Is business model just a buzzword?
"The Launch Pad, started in 2008 at the University of Miami, is a step forward. Students and alumni are invited to submit a plain-English pitch about an idea for a company. Everyone who pitches an idea gets free advice and about 10 percent of applicants are selected to enter an individualized venture-coaching program, in which they work with volunteers from the local business community."
Read the full article here.
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is coming to the University of Miami, November 15-19, 2010! For one week, millions of young people around the world join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents come together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark!
Read the full Press Release on GEW 2010 or visit www.unleashingideas.org for more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Jump-starting the Motor City
The Blackstone Foundation—the corporate foundation of the publicly traded private equity firm—has pledged $20 million to jump-start business formation in the Motor City. The grant will be used to bring LaunchPad—a program that provides emerging entrepreneurs with practical skills, networking, and advice, and concentrates its effort among undergraduates, grad students, and recent alumni—to Detroit. Since its founding at the University of Miami in 2008, LaunchPad has attracted more than 1,000 students and led to the creation of 45 businesses and 102 new jobs. “A sustained period of job growth depends on the creativity, innovation, and ultimate success of entrepreneurs in creating new businesses,” said Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone.
Check out the full mention in Philanthropy Magazine a publication of Philanthropy Roundtable under the title "Jump-Starting the Motor City" in the Briefly Noted section. Learn more about the Blackstone Foundation here.
Refresh is a community for all web professionals, enthusiasts, and students to connect. Refresh hosts a monthly meetup where members present their work, share their research or ideas, and engage in lively conversations.
Refresh is a free group to join, and is supported by corporate sponsors.
Check out the calendar for upcoming Refresh events and join the Facebook group for more information.
Inc., the magazine for growing companies, features The Launch Pad in the July/August 2010 issue special report.
Read the full article Entrepreneurship Education for All in Inc., magazine here.
"Business is intimidating to people studying something else," says Susan Wills Amat, the program's co-founder. "Business people speak a different language and are very assertive. We get kids who are nervous about sharing and give them confidence and a support system."
And check out the online excerpt from the article here.
The Blackstone Charitable Foundation announced on April 30 in Detroit a multiyear commitment to fostering entrepreneurship in communities hardest hit by the global economic crisis. In collaboration with the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan (NEI), the foundation announced that Wayne State University, Walsh College, and the University of Miami have been selected as partners for its first significant grant of $2 million.
The grant will allow the creation of Blackstone LaunchPad operations at the two colleges, based on the successful University of Miami's Launch Pad, an entrepreneur and innovator resource center, to serve as a national model for fostering entrepreneurship through higher education. The Launch Pad is the first one in the country to be housed in a university career center, treating entrepreneurship as a viable career choice. It is part of the Toppel Career Planning and Placement Center and strives to provide students and alumni with the guidance and resources they need to transform innovative ideas into sustainable enterprises.
Since its inception in 2008, The Launch Pad has helped launch 45 new businesses and create 102 new jobs, contributing to the economic recovery of South Florida and demonstrating that positive economic impact results from investing in entrepreneurship.
