Students gathered in the Kutler Center Monday for the inaugural HW Venture meeting, in which alumni and faculty shared personal experiences in the tech industry and at startups.

Venture is a group that focuses on innovation and idea sharing within the school community.

During the meeting, students discussed ideas for the future of Venture, including a new name and logo, future projects and field trip ideas.

“Our big reason for throwing this event particularly was to figure out the big idea,” said DJ Lesh ’18, who is a member of Venture’s leadership team. “Our thinking was to improve people’s connections, and so the whole idea is to put people together.”

Noname Ventures founder Taylor Adams ’02 gave the keynote address, sharing his story about creating his company, which advises startups on how to effectively navigate obstacles and grow as businesses.

“Don’t be afraid of throwing out crazy ideas,” Adams said. “Don’t be afraid that you’re going to be embarrassed. The craziest ideas are always the best ones.”

A shuttle brought middle school students to the Upper School so that they could take part in the event.