UF’s Entrepreneurship Club will be hosting a chat Friday between two cyber celebrities about their experiences with their companies.
Reddit’s co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, will speak alongside Grooveshark’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Josh Greenberg at 7 p.m. Friday.
The event, in Weimer Hall’s Gannett Auditorium, is free and open to all UF students.
Ian Mitchell, president of the Entrepreneurship Club, said he was looking forward to hosting Ohanian and Greenberg because of their important innovations in the Internet realm.
Reddit is an online social and entertainment news website that puts users in control of the website’s content.
Grooveshark enables users to stream music, create their own playlists and upload their own music.
Mitchell said there is a common misconception that entrepreneurship is all about creating apps and making a profit, when in fact, entrepreneurship can help elicit social change.
Mitchell said he hopes that the event will make “people aware of deep issues we have in our society, like copyright laws and freedom of speech.”
Mitchell said the club anticipates the event to fill up quickly, so it is advised that students arrive early to secure seats.
Students who are unable to fit in the auditorium may watch the talk in rooms nearby also in Weimer Hall.
At the end of the chat, students will have the opportunity to ask Ohanian and Greenberg questions.
Ohanian will be signing his new book, “Without Their Permission,” which will be available for purchase.
Sebastian Restrepo, a 21-year-old UF industrial engineering senior, said he considers himself a Redditor and uses the Reddit app in his downtime.
“I like the community,” Restrepo said. ”It has people worth listening to.”
He said he had not previously heard of the event, but now he will definitely attend.
Juliana Guitelman, a 19-year-old UF psychology sophomore, said she will also attend the event.
“I’m really excited to meet Ohanian and ask him questions,” she said. “Reddit is awesome.”
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/15/2014 under the headline "Reddit co-founder to come to UF campus for talk on Friday"
