Georgia State is implementing several initiatives to form a robust entrepreneurial culture.
Erica Bracey, business consultant at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), said the university is seeking to make entrepreneurship a viable option for all students.
“The school has an initiative to bring awareness and provide tools for entrepreneurship to its students, especially those outside of the school of business,” she said.
The push for more entrepreneurial opportunities is part of President Mark Becker’s 10-year plan, which he announced in 2011.
Phil Ventimiglia, former Vice President of National Cash Register (NCR), became Georgia State’s first Chief Innovation Officer in April 2014. Ventimigilia will facilitate student entrepreneurship through infrastructure, education and research.
Dr. Robin Morris, Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, said the variety of options at the university will allow students to easily gain real business pioneering experience.
“We are trying give students an opportunity to learn about business and entrepreneurship with or without taking a class. This is in line with The Strategic Plan,” Morris said.
Programs and Courses
The Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robinson College of Business now offers a field study class which students receive three credit hours and $1,000 towards a startup. The course will be offered to graduate and undergraduate students.
Morris said in the 2014 Maymester a ‘Survey of Business Principles’ was piloted to expose non-business majors to entrepreneurship. The course covered topics such as business innovation, lean entrepreneurship and strategy. The Maymester class was a success and will be repeated next year, Morris said.
Georgia State is also providing students with a variety of free courses on entrepreneurship through other organizations, according to Morris.
The new program, called Startup Semesters, will be held every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., beginning Sept. 23. The free program focuses on turning students’ ideas into viable businesses in 10 weeks, according to the course’s syllabus.
There will be a pitch competition at the end of the program for Startup Semester participants, according to Ricky Hunter, Director for Startup Semester at Georgia State.
The course’s syllabus states Startup is an offshoot of Georgia Tech’s Startup Exchange and aims to create a cross-university collaborative student collective between both universities.
Hunter hopes to help turn students’ ideas into reality and the course should help prepare them to take the next steps in their entrepreneurial journey.
“When I was first starting out in my entrepreneurial journey, there were so many things I didn’t know and I didn’t really know how to find the information,” he said.
He also said Startup Semester will help students avoid the same dilemma.
“Startup Semester helps students think through their idea and can provide students with the information and resources, as long as they are willing to put in the work,” Hunter said.
SBDC will host a series of workshops every Wednesday afternoon from Sept. 17-Nov. 19. There will also be 10 modules in Library North room 290.
Students will benefit the most if they attend all 10 modules, according to Bracey.
“The courses are designed to help guide students contemplating through the thought-process of developing a business plan,” she said.
Infrastructure
Morris also said the concourse of Aderhold will soon be renovated into a high-tech collaboration space featuring large screen displays similar to CURVE. The screen will allow students to easily share their work and seating design will promote collaboration.
“We are creating spaces for student and entrepreneurs to collaborate throughout campus,” Ventimiglia said of the space. “We want to build a spirit of entrepreneurship that is embedded within the DNA of the university. In order to do this, we will need to build a variety of programs and structures.”
Ventimiglia said all of the different programs will help students build businesses worth investing in.
“The goal of all of these elements is to get startups to the point at which they are ready to be funded,” he said.
The university is building a collective of expert mentors who can leverage their experience and networks to help students’ startups through the business process, according to Ventimigilia.
Buddy Ray, Associate Director of Herman J. Russell Center for Entrepreneurship and former serial entrepreneur, said Georgia State has a unique opportunity to impact the economic development of the entire state of Georgia.
“No other university in this region can support entrepreneurship in such a wide range of fields, from medical to the arts, from the sciences to non-profits, from technology to hospitality,” he said.
Competitions
Students will also have the chance to win money for their business in competitions throughout the school year.
The H.J. Russell Center for Entrepreneurship (HJRCE) is hosting its annual Panther Pitch Party competition on Nov.17.
Contestants will pitch business ideas to win cash prizes. First place will receive $500, second $250 and third $150. The competition will be on the 18th floor of the Bennett A. Brown Building, 34 Broad St.
The Center for Entrepreneurship will also host a business plan competition in Spring 2014. Entrepreneurs will submit their plans and present in front of judges. The winner will receive $10,000.
