup includes pitching, design thinking, customer discovery, networking, and building a tech product without writing code. The afternoon closes with the Boston TrEAT Party and an Entrepreneur Bazaar of student ventures. Since 2018, IDEA Con has brought together thousands of students from 20+ colleges and universities across the Northeast. When: Saturday, October 24, 2026. Check-in and breakfast 9 am; program 10 am to 4:30 pm. Where: George Sherman Union, Boston University, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston (BU Central, Green Line B). Cost: Free. Breakfast and lunch included. Who: College students and recent grads from any school and any major. No idea or venture required. Register: https://innovatebu.app/conference/ideacon26?utmsource=listing&utmmedium=display&utmcampaign=idea-con-2026-toolkit&utmterm=use-anytime Sponsored by the Cynthia Cohen Impact 2040 Fund.