Lebow College of Business Announces Appointment to MIS Advisory Council
William “Buddy” Gillespie, DSS Director of Healthcare Solutions, has been elected to serve a two year term on the Management Information Systems (MIS) Advisory Council at the LeBow College of Business at Drexel University.
This newly formed advisory council is comprised of top management and information systems professionals with significant experience in the field who will be asked to provide advice and strategic direction in developing and delivering a high quality MIS curriculum for the University. The council members will share insights regarding trends and developments in the field of MIS and offer ideas and suggestions for improving and expanding the program. The members will also ensure research interests align with business trends and that students are attracted to the MIS field and inspired by the success stories of the council. Continue reading…
Northeastern University’s Venture Accelerator Reaches Major Milestone
Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business‘ Venture Accelerator, IDEA, reached a 500k milestone in gap funding this month. IDEA was founded by Northeastern students in 2009 as a means to support entrepreneurial endeavors within the university, and since then has funded 35 ventures with grants of up to $10,000.
Over the past five years, IDEA’s Gap Fund has helped 35 ventures—many of them Northeastern students or alumni—jumpstart or continue their journey to success. IDEA ventures have collectively raised $6.4 million in external funding and 14 ventures have “launched” from IDEA.
“It means a lot,” said IDEA CEO Max Kaye, DMSB’14. “Half a million is a big number, and it’s a milestone for IDEA. But more importantly, the outcomes show that the model is working and we’ve helped 35 ventures reach their own significant milestones.”
Each venture is paired with a coach who works on their business plan, introducing them to their network, and offers their services to ventures. Those ventures looking to receive funding through IDEA are put through a rigorous vetting process by both the coaching and investment teams.
The members of the investment team examine each business plan they receive and select those they think are ready to be sent to IDEA’s Advisory Board, which is comprised of members who have made financial contributions to the fund. The selected ventures then prepare a presentation of their company, their projections and an explanation of the milestones they plan to accomplish with the grant.
Collectively IDEA ventures have raised $6.4 million in external funding and 14 have effectively launched their businesses into the market. The gap funding process is one of the most exciting aspects of IDEA because it helps entrepreneurs learn how to recognize critical milestones in the development of a venture, how to articulate them to boards of their peers, and to have a better chance to bring what was once a dream to fruition.
4th Annual Seton Hall University Venture Fund Competition to award $10,000 in Prizes
Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business‘ Center for Entrepreneurial Studies will award $10,000 in prizes at the annual Seton Hall University Venture Fund Competition. The public is invited to attend the competition, which will be held on Friday April 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Jubilee Hall Auditorium.
“Our five Finalist student teams were selected from an original group of 30 applicants,” said Susan Scherreik, Director of the Stillman School of Business’ Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. “They have worked diligently over the past several weeks to develop plans on how they will respectively launch an innovative startup business,” she added.
At Seton Hall’s version of SharkTank, the finalist student teams will “pitch” their original business ideas to a prestigious panel of outside judges. The judges are: Bill Bartzak, President, CEO and founder of MD On-Line; Sal Cocco, Jr., Financial Consultant, AXA Advisors, Shannon Morris, President, Sigma Group, Pravina Raghavan, Administrator of the Office of Investment and Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Steve Waldis, Chairman and CEO, Synchronoss Technologies and a member of the Seton Hall University Board of Regents.
The judges will select the winning teams based on both the students’ presentations and written business plans. The judges will evaluate the business models on factors that include creativity, innovation, growth potential, and the venture’s ability to turn a profit. The winning team will receive $6,000 in prize money, and the runner-up team will receive $3,500. Both top winners will also receive business services to help them launch their ventures. Audience members will be asked to cast a vote via their cell phone for their favorite finalist team. The most popular team will receive a $500 Audience Choice Award.
Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business to host International Export Seminar
In partnership with the US Department of Commerce’s Long Island Export Assistance Center, the Center for International Financial Services and Markets of Hofstra University’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business will host a breakfast seminar, sponsored by TD Bank, on the topic of International Export.
Titled “Financial Resources for Going Global: Show me the Money”, the seminar will be held on April 1. Registration for the event is available on the school’s event page.
Babson Business School’s student and alumni entrepreneurs compete in B.E.T.A Challenge
Eighteen businesses helmed by undergraduates, graduate students and alumni have been selected as semifinalists to compete in Babson’s College’s Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action (BETA) Challenge on April 2, with finalists announced on April 4th and presenting their ventures on April 10 during Founder’s Day activities on campus.
Winners in three categories ─ alumni entrepreneurs, undergraduate and graduate student entrepreneurs ─ will each win a grand prize of $20,000 in cash and “services in kind” donations from corporate sponsors. In addition, $2,500 will be awarded to the two other finalist ventures in each of the three competitions. B.E.T.A. Challenge entrepreneurs must demonstrate success in reaching major milestones achieved through action.
Six of the finalist businesses are from current students at the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business, and range from apps such as BlueGift (Jad Antouh M’14), which allows users to create social funding campaigns in order to give their birthday gifts to a social cause, HigherMe (Rob Hunter M ’14 and Evan Lodge M’14) both a website and app that gives prospective employees the chance to submit one-minute videos to retail establishments, thus giving prospective employers a glimpse of the interpersonal qualities needed to succeed in retail environments, or micro businesses such as FedWell Pet Foods (Emily Lagasse M’15) which seeks to provide better quality food, made with the highest quality ingredients, to dogs.
Corporate sponsors for the event include Samuel Goldstein & Co., Pepper Hamilton LLP and Pierce Atwood LLP. Prizes will be awarded on April 10th after the finalists’ presentations.
