Office Hours put students in a room one-on-one with peers or professionals to answer your questions about starting a new venture.

Office Hours are held on-demand using automated calendar scheduling through StartupTree.  Students book a slot and come with questions.

Benjamin Butler

Marketing Consultant – Startup Hokies

Ben is a junior majoring in Business Information Technology (BIT) with minors in Data and Decisions and Digital Marketing Strategy in the Pamplin College of Business.  In his role as a Startup Hokies Consultant, Ben works with student startup teams on product messaging and copy writing.  He currently serves as an undergraduate data science researcher and as an Advising Ambassador for Virginia Tech Academic Advising Initiatives.

Ask Ben about:

• Marketing Messaging (Features & Benefits)
• Digital Marketing Strategies

Schedule time with Ben

Jonathan Kebede

Startup Hokies Ambassador

Jonathan is a sophomore majoring in Finance in the Pamplin College of Business. He has been a Junior Analyst at Commodity Investing by Students (COINS), where his role is to assist in investing up to $1M on behalf of the Virginia Tech Foundation for the nation’s only student-run commodity trading group diversified in futures-based ETFs, ETNs, and covered call options since 2020.  In his role as a Startup Hokies consultant, Jonathan works with students to help get started on their entrepreneurship journey with the Apex Center. He also currently serves as a Student Ambassador for The Morning Brew newsletter.

Ask Jonathan about:

• Getting Started with the Apex Center
• Plugging into the Startup Hokies Community
• Creating a new profile in Startup Tree

Schedule time with Jonathan

Autumn Canfield

RSO Outreach Consultant

Autumn is a junior majoring in Finance in the Pamplin College of Business. In her role as a Startup Hokies Consultant, she works with Registered Student Organizations like Collegiate Women in Business, Venture Capital Club, and Blockchain Club to coordinate joint programming. 

Ask Autumn about:

• Starup Hokies programs
• Where to get involved

Schedule time with Autumn

Christopher Nguyen

Data Consultant

Christopher is a senior majoring in Business Information Technology (BIT) in the Pamplin College of Business. In his role as a Startup Hokies Consultant, he works with student founders on competitor (market) analysis and data analytics.

Ask Christopher about:

• Data Analytics
• Database Management

Schedule time with Christopher

Robert Lalayan

General Consultant

Robert is a junior majoring in Business Administration and Management in the Pamplin College of Business. In his role as a Startup Hokies Consultant, he works with student founders to connect with Apex Center programs and resources.

Ask Robert about:

• Programs
• Funding opportunities

Schedule time with Robert