A note from our editor, Elizabeth MacBride
Times of Entrepreneurship is telling stories that nobody else is, stories of change makers and entrepreneurs from Miami to Trinidad, Colorado, to a million-dollar company grown in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Part of our focus on entrepreneurship beyond Silicon Valley led us, at Times of E, to explore the future of entrepreneurship — which meant we looked, naturally, at university entrepreneurship programs. You don’t have to graduate from college to be a successful entrepreneur. But in an age of corporate power, a college network and strong dose of higher level critical thinking are important tools. Facebook was started in a dorm, of course; Reddit, Dell and Snapchat were also born at colleges. What kinds of companies are percolating at schools today?
We’ve been covering these student-led ventures for the past two years, in stories about startups working on mental health, lingerie for women with disabilities, artificial limbs and many other ideas and services. We’ve also published the only independently researched list of Top University Entrepreneurship Competitions. It’s no surprise some of the up-and-coming competitions are at universities in the middle and south of the United States.
Our first event focuses on what’s happening at these programs. It’ll be virtual, on three afternoons from Jan. 26-28. You’ll hear from top-tier speakers like Stacey Vanek Smith of NPR to my co-author Seth Levine, to Dan Sachs of the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center – with more big names to come.
We’ll cover topics from the nuts-and-bolts, like how to make the case for entrepreneurship to your funders, to the more personal: Will your job be here in 10 years? Deconstructing Scott Galloway’s negative take on universities. We’ll also hear from students themselves, including in a panel on solving eco-depression through entrepreneurship.
And, the big news: Sponsored by YouNoodle, we’ll unveil this year’s list of Top University Entrepreneurship Competitions.
By attending or sponsoring a panel, you’ll also be supporting independent journalism that lifts the voice of black and brown founders, women, and people everywhere who don’t necessarily fit the mainstream media’s idea of what business ought to be.
Hope to see you there! Early bird pricing lasts until Jan. 5.
Times of Entrepreneurship Stories of the Week
Changemakers: How an LA Migrant Returned to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Built a $1M AI Company
Sho Rust has more time, more house and more money…and offices in New York and Paris
Read the Story »
Q&A: Miami Is Mostly Talk When It Comes To Diversity, Says One Black Leader
Low taxes and a high rate of entrepreneurship drew Silicon Valley giants, including Microsoft, to Miami. But the tech boom may be leaving out the wider community.
Read the Story »
Problem Solved: So, You’re an Early-Stage Climate-Tech Innovator and Your Funding Is Running Out
VertueLab, backed by the Lemelson Foundation, is one place to turn.
Read the Story »
Trinidad, Colorado, Formerly a Sex-Change Capital, Lately Dubbed a Weed Town, is Trying to Broaden its Identity
Meet the border town’s small business community, who are working on reinventing its image toward a cultural community and outdoor recreation.
Read the Story »
You may have missed:
Reinventing the Business Model for Food Production, This Farm Offers An Organic Diet For A Single Low Price That’s Cheaper Than McDonald’s An unconventional CSA farm lets members, who pay $85 a week, take all the meat, vegetables, dairy, grains and eggs they need for a week of eating. Read it here.
A North Carolina Entrepreneur Became An Ally to Local Gangs. Now He Employs 65 Active Members. Serial entrepreneur George Taylor was shaken when he learned of a teenager killed in his town of Wilmington. So he decided to take an unconventional route to becoming part of the solution to rising tensions between gang members. Read it here.
Women Tell Researchers: Companies Should Stop Celebrating “Toxic Rockstars” Most women of color are seeing little benefit from companies promises of embracing DE&I. One possible reason: Employers lack avenues for those in marginalized groups to speak up about badly behaved colleagues. Read it here.
As People Search for Ethical Outdoor Clothing, Dimpora Is Finding A Niche Coming out of one of Europe’s top universities, the brand makes membranes for waterproof clothes. Read it here.
Living the dream💭
Best Practices: At-home covid tests are an increasingly popular way for the public to find out their vaccine status, as the pandemic makes an unfortunate winter comeback. The State of New Hampshire just ran out of free tests when it offered 100,000 of them. But they’re not failsafe, and it’s important to make sure you know when you can trust them, as NewsNation Now reports.
Buzzworthy: Big-company-building isn’t for everyone. Newsletter editor Elaine Pofeldt’s new book, Tiny Business, Big Money is now available for pre-order. It looks at the rise of high-revenue microbusinesses—those that are starting to build small teams—and how they are redefining what a small business looks like.
Rathskeller🍻
The 4.5 hour workweek: A productivity hack
Steve Jobs’ believed wearing a black turtleneck and jeans every day reduced “decision fatigue.” But sticking to a monotonous wardrobe won’t reduce the impact of other events that impact your decision making, like having to constantly multi-task, as one expert explains to Business Insider. What will help? Making sure you get enough sleep and eat healthy.
Wanderlust : a restaurant or activity from our Top Ecosystems list
Columbus, Ohio is an up-and-coming hotbed of entrepreneurship—and if you’re in town for one of the many events held there, skip the chain coffeehouses and stop by local java and dessert fave Pistacia Vera for the macarons ($2 a pop) or the pain au chocolat ($4).
Made in the USA
Help your favorite museum survive by doing some of your holiday shopping at its online museum shop. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, for instance, has an e-commerce store where you can buy bookends, soy candles, serving bowls, planters, scarves, pins and other stylish goodies from local artists and designers that are perfect for the style-centric on your holiday list.
Upcoming Opportunities⭐
To list an opportunity in our newsletter, check out our rates here. We cover the emerging economy of diverse founders:
🔗Link: https://bit.ly/TimesofEOpportunities
1. The Times of E’s first event: Challenges Met, Opportunities Ahead
Gather with other university entrepreneurship professionals, professors and students to hear from NPR’s Planet Money co-host Stacey Vanek Smith, Foundry Group Managing Director Seth Levine, George Washington University’s Associate Director of Student Entrepreneurship Programs Scott Stein, The Ask author Laura Fredericks and Times of E founder and editor Elizabeth MacBride. Levine and MacBride are co-authors of The New Builders.
📅 Date: Jan. 26-Jan. 28, 2021
🏢 Location: Virtual
🔗Link: https://timesofe.com/events/
2. The University of Michigan is looking for an Executive Director for its Center for Entrepreneurship
Applicants interested in the position, which offers a salary expected to be in the $210,000 to $240,000 range, should send a cover letter and resume. The Center is known as a national leader in innovation at both the undergraduate and graduate level and entrepreneurship education.
📅 Date: Posting will run until December 1, 2021
🏢 Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
🔗Link: https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/207030/executive-director-center-entrepreneurship
3. Startups without Borders Summit
Engage with tech powerhouses, learn about industry trends, network, and pitch at the Startup World Cup for a chance to win $1M, or get matched with a potential backer in the Investors’ Room. Featured speakers include SAP’s Hoda Manseur, Dell Technologies Pierluca Chiodelli and Microsoft for Startups’ Roberto Croci. Times of E founder Elizabeth MacBride will moderate a panel discussion.
Use this promo code for free tickets: SWBxTOE
📅 Date: Dec. 11-12
🏢 Location: Streamed live from Cairo and Rome
🔗Link: https://startupswb.com/summit/
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This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.
