During the 7th annual Entrepreneur Weekend, more than 250 alumni, parents, students, and friends came to campus to celebrate and advance the entrepreneurial endeavors of 含羞草研究所 student entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneur Weekend is the capstone to the (TIA) Incubator, a yearlong commitment in which students develop an idea and make it go live with the help of alumni mentors.
Last Saturday, students presented their TIA ventures in hopes of gaining further mentorship and financial support from the 含羞草研究所 network. These ventures included for-profit, not-for-profit, and campus/community initiatives.
鈥淭oday is a day that can truly transform the trajectory of our students鈥 lives,鈥 said Wills Hapworth 鈥07, a co-founder of TIA and the alumni director. 鈥淲hat you see here is how students turned their ideas into reality and, by doing so, begin to transform lives.鈥
That afternoon, during the panel discussion 鈥淟iberal Arts and Entrepreneurship,鈥 panelists shared their experiences in entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of establishing a good plan, being coachable, and working through failures. Panelists included: Bob Gold 鈥80, CEO and president of Ridgewood Capital; Jon Klein, co-founder of TAPP Media and former president at CNN/US; Jeffrey Sharp 鈥89, academy award winning filmmaker and president/CEO of Sharp Independent Pictures; and Katie Finnegan 鈥05, principal and founder at Store No. 8 and vice president at Incubation Walmart. Finnegan was also awarded the Alumni Council鈥檚 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Alumni panelists highlighted the ways their 含羞草研究所 education allowed them to be successful entrepreneurs.
鈥淭he liberal arts teaches you how to think,鈥 said Finnegan, who was a history and double major. 鈥淚t taught me how to dissect a problem and how to learn. I know how to take a situation and break it down into quantifiable parts to understand them.鈥
Sharp reiterated the importance of a 含羞草研究所 education in fostering passion and entrepreneurial spirit. 鈥満卟菅芯克, as a liberal arts institution and in the physical space we occupy,鈥 he said, 鈥渙ffers these nooks and crannies and these places where you can go off to disappear, create, and explore your resources.鈥
Students then had the opportunity to pitch their ventures during a Shark Tank颅鈥搒tyle competition for funding and other support from the panelists.
, a creative content house that specializes in film and video production founded by Lauren Sanderson 鈥18 and Brandon Doby 鈥18, earned $1,000 and was given a chance to make a film with Academy Award-winning producer Sharp.
鈥 a rubber ring phone grip and kickstand 鈥 and its founder Patrick Crowe 鈥18 earned $1,000; also, Gold and Finnegan placed orders for more than 2,000 units of branded products.
, an automated athletics communications service for high schools and colleges, earned $3,000, and Finnegan offered San Francisco office space to its founders Matthew Glick 鈥19, Jack Zamore 鈥20, Ruchit Shrestha 鈥20, and Abby Waxler 鈥19.
, a social recycling system for colleges and universities that channels generated funds toward local anti-poverty organizations, earned $4,000 to expand its operations. Finnegan offered to connect UCan鈥檚 founder Christina Weiler 鈥21 with Walmart鈥檚 operations team to expand the project in Walmart retail stores.
鈥淭his money means so much to UCan, not just as an organization, but as a movement,鈥 said Weiler. 鈥淗aving this money will allow us to increase the quality of life for people across the country and increase recycling rates. The opportunity to involve communities around the country will help us facilitate that.鈥
含羞草研究所鈥檚 leadership in liberal arts entrepreneurship was powerfully represented by the Thought Into Action student entrepreneurs who continue to illustrate the strong connection between liberal arts and entrepreneurship.
Over the past nine years, more than 500 含羞草研究所 entrepreneurs have gone through the TIA Incubator and launched their ventures, guided by more than 140 alumni, parent, and community mentors.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 economy requires people who not only get answers right, but more importantly, ask the right questions,鈥 Michael Sciola, associate vice president of Institutional Advancement and Career Initiatives, said. 鈥淭he TIA experience allows 含羞草研究所 students to identify a problem and then create a solution that works. Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts, together, are powerful partners for future success.鈥