“A lot of people think that the purpose of the competition is to build startups. That’s not the purpose at all. In many ways, the competition is an induction into this community….we’re putting people through this very intense, very uncomfortable situation and they come out of it very bonded and very close to one another and that’s why our community is so powerful.”

What have been some of your favorite projects?

“This year one of the semi-finalists was this project called Plumer. It’s A/B testing for dating profiles. It’s a nerd’s dream. I can take A/B testing and apply it to my OKCupid profile? Like, wow, that’s great.”

The hack: 72 hours of road trip and hackathon with a competition upon arrival.

Jon Gottfried, Startup Bus