Sewanee’s inaugural Entrepreneurship Week opens October 22
10.11.12
Sewanee's first-ever Entrepreneurship Week is set for October 22-25. Events include a lecture, held in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy, by the 2012 Humphreys Entrepreneur in Residence, Brian Reynolds (C'90), a pioneer in the development of computer gaming; an Entrepreneurial Challenge where teams of University of the South students will compete for cash prizes for the best business plan; and a series of presentations on elements of entrepreneurial success.
The activities are sponsored by The Babson Center for Global Commerce. The Center's growing emphasis on entrepreneurship is a recognition that business creation is an engine of growth and an increasingly viable career path for students .
The week kicks off on October 22 at 6:30 PM, with a presentation on elements of entrepreneurial success by Cliff Oxford, founder of Atlanta's Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs, and STI Knowledge, a pioneering developer of knowledge-based systems for Fortune 1000 companies.
Dr. Yasmeen Mohiuddin, the founder of Sewanee's groundbreaking Social Entrepreneurship Education program (SEED), will discuss principles and developments in social entrepreneurship over a catered lunch at 12:15 PM on Tuesday.
Reynolds, a Sewanee philosophy graduate who began his career in gaming development while still in high school and was a founder of three successful gaming studios, is now chief game designer for Zynga, the company behind FarmVille, CityVille and FrontierVille. He will chart his course to the top ranks of the gaming industry on Tuesday, at 4:30 PM. Reynolds's speech, "Gaming Your Way to the Top: My entrepreneurial adventures in the world of videogames, smartphones, and Facebook" will take place at McCrory Hall on the St. Andrew's-Sewanee School campus and will be followed by a reception.
On Wednesday, the inaugural Sewanee Entrepreneurial Challenge will take place from 3:30 to 5:30 PM with teams of Sewanee students presenting business plan proposals before a panel of judges with entrepreneurial experience. Top-ranked teams are eligible for over $700 in cash prizes, and the winning team will have the option of a grant with up to $5,000 to fund development of the winning proposal. In addition to the Sewanee 2012 Entrepreneurial Challenge, the Center has also sponsored a high school entrepreneurial challenge for students at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School. The SAS students make their presentations on October 18 at SAS, and the winning team is expected to present its proposal at the Sewanee event.
At 6:30 PM, Dr. Dirk Brown, CEO of digital media technology company Pandoodle and director of the Faber Entrepreneurship Center at the University of South Carolina, will discuss the importance of intellectual property strategy for new ventures.
The week will wind up Thursday with a 12:15 PM presentation by Ashley Logsdon (C'07) and Arden Grady (C'09). Logsdon launched a start-up jewelry company immediately after graduation, Dolma Jewelry, Inc.; while Grady manages entrepreneurship programs for the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and is developing a finance startup.
Below is a full schedule of events, presentation titles, and venues. All the events are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Babson Center. The Humphreys Entrepreneur in Residence series is supported by a generous gift from David (C'79) and Debra Humphreys.
Entrepreneurship Week Events Schedule
Monday, October 22
-
Cliff Oxford: "The 9 Basic Instincts of Entrepreneurial Success - First, Fire the Brilliant Jerk." A, B, and C Rooms, McClurg Dining Hall, 6:30-7:30 PM.
Tuesday, October 23
- Yasmeen Mohiuddin: "Social Entrepreneurship." Bishop's Common, Hearth Room 12:15-1:15 PM. (catered luncheon).
- Brian Reynolds (C'90): "Gaming Your Way to the Top: My entrepreneurial adventures in the world of videogames, smartphones, and Facebook.” McCrory Hall for the Performing Arts, St. Andrew's-Sewanee School, 4:30 PM. Reception to follow.
Wednesday, October 24
- Sewanee 2012 Entrepreneurial Challenge. Blackman Auditorium, 3:30-5:30 PM.
- Dirk Brown: "Protect Your Ideas: The importance of a global intellectual property (IP) strategy in building new ventures." A, B, and C Rooms in McClurg Dining Hall, 6:30-7:30 PM.
Thursday, October 25
- Ashley Logsdon (C'07) and Arden Grady (C'09): "Lean Startup Principles: How to Build and Launch a Successful Product." A, B, and C Rooms in McClurg Dining Hall, 12:15-1:15 PM.
