An N.C. State group is bringing entrepreneurs together to build a community with hopes to inspire a creative, immersive experience that will allow those involved to thrive.
The Entrepreneurship Initiative is an umbrella program for students in all fields and disciplines to foster new ideas, as well as enable them to take those ideas to action.
A core part of the EI is the Student Network, which participates in a variety of activities, is the hope for its members to find their own inner entrepreneurial spirit. Led by the EI ambassadors, the Student Network holds biweekly meetings in the Garage, the innovative space of the EI, on Centennial Campus.
The Garage contains separate areas for different purposes, including a workspace containing tools such as a pair of 3-D printers, a laser cutter, smartboards, and a multitude of other tools. The Garage additionally contains conference rooms that members can reserve to meet with potential investors and business partners. The Garage, a 2,000 sq. ft. facility, is currently in Phase I, and is currently in the process of expanding to Phase II, which will be 10 times larger.
Gathered up in a small room with two white boards, Sean Maroni, president of the EI ambassadors and senior in engineering, leads biweekly meetings, hoping to see new faces as well as old ones. Student Network meetings often feature speakers ranging from founders of startup in the RTP, to Andy Albright, an N.C. State Alum and CEO of National Agents Alliance, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States.
This past week, however, the meeting focused on storytelling, and “selling your idea” to potential investors and venture capitalists. Led by Kevin Miller, a senior in business administration who has recently become a motivational speaker, students focused on improving their speaking abilities as well as learning tips from local entrepreneurs on how to network with others.
One of the biggest missions of the Student Network is to network with other entrepreneurs, both locally and across the country. Each year, a group of 15 people is invited to travel to Silicon Valley and meet with leaders of companies such as Facebook and Google.
Both the Student Network and Garage have been especially helpful to Brian Iezzi, a sophomore majoring in textile engineering. Iezzi had been attending Student Network meetings and learned about the opportunities the Garage offers.
“When we got to our E101 design project, I thought it would be helpful if we could use the tools the Garage offered, such as the 3-D printer and the laser cutter. Being able to use those tools was critical to the completion of our project,” Iezzi said.
Iezzi is now currently putting together a business plan for the ACC Clean Energy Business Plan Challenge. Supported by the Department of Energy, the competition will offer a $100,000 prize to the team with the best plan to launch a new clean energy startup. One team from each ACC school will be selected to attend the final round of competition in Maryland in April.
Iezzi’s plan will delve from his research on hydrogen-splitting techniques and fuel-cell technologies. He said the Garage will be critical to his work.
Iezzi knows that if he ever needs help, he can rely on the support of the Student Network and the friends he’s made during his time there.
“Everyone I’ve met so far who has been involved with the EI has had one thing in common, that they are very friendly and open to helping others in the group. This, along with the benefits of using the Garage, will hopefully let me submit a competitive application to the Clean Energy Challenge,” Iezzi said.
