Friday marked the successful end of Entrepreneurship Week USA at Tufts and across the nation. But if you missed it, don't despair - it'll be back next year. Entrepreneurship Week USA is the new movement, so don't be left behind!
Before you decide to do some research on what exactly you are missing, there are some things that you should know.
On Jun. 7, 2006, the House of Representatives passed resolution No. 699 supporting entrepreneurship ideas nationwide and helping fund Entrepreneurship Week USA. With this resolution, our government acknowledged that entrepreneurship is increasingly the talk of young people. And because more young people are thinking about entrepreneurship and are starting their own businesses at an earlier age, this resolution signals a long-overdue movement to promote and encourage universities to add more entrepreneurship courses to their curriculums.
But what does Entrepreneurship Week USA entail, and how does it affect our campus?
Massachusetts responded to this national movement with a half-day conference last Monday that was attended by technology entrepreneurship educators, venture capitalists, angel investors and government officials within the state. Senator John Kerry and Boston Mayor Tom Menino were among the prominent figures who spoke at the event, while the audience included representatives from various colleges looking to strengthen their own entrepreneurship programs.
Our own Tufts University was well-represented at the conference.
Pamela Goldberg, Director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program at Tufts, and Nina Green, Director of the Office of Technology Licensing and Industry Collaboration at Tufts, attended the event. "This was an exciting opportunity to gather together the technology entrepreneurial leaders of the entire state. It was an impressive and influential group," Goldberg said.
Events like this one occurred in states around the country, aiming to encourage universities and other organizations to increase their awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship and encourage students (and everyone else) to step up and pursue their dreams through the pursuit of entrepreneurship.
To complement this national movement, Tufts had its own Entrepreneurship Week. Several entrepreneurs came to campus last week and shared their advice on entrepreneurship with Tufts students.
Publisher of Women's Business Vicki Donlon and CEO of Communispace Corporation Diane Hessan came to campus on Tuesday and spoke to ELS classes, recounting their own entrepreneurship experiences.
I was part of the ELS 105 Marketing class that had the privilege of listening to Ms. Hessan, a Tufts alum, and it was truly a learning experience. All the great work she has done with her company makes her an extraordinary entrepreneur, one that expertly represents what Entrepreneurship Week promotes.
Similarly, President of Digitas LLC and Tufts alum Laura Lang spoke to another ELS class on Wednesday and shared some of her advice on being a good entrepreneurial leader.
Furthermore, on Thursday the Young Entrepreneurs at Tufts hosted their project incubator event, in which they brought together students with business plans and Tufts alumni in a forum-type setting where the students presented their business plans and the Tufts alumni reviewed them by offering constructive criticisms.
These events were capped off on Friday when a panel of experts came to Tufts in order to talk to the finalists of the Frigon Competition in Social Entrepreneurship and Classic Business Plan Competition.
The panelists included a venture capitalist from Commonwealth Ventures, a lawyer from Choate Hall, an accountant from Deloitte, a lessor from Cummings Properties and an entrepreneurial lender from Silicon Valley Bank.
These panelists shared their expertise on what makes for a strong business plan as the finalists prepare for their presentations on March 28.
It was fitting to have entrepreneurs of this caliber on our campus sharing their knowledge with a younger generation of striving entrepreneurs. Whether on campus, in Boston, or around the country, entrepreneurship was the talk of the week.
The entrepreneurs of the future are young, and they deserve some guidance. As a result, the government has funded the National Entrepreneurship Week.
All throughout last week, we were offered numerous opportunities to learn more about entrepreneurship and what it means to be successful in our ventures.
If you are striving to be an entrepreneur, get on board and prepare for next year. Research this new movement and find out how you can become a successful entrepreneur. The world is waiting for you.
Joel Alcon is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.
