Hey! I’m Vahid, writing on behalf of ProjX. We’re a committee within TechX all about supporting MIT students’ side projects. Turns out MIT students make some pretty awesome stuff in their free time! A few times a year, we take applications and select a batch of projects to fund, up to $500 each. We have about 70 projects a year, in the past ranging from an Oculus-controlled quadcopter to a Bitcoin store checkout system. Besides funding projects, we promote the broader MIT maker community in three ways: showcase events, technical workshops, and an online project gallery.

ProjX was originally conceived as an idea to showcase students at xFair, the campus-wide annual career fair and tech expo. Called “xFair Student Relations” for several years, the program allowed students to demo their side projects and technology at booths alongside companies. Over time, we gave student exhibitors more support in the form of funding for project materials and monthly progress check-ins.

Last year, we rebranded with the ProjX name, growing and re-scoping beyond side project demos at xFair. Our mission is now to encourage and enable students to pursue side projects, spurring creative excursions outside the classroom and hands-on technical experience. The idea is that one batch of demos will inspire more students to begin their own projects and go on to demo them, perpetuating the cycle.