Constantine Desjardins '24 graduated from Davidson having attended Techstars Startup Weekend, participated in the Venture for America Case Challenge, and served as president of the Davidson Entrepreneurship Club, so it is no surprise that the Hurt Hub was right up his alley during his time on campus. Looking back, what started as a business idea during winter break of his freshman year, with no clear sense of where to begin, grew into a college experience shaped by entrepreneurship, and now a career built on it.
Finding a Starting Point
In the spring of his freshman year, Constantine realized the Hurt Hub was the perfect place to get involved and get his idea off the ground. That fall, he took part in the Hurt Hub's startup weekend, developing a pitch for a mental health focused business. He also completed the Hurt Hub's Lean Startup course, learning the basic principles of creating and launching a business.
Along the way, he won a Try It Fund award and an Avinger Impact Fund award, funding that helped him further develop his business idea. Constantine also competed in the Nisbet Venture Fund competition as a student, pitching his own idea alongside classmates working to turn their concepts into ventures.
Through these experiences, Constantine said, "I realized any student can become an entrepreneur if they apply their skills and interests to a problem they care about."
Building Something for Others
Constantine's involvement with the Hurt Hub did not stop at his own idea. He went on to restart Davidson's entrepreneurship club, with the mission of helping all Davidson students develop entrepreneurial mindsets and skills so they can pursue their ideas with the best possible chance of success. As president of the club, he has helped build a pipeline for the next generation of student entrepreneurs to find their own way into the Hurt Hub, the same way he did.
Carrying It Forward After Graduation
Constantine's connection to the Hurt Hub did not end at commencement. Since graduating, he has returned as a speed mentor for Nisbet Venture Fund finalists, offering the same kind of guidance he once received as a competitor. He has also served as a judge for Techstars Startup Weekend, evaluating pitches from a new class of student entrepreneurs finding their footing.
Constantine's post-graduate path has also connected him to another Davidson alum shaped by the Hurt Hub. He now works at Lucid Bots, the company founded by Andrew Ashur '19. Constantine joined as the company's first Strategic Growth Representative and has since grown into his current role as Product Manager.
From a winter break idea with nowhere to start, to a club he rebuilt for future students, to a career at a company founded by a fellow Davidson entrepreneur, Constantine's story shows what is possible when a student brings their curiosity to the Hurt Hub and keeps building from there.
