Center for Entrepreneurship encourages students to foster innovative ideas
This story originally published by the College of Business .
Any 帝王会所 student can visit the Center for Entrepreneurship for guidance on developing innovative ideas or starting a business.
The Center for Entrepreneurship, a central resource for any entrepreneurial need from idea formation to company expansion, was formed through a partnership between the College of Business and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. After six years, it has benefited many students and has recently launched key support systems.
Established in 2011, Paul Mass, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, and his staff worked to develop the center as a university-wide resource. The center, located on the third floor of Alden Library, is inside of CoLab, a place built to accommodate student collaboration on creative projects.
鈥淭he whole concept of the center and CoLab is that we act as a hub,鈥 Mass said. 鈥淭he center isn鈥檛 the answer to all of an entrepreneur鈥檚 problems or questions. There are many organizations that, in one way or another, help entrepreneurs. We help students start a journey and introduce them to these resources.鈥
The Center for Entrepreneurship has connections with the Innovation Center, TechGROWTH, and LIGHTS Regional Innovation among others, and also offers other services beyond business startup assistance.
Students can engage in entrepreneurial activities outside of the classroom by participating in events, said Paul Benedict, associate director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. At industry summits, attendees get insider knowledge about business challenges that affect certain industries. The and the 帝王会所 Music Industry Summit have introduced Bobcats to the vast career possibilities available outside of what鈥檚 conventionally known for those industries. Speakers give a more cohesive look at pressing topics such as game design for disability. After an afternoon of learning, each summit continues with a networking opportunity for any event participant from student to industry professional.
鈥淭here鈥檚 frequently a gap between the theory of what is in textbooks or taught in class and the experience of actually living it,鈥 Benedict said. 鈥淏oth are important and we want to expose students to as many possibilities as we can.鈥
Bobcats receive more hands-on experience by presenting a business concept at the Expo Pitch Competition. It coincides with the 帝王会所 Student Expo, which has hundreds of participants who can choose to enter the pitch competition. The Center for Entrepreneurship takes this opportunity to discover unique ideas with commercial or social entrepreneurship value, Benedict said. Participating in the pitch competition can lead to winning cash prizes, making professional connections, and obtaining valuable resources.
鈥淲e usually don鈥檛 know what these students are thinking up in their apartments and dorm rooms,鈥 Benedict said. 鈥淪ometimes, we discover great start-up opportunities through pitch competitions and can provide more help to the students.鈥
Now, competitions aren鈥檛 the only way students can receive financial aid via the center. The Bobcat Seed Fund was specifically created to support student entrepreneurs. Grants of up to $3,000 are awarded for a student鈥檚 business idea or existing venture based on demonstration of value and appropriate use of funds.
Matthew Benson, a COB senior studying entrepreneurship, became the first grant recipient for his business, eFuse. Prior to graduating, he鈥檚 already pursuing the venture full-time along with a few peers. eFuse, a social media network for the eSports community, was conceptualized through the Business Cluster but Benson knew the idea could go farther.
鈥淲e wanted to build a platform that brought a lot of eSports constituents together and provided opportunities for them,鈥 Benson said. 鈥淲e often call it 鈥楲inkedIn for eSports,鈥 bringing together gaming opportunities and talent while facilitating the collaborations and communication that has to happen for a successful partnership.鈥
The company has already formed a professional connection with the Electronic Gaming Federation in order to make eFuse the primary resource for eSports opportunities. He wants to see scholarships, job and internship opportunities, sponsorship deals, and team openings on the website.
The Bobcat Seed Fund grant will be the cherry on top of major funding that eFuse will use to develop the website, create a user acquisition model, and market the platform. The relationships that Benson formed with Mass and Benedict made him eager to share the idea with them before any potential investors.
鈥淭hey have been there for me throughout my entire journey and helped guide me along the way,鈥 Benson said. 鈥淚t just felt natural and right that they be the first ones I take this to.鈥
Stephen Barrett, a senior studying retail merchandising and fashion product development in the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education, won the Bobcat Fashion Challenge with his budding company, . The fashion brand prides itself on being 鈥渟treetwear with a conscience.鈥 Currently, the product line mostly consists of modified thrift shop purchases made to reflect current fashion trends. One day, the young entrepreneur hopes to expand to manufacture original designs.
Barrett plans to use the prize money to help with promotional costs, improving the website, and printing large quantities of T-shirts. The company launched a spring clothing line on March 19.
鈥淭he idea feels more grounded than last semester, even though it hasn鈥檛 really been that long,鈥 he said.
In the next few years, Barrett wants Creamy Studios to keep building momentum by gaining more social media followers and brand recognition. He might look into creating music videos or writing blog posts that showcase clothing selections and other art forms.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be a business student to start your own business,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned just by doing, but I don鈥檛 have any real business knowledge.鈥
From giving his staff a place to meet to providing mentors, the Center for Entrepreneurship has been an excellent resource for Barrett throughout his company鈥檚 journey. He occasionally meets with Benedict to discuss Creamy Studio鈥檚 budget, figuring out what works versus what needs more attention. Barrett also seeks advice from Benedict on running the company and balancing the workload among his employees.
In the hopes of reaching more students across campus, the center launched the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program to provide more committed mentors with enterprising mindsets to infuse entrepreneurial thought in the classroom and promote center happenings. From dance to engineering to music production, the program will increase the center's influence in hard-to-reach places.
鈥淓ntrepreneurship doesn鈥檛 just mean starting your own company,鈥 Benedict said. 鈥淚t can also mean being innovative, doing something new and creative in an already established organization or social enterprise.鈥
Debra McBride, assistant director of the Global Health Initiative at the College of Health Sciences and Professions, is one of six fellows who were announced in February. Her robust background as former director of the Small Business Development Center at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, where she helped develop small businesses in four southeastern 帝王会所 counties, made her the perfect candidate to guide global health students. In a way, students were already exposed to the conflux between global health and entrepreneurship through the existence of the Global Health Case Competition. Participants develop innovative solutions for real-world problems occurring in foreign countries. Although the competition is currently on hiatus, it has seen some interesting ideas in the past few years.
The first team to win thought the strategic planting and harvesting of trees, which have wood that releases carbon nanoparticles, could decrease the amount of deaths from mosquito-transmitted diseases. Another team proposed a needle exchange box that could dispense sterile needle and condoms and track needle intake to warn trained professionals of overdose risk.
鈥淚t was out of this case competition that we saw an interest from students in developing products that could help with health issues,鈥 McBride said. 鈥淓ntrepreneurial Fellows can help students understand how to build a business out of their profession rather than just work in it.鈥
Josh Antonuccio, a lecturer in the School of Media Arts and Studies, has been aware of potential interest in entrepreneurship for a while as several students sought advice from him on starting companies. However, even music production students who don鈥檛 want to start a business still want some know-how about distribution, booking, and anything else that can make them more self-sufficient.
Antonuccio jumped at the chance to become an Entrepreneurial Fellow. Since 2004, he has owned and operated 3 Elliott Studio, recording tracks for local and regional bands. On top of that, he鈥檚 the instructor and faculty advisor for Brick City Records, a university-owned record label that lets students gain experience with not just recording but also promotion, distribution, publicity, and concert booking services. He hopes to infuse some entrepreneurial ideas into the course and more facets.
鈥淚 really want students to come away feeling like they were given an opportunity to have coaching, mentoring, and somebody to believe in what they鈥檙e doing and give them good insight so they can succeed with it,鈥 Antonuccio said.
Learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurship.