It was only a matter of time before the deep and broad range of entrepreneurial talent at New Jersey’s colleges and universities received recognition.vWork is now underway through the collaboration of the leaders of the entrepreneurial centers and programs in New Jersey to hold a statewide collegiate business idea/startup competition slated for spring 2016.
The new collegiate entrepreneurship coalition, spearheaded by Jasmine Cordero, Managing Director for Rutgers Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED), is currently comprised of the following universities and colleges: Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, Montclair State University, Princeton University, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Drew University, DeVry, Rowan University, Rider University and The College of New Jersey.
The coalition established a planning committee to set up the annual statewide collegiate competition to showcase the vast entrepreneurial talent at New Jersey’s colleges and universities. It will guide student entrepreneurs toward the state’s other entrepreneurial resources. As such, an early member to the coalition’s planning committee is Mario Casabona, the head of TechLaunch, the state’s technology accelerator. Support has also come from Jim Barrood, head of NJTC and the office of Senator Cory Booker.
Susan Scherreik, founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Seton Hall University and chair of the coalition’s planning committee, describes the inauguration of the competition, We envision a New Jersey Collegiate Entrepreneurship Day, with our first effort hosted at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Each participating institution will send a student team to pitch their business idea, or how they can develop their existing startup business. In addition, students will be able to exhibit their businesses ideas to venture capitalists and other attendees.
The Entrepreneurship Day will bring some of the best student entrepreneurial talent in the state together to network and share their passion with the key participants in the state entrepreneurial community. Awards to the student entrepreneur competitors will come from a pool of resources that includes cash prizes from partners and sponsors.
Montclair State University’s Sharon Waters who is the coalition’s Vice-Chair describes the energy that such an event can bring to the state, This competition will be New Jersey’s version of Shark Tank, with students from around the state competing for a cash prize. The event will showcase the Garden State’s best future entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are known to create jobs when they start companies, so not only are these students our future innovators but they are also our future job-creators.
Colleges and universities that wish to participate, and potential mentors and sponsors, should contact Susan Scherreik, the Chair of the Statewide Collegiate Business Idea/Startup Competition, atscherrsu@shu.edu or Vice-Chair Sharon Waters at Sharon.waters@montclair.edu.
Colleges and universities that wish to join the new Coalition, should contact Jasmine Cordero, the Managing Director for Rutgers Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) atjcordero@business.rutgers.edu.
