 By: Elyse Ball
Sitting at the intersection of Northeast Ohio's research universities and startup scene, my University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF) colleagues and I often see startup ideas in their earliest stages. Last fall, after having met with dozens of entrepreneurs who were working on napkin ideas or sharing their startup aspirations for the first time, we finally decided it was time to take action to assist entrepreneurs that aren't quite ready for the region's incubator and accelerator programs. The result - the Starting Line Pre-Acccelerator - aims to help beginner entrepreneurs develop their business concept into a full-fledged startup. Through a 10-step process, entrepreneurs craft a business model, interview customers, sketch out their prototype concept, and construct their first startup pitch. Starting Line comprises mainly online, "at-your-own-pace" activities, ranging from completing a business model canvas and interviewing customers to listening to podcasts and TEDtalks about entrepreneurial mindset. Entrepreneurs also get the chance to have one-on-one meetings with Dan Hampu and I to guide them through the process. If you are or know of an entrepreneur that would benefit from Starting Line, let us know or check out uakronuarf.com/step1.
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 Courtesy of UA Email Digest
Imagine that you would like to start a business. You have high hopes for your product and the positive impact you know it can make on Northeast Ohio. You need startup funds, so you approach … students? On Wednesday, Feb. 14, several UA students will hear pitches from hopeful entrepreneurs for funding through the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund (NEOSVF) Deal Flow Event at Quaker Station, on campus. Research official honored for advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education6/15/2017 By Lisa Craig, lmc91@uakron.edu
By Lisa Craig, lmc91@uakron.edu For the first time in the history of the LaunchTown Entrepreneurship Awards, one university swept all three top spots — The University of Akron. Six finalists out of 30 teams made their final pitches and vied for $10,000 in total cash prizes at the 11th annual competition, held April 27 at The Bit Factory in downtown Akron. The event, which is sponsored by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation, is an idea competition for new businesses, products or services that is open to all students, majors, colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio. Additional sponsorship of the event was provided by the Akron Global Business Accelerator, a program of the city of Akron.  From UA Media Relations  Sleep was in short supply this past weekend, but ideas were abundant as students from other universities joined some of UA’s own for a marathon session of problem solving known as a hackathon. Participants were challenged to take a glimmer of an idea and create a fully formed product or program to solve a problem during the 24-hour period of the hackathon. This was the first hackathon organized by UA students — all electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science majors. HAkron, as the team is known, handled all aspects of the event — from arranging sponsors to lining up a panel of judges.
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