How can I join CougarDevs?
You can join as a software developer or project lead. At some point we will also be looking for business, administrative, and marketing support. Please contact the C-STEM lab manager Kushma Saud (ksaud@caldwell.edu) to get started.
Join as a Software Developer
We have several projects in need of help with software development.
You may be able to join on a volunteer basis, or to set up your development work as an unpaid internship. If funding becomes available at some point, students with the most experience will get priority for funded positions.
Join as Project Lead
Do you have an idea for an open-source app? App-based service? Software-oriented startup? If so, you are welcome to work on it in together with us!
Your app or startup must be approved by the faculty director of CougarDevs to ensure that it does not promote certain types of content (e.g., gambling).
What do you get with CougarDevs (as opposed to working on your ideas on your own time, at home)?
A dedicated R&D environment with like-minded peers, mentorship, legal support, and networking opportunities (read details in the Program Features section above).
Administrative and promotional support:
The university will hire work-study students to aid you with marketing and other project support.
Does Caldwell own any part of my product or company if I build it under the CougarDevs umbrella?
No.
What is my commitment if I join CougarDevs?
If you are joining as a project lead, you must clearly communicate your idea and get it approved by the faculty director of CougarDevs (currently this is Prof. Veksler).
If you joining as a software developer, you must find at least one project to join, and work out your commitment to the project with the respective project lead.
You must be able to commit at least 4hrs per week to work on your chosen project, and at least 2hrs of those weekly hours must be spent in the dedicated workspace (currently this is VIS204 or VIS205).
You must commit to future mentorship requests (as a senior student or alumnus, you may be asked to help younger students with advice, and you may be invited to speak at workshops).
Your published app or site must include the Caldwell University logo and the CougarDevs logo, as approved by the university. You must remove these logos in a timely manner, if asked to do so by the university.
What do I owe CougarDevs and Caldwell if I create a profitable product?
There is no profit-sharing agreement in place at the moment, so even if your venture makes money, you do not owe the university anything.
The university may implement a profit-sharing agreement in the future. If this happens, you will not be forced to sign it -- you will have a choice to opt out.
With this said, if you see the value in this program, we encourage you to contribute to it. We want to grow the program to better serve incoming and future students. Also, we will host links to your projects, and the bigger we get, the more traffic you get through us, and the more weight your affiliation with us will carry. So help us out. If not through profit-sharing, then please find other ways to help us grow. Please help spread the word about CougarDevs, donate technology/money, donate compute-time, invest in our students' projects, and help them get hired.