== Overview<br/> ==
The University of Nevada has a strong suite of entrepreneurial resources and programs dedicated to giving entrepreneurs and hopeful entrepreneurs the tools they need to flesh out their ideas and shore up their business acumen. Many of these resources are presented in the context of the Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition, a $50,000 annual business plan contest, but they are given with the subtext that even unsuccessful bids for the Sontag can be developed into sustainable businesses after the competition’s end. Nevada also maintains an active Technology Transfer Office with a proven track record of vetting viable research projects and successfully developing plans to commercialize them. Both of the two winners so far in the Sontag were TTO spin-out projects.
The second strategy in setting a cultural precedent for entrepreneurship is to ensure that the people who do get involved are given every resource to actually commit to their ventures. The students who enter business plan competitions today are too easily dispelled from taking their projects to market, either by attractive job prospects or by inability to take the final steps toward incorporation. Therefore, bodies that help bridge the gap between academic exercise and functioning company—functioning incubators, student venture funds, legal assistance groups—could result in more startups and in more student examples.
[http://prezi.com/-0p-nk3qgcnk/fanning-the-flames/ Link to Prezi overview of campus ecosystem:]
{{= Strategy #Widget1:Prezis|idSow a Widespread Entrepreneurial Culture<br/> =_sto8qf_0vcs}}
== Calling all students ==Reno will need a critical mass of startups to really ignite its reputation as an innovative/entrepreneurial hotbed. To develop that community, the University has to fuel a culture of entrepreneurship over the next 2-3 years.
Informational Session (come hear plans, offer feedback and help expand opportunities for all students)== Tactic #1: Local Entrepreneurial Guest Speakers<br/> ==
*Where: [Google Hangout On Air <a href="<a hrefspan style="[httpfont-size://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/onair.html http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/onair.html]12px">[httpThe best way to change culture is by example://wwwReno and Nevada have to show, not tell, that they have an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship and a culture that encourages it.googleTo this end, publicized guest lectures that drive home entrepreneurial lessons, ambitions, and successes would start to put innovative thoughts in students’ heads—especially if these thoughts came from the entrepreneurs behind new, relevant, and important businesses.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/onair.html http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/onair.html]<nbsp;</a>"span>[1]</a> or other existing meeting A hard-hitting series of students interested in I&E in Engineeringentrepreneurial guest lectures would be the ideal way to pull this off.]*When: [DateIt’d require exceptional, Time]*RSVPnational-level connections: [your email addresslocal entrepreneurs, google formthough directly relevant, eventbrite or meetup link]might not have the kind of pull that this plan needs. Reaching out to Vegas and Silicon Valley is probably the best way to balance locality with notoriety; ideally, executives from companies like Google and Zappos would be able to contribute their wisdom and celebrity to the effort.
*Team Leader: Nolan Nicholson*Milestones: Reach Out and Plan Connections, 12/2013-1/2014; First Speaker, 2/2014 - and onward == Strategy Tactic #2: Mentorship Programs == Nobody is better at changing students’ perspectives than fellow students—and, if students don’t yet have the wherewithal to start their own successful businesses, then the next best thing is to give them a day in the life. Mentorship and shadowing are invaluable tools for entrepreneurs: they give students a chance to view, concretely, the inner workings of an inspirational company. The idea here is this: Students compete for a chance to shadow high-profile, entrepreneurial companies. They visit the company for a day or more, learn everything they can about the work role there, and then return to—most importantly—give a speech on their experiences and impressions. This could work for a couple of reasons. First, it encourages connections between high-tech companies and the University by showing these companies the best and brightest that Nevada has to offer. Second, it helps develop of hopeful entrepreneurs by giving them visceral examples to shoot for. Third, it gives these students a chance to help share entrepreneurial lessons by putting them in front of an audience. *Team Leader: TBD*Milestones: Connections, 1/2014-2/2014; Application Process, 3/2014-4/2014; First Program Summer or Fall 2014? == Tactic #3: Inspirational/Entrepreneurial Campus Marketing == Even without specific experiences or examples, constant visual reminders and examples of entrepreneurship in action—probably in the form of inspirational quotes from entrepreneurs—can help implant the ideas of innovation and entrepreneurship into students’ minds and get them excited, even without advertising any particular project. This is a long-term endeavor: Sow rather than try to drum up hype for anyone event, it tries to change overall mindsets until people come to start thinking entrepreneurially. The hope is twofold. One, by making innovation and entrepreneurship look good on campus, this effort will reframe Nevada as a Widespread Entrepreneurial Culturecampus with entrepreneurship as part of its culture. Second, by increasing entrepreneurial sentiment among students, this campaign will increase the demand for and popularity of existing entrepreneurial efforts on campus—including the Sontag Competition, the engineering labs and machine shops, local makerspaces, the Small Business Development Center, and more. *Team Leader: TBD; ideally someone well-connected to PRSSA, AMA, or graphic design talent*Milestones: Collect Examples, 12/2013; Design, 2/2014; Start Disseminating, 4/2014 = Strategy #2: Pushing Commitment<br/> == An excess of promising startups at Nevada are stopped in the development stage: either they abandon viable efforts once they fail to win a business plan competition, they stop their efforts at the legal and logistical barriers to incorporation, or they find more lucrative job opportunities right after college.
Reno will eventually need a critical mass of startups to ignite its reputation as an innovative/entrepreneurial hotbed. To develop that critical mass, the University has to fuel a culture of entrepreneurship over the next 2-3 years.== Tactic #1: Venture Support Center ==
=== Tactic #1: Local Entrepreneurial Guest Speakers<br/> ===The Nevada Small Business Development Center is already working on an incubator for student ventures; this effort would benefit from redoubled effort and student involvement. A Venture Support Center, a dedicated space where vetted ideas can go to receive legal assistance and licensure, would help immensely with students’ indecisions about taking the step toward incorporation. This resource would put wind in wantrepreneurs’ sails—especially those who are more inclined toward engineering innovation and have less experience with legal hurdles.
<span style="font-size: 12px;">The best way This space does not need to change culture is by examplebe an entirely new creation: Reno and Nevada have to show, not tell, that they have it could instead be an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship and expansion or rebranding of the NSBDC or the Tech Transfer Office. As preparation for developing such a culture that encourages it. To this endcenter, publicized guest lectures that drive home entrepreneurial lessons, ambitions, and successes would start interested groups will have to put innovative thoughts in students’ heads—especially if these thoughts came from conduct research into the entrepreneurs behind new, relevantexisting facilities (namely, NSBDC and TTO) and important businesses. </span>A hard-hitting series of entrepreneurial guest lectures would be figure out what they already offer in the ideal way to pull this offof legal and logistical assistance. It’d require exceptionalIf their offering is already substantial, national-level connections: local entrepreneurs, though directly relevant, might not have the kind of pull that this plan needs. Reaching out then expanding its availability and publicity to Vegas and Silicon Valley students is probably the best way to balance locality with notorietyonly needed leap; ideallyif there are significant shortcomings or unassisted hurdles, executives from companies like Google and Zappos would more resources will be able to contribute their wisdom and celebrity to the effortneeded.
*Team Leader: Nolan NicholsonTBD from TTO or NSBDC*Milestones: Reach Out and Plan ConnectionsResearch, 12/2013-1/2014; First Speaker, - 2/2014 - and onward. Subsequent timeline depends on determined extent of facelift/resources required == Tactic #2: Student Venture Fund ==
=== Tactic #2The Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition is a windfall for Nevada’s current innovation/entrepreneurship ecosystem, but Rick Sontag and others only meant for it to be a first step—not a central pillar. The Sontag, despite the lure of its massive size, is limited in its impact. For one, it’s nearly all-or-nothing: Mentorship Programs ===aside from the $50,000 winner and a $5,000 second prize, nobody who enters the Sontag sees any return on their work or noticeable incentive to continue. For another, even though entrants are often told that their ventures will receive the attention of investors, this has not actually happened to any meaningful extent yet.
Nobody is better at changing students’ perspectives than fellow students—andA student-run venture fund would address this problem head-on. First, if students don’t yet have a venture fund could disburse its money freely and proportionately instead of prescribing the wherewithal to start their own successful businessessingle lump sum found in business plan competitions. Second, then it could more closely simulate the next best thing is to give them a day in investment climate of post-collegiate entrepreneurship. Third, it would professionally develop the life. Mentorship and shadowing are invaluable tools for entrepreneurs: they give students a chance serving as fund members by teaching them to viewcritically evaluate businesses’ viability, concretely, the inner workings of an inspirational companywhich would also inform their ability to plan successful businesses later on.
The idea here is this: Students compete for a chance to shadow high-profileFinally and critically, entrepreneurial companies. They visit highlighting recently invested ventures would publicize the company for a day or morefund, learn everything they can about the work role there, and then return to—most importantly—give a speech on their experiences and impressions. This could work for a couple University's endorsement of reasons. Firststudent entrepreneurship, it encourages connections between high-tech companies and the University by showing these companies the best and brightest that Nevada has to offer. Second, it helps develop of hopeful entrepreneurs by giving them visceral examples to shoot for. Third, it gives these students a chance to help share entrepreneurial lessons by putting them in front of an audienceventures themselves.
*Team Leader: TBD
*Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executedSolicit Fund Members, along with mm2-3/yy]2014; Gather Funds, 4-5/2014; Start Accepting Applications, 8/2014
== Tactic #3: [Name of tactic]Angel Investment Pipeline ==
*Description [250 words on why this strategy will solve this gap on your campus]*Team Leader: [Either your name, TBD In the absence or create complement of a title assigned dedicated, student-run venture fund, the University would still do well to develop connections with local venture capitalists, funds, and angel investors. This way, local investment figures can still be brought into the person who volunteers]*Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize fold and given the work that would likely need chance to be executed, along with mm/yy]evaluate student businesses.
== Strategy #2Having angel investors in on student ventures is an easy endeavor: ________<br/> ==most of the work would be in forging connections that should already exist. Their initial involvement could be investment in competition winners or contribution to the Student Venture Fund; it could also be as simple as agreeing to speak or provide advice on courting investors like themselves.
Following are an array This option also has many direct benefits. First, it legitimizes the University as a venture space. Second, it connects students and their projects with the constant opportunity for endorsement and funding from external sources—even if they miss the timeline for the Sontag or another competition. Third, it connects the University’s entrepreneurship resources with those of strategies that will fully address Gap #2 over a storied and experienced investors, who could then be brought on as advisors, guest speakers, or competition judges. *Team Leader: Nolan Nicholson*Milestones: Connect, 12/2013-1/2014; Plan Events, 2-3 year period:/2014
Tactic #1: [Name of tactic]= Impact =
*Description [{{#widget:Google Spreadsheet|key=0AgHBY23xvE2CdC0tRWNBSDd5QTlMVHhTSGhTbkFsNmc|width=800|height=250 words on why this strategy will solve this gap on your campus]*Team Leader:: [Either your name, TBD or create a title assigned to the person who volunteers]*Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]}}
Tactic {{#2widget: [Name of tactic]Google Form|key=1zkdvDV_POUGd8AKoZxzNo5NN81ePx4YYrEEKPNW0Vnk|width=1400|height=1400}}
*Description [250 words on why this strategy will solve this gap on your campus]*Team Leader:: [Either your name, TBD or create a title assigned to the person who volunteers]*Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]= Related Links =
Tactic #3: [Name [University of tacticNevada, Reno]]
*Description [250 words on why this strategy will solve this gap on your campus]*Team Leader: [Either your name, TBD or create a title assigned to the person who volunteersNolan Nicholson]*Milestones: [A set of bullets that characterize the work that would likely need to be executed, along with mm/yy]
== Other<br/> ==[[Category:Student Priorities|u]][[Category:Student Priorities]][[Category:Student Priorities]][[Category:University_of_Nevada_Reno]][[Category:Student_Priorities]]{{CatTree|University_of_Nevada_Reno}}