What is Build18?

Build18 is an annual freestyle tinkering festival held by Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Every January, approximately 400 students form teams to complete an electronics project in a week’s time. Build18 serves as an intellectual playground for the brightest and most creative of Carnegie Mellon’s students. The event’s mission is to provide students with a risk-free environment to pursue personal engineering challenges, where the only limiting factor to creation is their own ingenuity.

Why donate to Build18

Carnegie Mellon University has one of the top electrical and computer engineering programs in the nation. Students who choose to participate in Build18 are the ones for whom engineering is a passion, not just a major.

• Build18 sponsors get the chance to interact with the Build18 participants throughout Build Week and attend the Build18 Project Symposium and all other associated events. Therefore, Build18 serves as a filtering mechanism to help companies find talented students.
• Build18 allows companies to familiarize themselves with the next generation of tinkerers. It is a well-known fact that engineers choose products they are familiar with over ones they have never used, and this generation of students is the next generation of managers making corporate decisions and purchases.
• All Build18 supporters are recognized for their contributions in Build18 advertising materials, website, and on the official Build18 t-shirt.

Why we need you

• Build18 is entirely student-run and primarily supported by corporate sponsors.
• Without adequate sponsor support, Build18 cannot accommodate all students interested in participating.
• By contributing to the Build18 project fund, sponsors provide teams with the essential parts and materials needed in order to complete their projects.

How to donate to Build18

The best way to support Build18 is with a contribution to the Build18 project fund, please see the support levels outlined below. Build18 usually takes place in mid-January and the deadline to submit a contribution is early December. Donations are still accepted after this date, but your company will not appear on the t-shirt. However, your company will still appear on the website and all media during Build Week. For further details about how to submit a contribution to the Build18 donation fund, please contact us.

Build18 support levels

• 8-bit supporters ($2,000 - $3,999)

  • Opportunity to have company name on the Build18 t-shirt and event materials
  • Opportunity to send engineers/recruiters to Build18 events
  • Ability to host a Tech Tutorial on a relevant topic of interest during the fall semester
  • Opportunity to attend supporter/officer dinner evening before Demo Day
  • Ability to bring or send company swag to Build18 events

• 16-bit supporters ($4,000 - $5,999)

  • Company will be provided with a table at the Build18 Demo Day for student outreach
  • Opportunity to present a company branded award or prize to a team at the Build18 Banquet

• 32-bit supporters ($6,000 - $7,999)

  • Company will receive a resume book of Build18 participants who have provided resumes
  • Ability to host Tech Talk on a relevant topic of interest during Build Week (4 dinner spots, first come, first served)

• 64-bit supporters ($8,000 - $9,999)

  • Opportunity to host a company specific hardware challenge. i.e. Alexa Skills challenge from Amazon. Companies are given the opportunity to donate hardware for builders to use on their projects and award a prize. The monetary value of the sponsored hardware (no cloud credit, etc.) counts towards the total contribution amount
  • Opportunity for recruiters to have their own table right after Demo Day (the Friday of Build Week, same day as the Build18 Banquet) for recruiting, like a mini career fair

• 128-bit supporters ($10,000)

  • Company tailored book of student profiles, including resumes, relevant skill sets, and more information.