Entrepreneurship A Wealth Creation Strategy Vanderbilt MBA

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1 Entrepreneurship A Wealth Creation Strategy Vanderbilt MBA Welcome Weekend 12 April 2014 What Makes Entrepreneurship at Owen Different? We want to make you rich!!! What other school does that?

2 The Vanderbilt MBA Entrepreneurship Program Entrepreneurship courses You don t just learn about it you do it! Independent study and projects Full-credit semester internships at VC firms and the Nashville Capital Network (NCN) Entrepreneur luncheons National business plan competitions Vanderbilt Entrepreneurship Association (VEA) student club Life science opportunities with Vanderbilt University Medical Center Engineering School Opportunities FireStarter Program Sohr Grant program Companies Current Students are Starting Vitalnx (2014) Kramer Schmidt Venture (2014) GlobeSpeak (2015)

3 Start-up Firms Launched by Our Graduates Capital Confirmation (2001) Ashley Homestores (2003) Veran Medical Technologies (2004) WheelsNext.com (2004) Encapsula NanoSciences (2005) Bernard Health (2007) Seed Hospitality (2007) DogTopia (2009) Indian Web Site for Indian Physicians (2009) Start-up Firms Launched by Our Graduates Levee Corporation of America (2009) Assisted Living Facilities (2009) Recover Green Roofs, LLC (2009) BookingMarkets (2010) Techno Christian Rock and Country Eurodance(2011) NextGxDx (2011) Real Estate Investment Company (2011) Heist Brewery (2011) Georgie Beauty (2012) Emerge Financial (2012)

4 Start-up Firms Launched by Our Graduates MEDarchon (2013) HumaGel (2013) InvisionHeart (2014) The Entrepreneurship Faculty Germain Böer Chief Wealth Creation Officer at Owen Director of Owen Entrepreneurship Center Started retail company Investor in Startups Board member and advisory board member Michael Burcham Serial Entrepreneur Founded and sold three companies Ph.D. Health Administration CEO Nashville Entrepreneur Center

5 Programs and Activities of the Owen Entrepreneurship Center Jim and Leah Sohr Grant Program Jim and Leah Sohr have contributed funds to the Owen School to support budding young entrepreneurs who have good ideas for starting a business. Each grant provides up to $25,000 to a student to start their company; the money is a grant, so the student gives up no equity when they receive the grant. Process for Applying for a Grant Each fall and spring the Owen Entrepreneurship Center sponsors a competition in which students submit their ideas for possible funding. The students present their ideas to a group of seasoned entrepreneurs who vote on who will receive the awards. The grant program provides funding for a maximum of five students each year, and the funds are paid in three blocks depending on the performance of the student in developing their company. The OEC teams each student idea with a group of mentors who help the student develop his or her company. Lunch With an Entrepreneur A very popular program with our students is our Lunch With an Entrepreneur series. We bring approximately 20 entrepreneurs to the Owen School each year to have lunch with the students. It is an informal setting in which the entrepreneur tells his or her story to the assembled students with the students actively engaged in questioning the entrepreneur about his or her experience. Usually about 15 to 20 students attend these luncheons. Many of the students follow up with the guest entrepreneur to have more in depth discussions with them. Entrepreneur Breakfasts Three times each year the OEC holds a breakfast for entrepreneurs that draws close to 100 people to hear speakers on topics of interest to entrepreneurs. For example, speakers have discussed things like the future of mobile marketing, how to avoid bankruptcy in stressful times, lessons learned from starting new companies, creating boards of advisors and boards of directors, etc. Students who are actively working on creating companies may attend these breakfasts and mingle with the entrepreneurs who attend them. It is a great place to get to know the movers and shakers in the local entrepreneur community. Firestarter Program Each month (or more frequently depending on volume of ideas) the OEC will hold an evening session in which students pitch their ideas to a group of entrepreneurs who make suggestions and criticisms of business ideas presented by Owen students. This provides a way for students to get seasoned feedback on their ideas. And students can present multiple times to enable them to advance their ideas at an accelerated pace by using the experience of the attending entrepreneurs (the Firestarters ) to move their ideas along. It is better to learn from someone else s mistakes than to make them on your own. Students participating in this program can use it to practice their presentations for the Sohr Grants and the Summer Enterprise Development Program. There is no limit to the number of times a student can present his or her ideas.

6 Meeting the Right People Members of the Owen Entrepreneurship Center have numerous connections with the local entrepreneur community and can connect students with experts on any aspect of starting a new venture. This provides students creating new ventures with mentors, startup advice, and access to funding. Local Resources Here is a list of local resources that students at Owen can access to successfully launch their ventures: Jump Start Foundry intense program running through the summer to move an idea from inception to launch in three months. It provides a small amount of money and a team or mentors who work with the startup team to launch a new venture. Bullpen Ventures provides funding to new startups that have good ideas. The fund looks for early stage companies primarily in the health care space. Nashville Entrepreneurship Center a resource that provides advice, space, mentors, advisors and access to successful entrepreneurs and businesses. A fantastic resource for Owen students with good ideas for new ventures. Other Activities Open to Owen Students Projects with local private investors and venture capitalists Owen students can work on projects with local private investment firms for course credit. Nashville Capital Network This organization helps to match entrepreneurs with good ideas with investors who have money to invest in startups. Two Owen students work with this organization every mod (ten hours per week for course credit), and the Network usually hires one student to work full time during the summer. A perfect spot for people who want to work in private equity; almost all students who work in this program are able to get private equity jobs upon graduation from Owen.