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Another common concern amongst members of the student body is a lack of resources that help students who are interested in entrepreneurship come up with new ideas, or ideate. While it is impossible to tell people how to come up with the next billion-dollar technology idea, it is possible to give students a better perspective on what makes good ideas good and help them identify problems and determine the possible solutions to such problems.
=== Focus Group Discussions for Peer Support and Idea Exchange ===
The advantage of collaborative, peer-supported discussions is that it brings together groups of people with common interests and aspirations, who will share information and exchange ideas on a specific and focused topic. Young entrepreneurs will be broken down into small focus groups and hold weekly meetings. Although there are many entrepreneurship competitions on campus, such as Phoenix Pitch and 3-day startup, there are not many opportunities for students to receive comments or critiques on their ideas and plans, hence the small group discussions will facilitate peer evaluation and enable students to practice and hone their ideas before any competitions. Developing strategies together with peers will catalyze strategy development for each individual. Through the group interactions, students will learn from each others' perspectives and experiences, and at the same time deepen friendship and encourage creativity. We could also collaborate with Edge UChicago, a student entrepreneurship organization that has more focus on the business and economic side of entrepreneurship, so that we could further broaden the member base to include students from various academic background.
= Goal 3: Provide resources to students to build up their ideas =
Another way of strengthening the I&E ecosystem at the University of Chicago is by making the entrepreneurial sucesses of alumni and current students more apparent and creating campus-wide events to celebrate the innovations of the members of the university.
== Project 1: Connect alumni entrepreneurs with current undergraduates ==
Alumni participation is a critical component of the University of Chicago entrepreneurial spirit. The university prides itself on the vibrant community that cultivates many successful entrepreneurs, which led to the success of myriads of startup companies such as Strikingly, GrubHub, Moneythink and [http://entrepreneurship.uchicago.edu/portfolio.html many more]. By giving students insights from their own experience, alumni can help students better identify and make full use the resources available on campus. Our goal is to connect the broad alumni base to provide networking, mentorship and education opportunities for undergraduate entrepreneurs, so that they can unleash their entrepreneurial dreams with vision, knowledge and support.
=== Alumni Entrepreneur Panel and Networking Event ===
The panel will feature a panel of distinguished alumni entrepreneurs from diverse academic backgrounds, showcasing the myriads of possibilities for University of Chicago graduates. Alumni will share their entrepreneurial experiences in a more personal way, directly addressing questions or concerns from student participants. Students can learn from the challenges and difficulties the alumni have faced, as well as their aspirations and key to success. The primary information can offer a more comprehensive perspective about the entrepreneurial environment, which can enhance students' understanding of specific entrepreneurship topics. The informal and intimate panel session also encourages students to freely join in discussions to mingle with alumni and establish connections. Starting from this or next year, the large-sclae will be organized annually to bring together leaders in the entrepreneurial field to celebrate innovation and creativity.
=== Alumni Seminar Series ===
In complement of the Alumni Entrepreneur Panel event, the seminar series brings successful alumni entrepreneurs who share their personal and professional experiences in a lecture or presentation style. Each talk will emphasize on one specific entrepreneurship topic to set focus on common areas of interest. This program also serves as a continuation of the Science Innovation Program. After equipping students with the necessary entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and mindset, the seminar series seek to provide concrete examples of successful startup business models. Learning real-world examples is imperative to success as students can understand the applications of entrepreneurial ideas and business plans in the market condition and environment.
= Related Links =
[[University of Chicago|University of Chicago]]
[[Annie Zhang|Annie Zhang]]
[[Jonathan Pan|Jonathan Pan]]
[[Klevin Lo|Klevin Lo]]
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