Last August, burgeoning entrepreneurs entered Colgate’s Thought Into Action incubator with an idea. By April 6, twenty-six teams had turned those ideas into concrete ventures, which they presented to investors, mentors, and Colgate community members during Entrepreneur Weekend, part of the Colgate Leadership Tradition at 200 Years series.

The Thought Into Action program — now in its 10th year — has helped 529 entrepreneurs craft 349 ventures with the guidance of 158 alumni mentors. This year, student entrepreneurs have worked to form web apps, non-profit organizations, and companies like EverTights, a hosiery brand, and EDGE, a private aviation concierge service. Matthew Glick ’19, CEO of Gipper Media, says that Entrepreneur Weekend was an amazing opportunity to see what the entrepreneurial community at Colgate has to offer.

During the Bringing Businesses to Life panel, moderated by Bob Gold ’80, CEO and President at Ridgewood Capital, alumni provided insights into the best business practices for entrepreneurs across various fields.

“A person needs to have a true sense of grit,” Alexandra Thompson ’02, founder and creative director at Persifor, said. “It really takes a certain individual who has tough skin and can keep forging ahead.”

Denniston Reid ’94, Chief Schools and Innovation Officer at Excellence Community Schools, noted, “One key thing about my work is that I have to understand that it is a business. If you don’t understand that, you lose the focus of what you’re doing.”

Dan Hurwitz ’86, P’17, ’20, chair of the Colgate University Board of Trustees and founder and CEO at Raider Hill Advisors, said, “Every time you fail at something, it helps you focus on what you are good at. When you focus on what you’re good at, you’re destined to be successful.”

“There’s an excitement in the room — almost like a buzz,” said Glick. “E-Weekend is an amazing opportunity for not only the students and alumni who have started businesses but also for people to engage, connect, and hear from the expertise of members of the panel.”

Following the panel discussion, four TIA teams pitched their ventures in Colgate’s version of Shark Tank. Chris Cervizzi ’19, of the Concussion Survival Kit, won first place and a cash prize of $2500; senior Uyi Omorogbe’s NaSo venture placed second and received $1500; while both Jack Ablon ’21 of Edge and sibling-duo Maya Dunne ’21 and Kevin Dunne ’19 with Valet Seller each won $500.

Later in the program, Robert Johnson ’94 was recognized by Thought Into Action and the Alumni Corporation as the alumnus best exemplifying the ideals of entrepreneurship and was given the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Students interested in joining the TIA incubator for the 2019–20 school year can reach out to Thought Into Action Director Mary Galvez at mgalvez@colgate.edu.

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Today, everything is going digital — entertainment, retail, consumer services, banking, and even currencies. This means that businesses are also switching to digital — specifically to market their products and services online and reach a targeted, engaged audience via social media and digital advertising. A successful digital marketing strategy is central to helping businesses stay competitive.  That’s why my co-founder, Luke Goodwin and I decided to start Dunne Goodwin. Dunne Goodwin provides next-generation digital marketing solutions to drive business growth. Since founding the business 2 years ago, our team of 6 full-time employees and 4 student interns has executed digital marketing strategies for over 40 clients. The secret ingredient to our success has been the abundance of mentors and resources provided by Colgate University’s Thought Into Action (TIA) venture incubator. A great example of how impactful the TIA community has been to Dunne Goodwin is captured by our experience with the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), a global digital marketing professional learning and certification body with over 28,000 alumni members and partners in over 100 countries. 

Recently, a TIA mentor established a partnership between DMI and TIA, and connected us with DMI to take the Certified Digital Marketing Professional course. The course enhanced our digital marketing skills and reinforced our commitment to ongoing education as digital marketing evolves. As a result, Dunne Goodwin has been able to more effectively serve our clients thanks to the work of TIA mentors and partners like DMI. We are excited to be a part of TIA during this exciting time and contribute back to the community. 

Sheila Dunne is a junior at Colgate studying computer science and economics. Prior to founding Dunne Goodwin, Sheila worked as an Instagram influencer with over 200,000 followers. In her spare time, Sheila enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places, skiing, and sailing.

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My name is Chris Cervizzi, and I am a senior from Boston, MA. I always heard great things about TIA, but I never had a particular idea that I felt was worth pursuing. However, this fall I decided to join the TIA Incubator, and I can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions I have made during my time at Colgate.

My venture is called The Concussion Survival Kit, and it provides one-stop shopping for student-athletes who are looking to take action in their concussion recovery. I am passionate about this product because I was forced to end my football career at Colgate due to my history of concussions. Looking back on my experiences, I always wished I could have done more than just lie around in my room and wait to get better. Thus, I created The Concussion Survival Kit so that student-athletes can take control of such a difficult situation.

The concussion crisis has changed the face of sports as we know it and it has brought to surface the incredible importance of our brain health.

— Ben Utecht, professional football player

Today, just five months after joining TIA, The Concussion Survival Kit is being given to every Colgate student-athlete that has been diagnosed with a concussion. None of this could have been possible without the Colgate mentors that provide real-world advice and connections. I would specifically like to thank John Nozell and Oak Atkinson for their guidance and support throughout this entire process. I would not be where I am with this venture if it was not for them. I would also like to thank Wills Hapworth and Mary Galvez for making this program possible. Ultimately, I would recommend TIA to any student that wants to make the most of their liberal arts education. My TIA journey has just begun, and I am excited for what’s to come.

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4 Days to Go!! Help Uyi push his Kickstarter over it’s goal!

Last month we ran an article by Uyi Omorogbe ’19 about his TIA venture NaSo. NaSo is a clothing company that creates modern, chic designs by accenting their clothing with West African prints. But NaSo represents more than just clothing. Their mission is to have a monumental impact on children’s lives all over Africa by improving their educational experience. They do this by having a percentage of all profits go to renovating schools in Africa’s rural villages so that students can learn in a safe and comfortable environment. At NaSo, they believe that every child in Africa deserves this opportunity. 

Uyi and team launched their Kickstarter campaign at a TIA-sponsored party on Friday, November 2. Well over 100 people attended the launch and NaSo raised a fair amount of money to ‘kickstart’ their campaign. NaSo has a goal of raising $45,000 by December 2.

A successful Kickstarter campaign means: 

• The introduction of their first line;
• The employment of local tailors in Nigeria to manufacture their clothing; 
• The launch of a community effort by employing local carpenters and construction workers to renovate the first school; 
• Students and teachers will have desks, chairs, proper roofing and bathrooms.

Kickstarter is all or nothing, so if the funding goal is not met, NaSo won’t receive any of the money raised thus far and everyone who backed the Kickstarter will be refunded. Please consider donating to the NaSo Kickstarter and help Uyi and his team realize their goal of improving educational opportunities in Nigerian villages. Make a difference and look good while doing it! 

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Did you know TIA is more than just the Student Incubator? While best known for the program that Andy Greenfield ’74 started ten years ago, we have grown TIA to include resources and programs for every stage of an entrepreneurs life. These include:

Resource Library – A collection of general research and materials valuable to any TIA or alumni entrepreneur, or member of the Colgate community.
Entrepreneur Weekend – A celebration of all things entrepreneurial at Colgate that includes speakers, student pitches, demo day, networking opportunities and panels.

Entrepreneur Weekend – A celebration of all things entrepreneurial at Colgate that includes speakers, student pitches, demo day, networking opportunities and panels.

Entrepreneur Professional Network (EPN) – A network of alumni entrepreneurs that leverage Colgate’s entrepreneurial spirit across the entire Colgate community, and across the US. EPN includes events and workshops; introducing students and alumni to fellow Colgate community members working throughout the field.

Summit Series – A yearlong series of of campus-based workshops and speakers covering broadly relevant entrepreneurial topics, open to all students and the broader Colgate community.

Student Incubator – The signature year-long incubator for launching Colgate ventures of all shapes and sizes (for-profit/social entrepreneurship/campus enrichment) powered by a network of alumni, parent, and community mentors involved in all aspects of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs Fund – A summer incubator for advanced ventures, providing seed funding, incubator space, and mentorship. The fund is open to students and recent alumni from the Colgate community.

TIA/PCD Co-Working Partnership – A collaboration between TIA and the Hamilton Partnership for Community Development to stimulate entrepreneurship in the region through the support of a new co-working space in downtown Hamilton.

TIA works with students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members – all aspiring entrepreneurs who have an idea and would like to turn it into something viable, sustainable – REAL. TIA helps all who walk through our doors turn their thought. . .into. . . action. The seed that Andy planted ten years ago has grown and is spreading its roots to all corners of the campus, community and greater Colgate ecosystem. We’re excited to see what the next ten years bring!

Thank you all for your continued support of TIA and entrepreneurship at Colgate!

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Uyi Omorogbe ’19

My name is Uyi Omorogbe and I’m a senior at Colgate. I joined TIA my junior year with a pretty vague idea. All I knew is that I wanted to create an idea centered around my Nigerian heritage. After a year and a half of engaging mentorship with the alumni in TIA, I have turned my vague idea into a concrete company that has the mission to make an impact in African communities.

I founded NaSo, a clothing company that creates modern, chic designs by accenting our clothing with elegant West African prints. I am a first-generation American; both my parents are from Nigeria and I’ve always embraced my West African heritage. I noticed that most African-inspired clothing that exists in today’s market is oversaturated with these vibrant prints, which really limits the versatility of the clothing. We take a minimalistic approach and subtly accent our clothing, creating looks that can be worn to both casual and formal events.

Given my Nigerian background, I wanted NaSo to represent more than just clothing. Our mission is to empower communities across Africa. 100% of our clothing is made by tailors in Nigeria who are struggling to keep their businesses afloat.

I truly believe that the future of Africa is the youth, and that if we invest in them, they will have the capacity to change not only the continent, but the world. Because of this belief, we use a percentage of every sale to renovate schools in rural villages across Africa. We provide desks, chairs, proper roofing, and bathrooms – all built by local construction workers and carpenters.

TIA is a fantastic program that has not only helped me turn from a hopeless wantrepreneur into a determined social entrepreneur, but has also helped me discover my passion.

We are coming to Kickstarter on November 2nd to launch NaSo, and would love the support of the TIA community!

From the Colgate.edu website: Uyi Omorogbe ’19 launches NaSo to promote opportunity in Africa

Some NaSo Fashions

Uyi Omorogbe is a senior at Colgate majoring in Economics. This is his second year in TIA.

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Abby Waxler ’19

The following article appeared in the Colgate Maroon News, August 29, 2018.

Hailing from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, senior Abby Waxler arrived in Hamilton three years ago with an open mind and an eagerness to get involved on campus.

An active member of the Colgate community, Waxler is a member of Link Staff and serves as the Chief of Staff for the Student Government Association. Last semester, she studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

Waxler is a computer science major who has applied her coding knowledge toward her work as the Director of Operations for Gipper, a startup founded through Colgate’s Thought Into Action entrepreneurship program. Gipper is an athletic communications platform that works with private schools to create media content featuring athletic highlights.

Waxler says that computer science was not always her master plan.

“I took a lot of computer science classes in high school but had zero intention of majoring in it here. That is, until I was placed in COSC 101 [Introduction for Computing I] my first semester, loved it and completely changed my mind.”

Waxler fuels her intellectual curiosity by taking classes outside of her major.

“My favorite class that I’ve taken here was the American School,” she said. “I’m a science person and took it strictly for the distribution requirements, but loved the class and recommend to all.”

In addition to her academic and extracurricular commitments during the school year, Waxler has developed professional skills during her summers. This past summer, she worked at Tinder in Los Angeles as a software engineer in the iOS engineering department.

“I loved working for a small company with a huge impact because I had real responsibilities as a software engineering intern. The work was pretty difficult but it was overall a fun experience,” Waxler said.

Preparing for life after Colgate, Waxler will miss the free gym membership, Byrne Dairy pumpkin pie ice cream and most of all, the people.

Waxler made sure to advise first-years to take advantage of relationships with faculty and small class sizes.

“Go to office hours! The professors at Colgate are great and have so much to teach you if you just ask. Also, take COSC 101 before you leave Colgate – you won’t regret it,” she said.

Although she is unsure where her path will lead next, she is considering working in software engineering in Manhattan or joining the Navy to do intelligence work.

But for now, don’t be a stranger when you see Waxler on the fifth floor of Case-Geyer library. “I love to be interrupted,” she said.

Contact Haley Fuller at hfuller@colgate.edu.

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Christina Weiler ’21 talks with Katie Finnegan ’05 at eWeekend

An entrepreneur can start anywhere. Technology, medicine, fashion, confection, music, or trash cans. I chose trash cans. I launched my business, UCan, to address the overproduction of waste through a recycling program that enables people to make monetary donations to local social causes simply by properly recycling materials.

The very first meeting, TIA taught me that talk is the best technology we have for polishing an idea. Students were told to explain their ventures to the student beside them, and then pitch it to the room. The experience of hearing the rhythm of an idea out loud while watching the reactions of real people renders incredible feedback. TIA teaches you to look for soundboards in everything, and use them.

TIA’s team of brilliant alumni mentors is the program’s greatest asset — critiquing pitches; meeting face-to-face monthly with student ventures in Hamilton; and always encouraging diligence, resilience, and flexibility. These are the resources necessary for a student-venture to flourish.

Entrepreneur Weekend, Colgate’s annual entrepreneurship Shark Tank competition, was a pinnacle moment to apply what I’d learned. I pitched UCan to a panel of judges and competed for a $4,000 investment. I stood on a stage and communicated my idea to an audience of alumni, faculty, and students — one of the most important soundboards I had seen yet.

The moment the judges announced UCan had won was surreal. I ended up winning the $4,000 in funding plus potential distribution through Walmart offices, offered by one of the judges.

Naturally, the event tripled my list of alumni contacts, all eager to offer expertise from their unique professional perspectives. As people circulated the room, many offered instant advice such as, “have you thought about targeting this market” or “what do you think about adjusting your brand like x company?” I had trouble scratching the suggestions onto paper as fast as they were handed to me.

One contact in particular was Brian Horey ’82, a TIA mentor. He offered to connect me with an environmental lawyer who works with Fordham University, to explore installing the UCan system on Fordham’s campus. A couple conversations led to an internship with SWEEP (Solid Waste Environmental Excellence Protocol), a certification process for Municipal Solid Waste Programs that recognizes leadership in environmental, economic and social best practices. I started interning in New York City in late May and will continue throughout the summer.

In early June, TIA invited my business UCan to be focus-grouped by the annual Hackathon Think Tank (sponsored by Colgate’s Professional Networks) attended by alumni professionals from a variety of industries, including engineering and computer programming. I left the workshop with an updated website and solutions to problems that had stumped me all semester.

This is the value of TIA that upended my life as a student into one as a student-entrepreneur. TIA fosters countless opportunities to connect with people who want to help you solve problems. My experience launching UCan trained me to keep my ears and eyes tuned to soundboards around me. I’ve consulted professors, President Brian Casey, fellow students, family, and visiting lecturing professionals to bounce ideas for UCan. I am beyond excited to tackle UCan’s outstanding challenges (for instance, marketing and logo development) informed by the perspectives of a diverse team of insightful individuals.

— Christina Weiler is a rising sophomore planning on majoring in Environmental Economics. She is passionate about sustainability and social justice. She believes in the limitless potential of the human mind and capacity to solve global issues. Christina was the founder and president of the Environmental Club at her high school and the Environmental Education Program which educates and excites pre-school, elementary, and middle school aged students about recycling and environmental stewardship. Christina is an avid reader and writer of poetry. She won a National Gold Medal for Poetry in the Scholastic Writing Awards. Her favorite author is Anne Carson, who inspires Christina to familiarize herself with the mundane, ancient, and philosophical aspects of the universe.

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Annual Report 2017-2018

VISION
Applying liberal arts to entrepreneurship, developing leaders who take action and impact the world.

MISSION
Thought Into Action, Entrepreneurship at Colgate (TIA) supports, promotes, and advances entrepreneurial activity across the Colgate community.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP OFFERINGS
TIA is best known for the program that Andy Greenfield ‘74 started nine years ago, which we now call the TIA Student Incubator. In addition to the incubator, we have grown TIA to include the following components (listed in order of increasing level of commitment by student entrepreneurs):

• Resource Library – A collection of general research and materials valuable to any TIA or alumni entrepreneur, or member of the Colgate community.
• Entrepreneur Weekend – A celebration of all things entrepreneurial at Colgate that includes speakers, student pitches, demo day, networking opportunities and panels.
• Entrepreneur Professional Network (EPN) – A network of alumni entrepreneurs that leverage Colgate’s entrepreneurial spirit across the entire Colgate community, and across the US. EPN includes events and workshops; introducing students and alumni to fellow Colgate community members working throughout the field.
• Summit Series – A yearlong series of of campus-based workshops and speakers covering broadly relevant entrepreneurial topics, open to all students and the broader Colgate community.
• Student Incubator – The signature year-long incubator for launching Colgate ventures of all shapes and sizes (for-profit/social entrepreneurship/campus enrichment) powered by a network of alumni, parent, and community mentors involved in all aspects of entrepreneurship.
• Entrepreneurs Fund – A summer incubator for advanced ventures, providing seed funding, incubator space, and mentorship. The fund is open to students and recent alumni from the Colgate community.

STUDENT INCUBATOR
TIA concluded its 9th year of the Student Incubator this April. This year so many great stories emerged from the Incubator that exemplified all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey: resiliency, adversity, success, iterating, learning, collaboration and more. Below are some highlights:

Highlights from selected 2018 TIA Ventures

• ISO is a creative content agency that develops cinematic-quality content for both clients and their own productions. The team has participated in both the 100 Level and 200 Level. They finished this year as one of our most progressive ventures. They have a long list of impressive clients that they’ve worked with, and their average client engagement is in the neighborhood of $5,000. They will be participating in the Entrepreneurs Fund this summer and then going full-time on their venture in the fall when they move to LA. Equally exciting, they were invited to make a film this summer with Colgate alum (and Academy Award-winning producer) Jeff Sharp ‘89. ISO is a great example of the variety of ventures that TIA helps nurture and grow. (Brandon Doby ‘18 & Lauren Sanderson ‘18)

• Lisa Heller Music is the story of a very talented singer songwriter, who after three years in TIA, is graduating and pursuing her career full-time. Through the Incubator she learned to build a business around her talent and networked to numerous key players in the music industry through the TIA and broader Colgate network. Lisa has performed in front of 5,000 person audiences, is recording her next album, and putting together a tour to debut her latest work. She is another great example of how TIA and our mentors help grow ventures of all shapes and sizes. (Lisa Heller ‘18)

• Gipper is a service for high school and college athletic departments to help their programs stand out on social media with engaging video content. TIA is very happy to have the Gipper team back for their third year; they have already participated in the 100 level, the Entrepreneurs Fund, and the 200 level this year. They are on track this summer to be generating over $30K in annual recurring revenue, and are just scratching the surface of their sales pipeline. They’ve built a highly complimentary team of software engineers, content and video experts, marketers and more. Most impressive has been their openness to learning and willingness to pivot away from things that haven’t worked, even after sinking lots of time, resources and capital into those strategies. The result is that they currently have a client base of top tier high schools and colleges who love their product and are renewing their contracts. They are working full-time this summer on the venture. (Matt Glick ‘19, Jack Zamore ‘20, Ruchit Shrestha ‘20, Abby Waxler ‘19 & Daniel Gathogo ‘20)

• NaSo is a clothing company that marries West African and American culture with beautiful prints and accents. The founder Uyi Omorogbe hit his stride this spring when one of our mentors pushed him to figure out how to start ‘hacking’ the product and actually going from thought to action by integrating his prints into existing garments. The bell went off in his head that he didn’t need to set up an entire manufacturing facility or develop a full line of clothes, but instead he could realize his vision immediately while on campus with existing wardrobes and a sewing machine and some trial and error. The results were really compelling – he styled a number of initial prototype garments, with which he did some market research to determine what the final product should look like. At the same time he created a website supported by beautiful video content that he created in collaboration with TIA venture ISO. This summer he is spending time in Nigeria collecting fabrics, developing partnerships and getting inspired to come back to TIA in the fall and join the 200 level. (Uyi Omorogbe ‘19 & Olajide Awelewa ‘18)

• Campus Coat Check provides coat checking as a service for events, bars and restaurants. This year in the 200 level they really hit their stride, and developed a successful business. The team built software from scratch to power their operations and create a seamless and intuitive experience for users. They pivoted away from their direct to student service for bars downtown, and focused on a B2B strategy, finding a very receptive client in Colgate Special Events. They successfully ran the coat check for a number of Colgate events this year, generating revenues in the range of $500-1,000 per event. In addition they helped power a number of Greek organization events. We’re confident they will develop a repeatable sales process and begin franchising to other campuses by next year. They are also exploring additional services, such as car valet. Most impressive is that they have run this as a proper business since day one, with all the necessary insurance and liability, as well as with thoughtful employee training, all the while constantly listening to the needs of their customers and reiterating as needed. (Ben Sharf ‘20, Chase Headrick ‘19, Brandon Gardner ‘19, Katie Bray McGhee ‘20, & Eli Byers)

• Dunne Marketing is a social media-marketing agency. The team is laser-focused on building a business that they can run full-time after graduation, and there isn’t a mentor in TIA that believes this won’t happen. The team has been incredibly successful in securing yearlong contracts with clients who are paying ~$1,000 / month. At any one time they are engaged with 8-10 clients, across industries including automotive, education, food and beverage, consumer technology, and more. They will spend next year building out their pipeline while narrowing their customer focus, and at the same time increasing the product offering and growing the team. They are participating in the Entrepreneurs Fund this summer as well. (Sheila Dunne ‘20 & Luke Goodwin)

• Halligan is a software tool that helps with the equipment and truck check process for fire departments and EMTs to ensure safety. The team has a great product and probably the most traction of any recent TIA venture, generating in excess of $100K+ in annual recurring revenue with a client base of over 150 departments. They participated in the eFund last year. Their biggest challenge has been the partnership, as two of the founders are older alums, and the other is a student, Adam, who carried the torch in the TIA Incubator. With support and mentorship from his TIA mentors, Adam decided this spring to part ways with the team, but not before negotiating a stock agreement as well as leveraging the entire experience to get a dream job as a software engineer. The amount of experience and learning he accumulated during his time in TIA is astounding, from product development, partnership disputes, building a sales pipeline, closing contracts, providing customer support and so much more. (Adam Pratt ‘18)

• Natural Beauty manufactures an all-natural fiber, organic, toxic-free breast prosthesis. The venture was founded by Jill Nelson, a Hamilton community member, and is great example of how TIA and the mentors are supporting local entrepreneurs in addition to students. Jill was awarded a $35K grant from the Partnership for Community Development (PCD) / NY State for her venture. She has done extensive market testing, has purchased the necessary equipment for initial inventory, and is in the process of setting up her e-commerce as well as negotiating wholesale accounts. She will be back in the fall for the 200 level and has a very innovative product that will be making a difference in the lives of women who are breast cancer survivors. (Jill Nelson)

Incubator Stats
The Incubator is separated into two groups. The 100 level is composed of first-time teams that are embarking on their first experience with entrepreneurship (much like learning a new sport). The 200 level is composed of teams that have completed the 100 level and return to continue growing their venture for a second (and in some cases third) year.

This was our third year running a 200 level program for ventures that have been in TIA for more than one year. While the 100 level is focused on the beginning entrepreneur and developing entrepreneurial competencies, the 200 level is focused more on the actual venture and includes more skill-based topics such as marketing, financial record keeping, board creation, growing sales, etc. With each successive year, we are seeing that the 200 level ventures are the ones that get the most traction and have the greatest potential to turn into viable, sustainable businesses and nonprofits.

Following is a high-level breakdown of students and ventures that participated for 2017/18.

Mentor Engagement
We have 147 active alumni, parent, and community mentors. A total of 43 mentors came to campus for at least one TIA session this past year. We averaged 22 mentors for each of our Saturday workshops. Of the total mentors this year, 9 are new. This year, mentors donated 2,880 hours to TIA. Over the past nine years, our mentors have given over 23,000 hours of their time to our students.

Our mentor advisory board consists of 10 lead mentors who have been with TIA for at least five years and make a commitment to come to at least seven of our eight monthly sessions. The group advises on curriculum, fundraising, marketing, etc. In addition, these 10 mentors provide 1-on-1 mentorship to the 200 level student entrepreneurs as well as to the 100 level groups in the afternoon breakout sessions. Lead mentors provide continuity to the ventures (so that students don’t feel that they are constantly bringing new mentors up-to-speed), while also sharing best practices with our newer alumni/community mentors.

Seed Grants
The purpose of the Seed Grant Program is to provide funding for eligible ventures in the Student Incubator to accelerate their progress and validate with real customers and stakeholders. Students may apply for up to $1,000 to use towards advancing their ventures. A detailed policy and application process is in place and can be found on the TIA website. This program is funded through the TIA gift fund.

This year we had 12 teams apply for a seed grant, with nine receiving funding for a total of $6,496. These include:

• The Viewing Room – awarded $200 for for rental of a space to screen a movie.
• Xpedite – awarded $250 for survey expenses.
• Dunne Marketing – awarded $1,000 for market validation purposes.
• UCan – awarded $1,000 (in two installments) for design and purchase of recycling containers and payment for bottle pickup.
• Strata Printing – awarded $1,000 (in three installments) to purchase supplies to make a printer.
• Alz You Need – awarded $1,000 for technical needs (developer fees).
• Campus Coat Check – awarded $742 for supplies (coat racks, hangers, etc.)
• NaSo – awarded $1,000 (in two installments) for purchase of shirts, labor, website and photo shoot.
• Eva & Aiden – awarded $304 to hire an illustrator to have pages of book ready for eWeekend.

SUMMIT SERIES
This year we partnered with the Partnership for Community Development (PCD) for programming content. Together we presented four workshops and two speakers. Workshops include:

• Writing for Social Media – Matt Hames, Communications Strategist, Colgate University
• Selling on Etsy – Sarah Dustin, owner of the Adirondack Ink
• Startup Experience – a two-day, design and entrepreneurship bootcamp followed by a three day immersion trip to NYC to visit startups including Cobani, Fair Harbor, Chicory, Swig, and Hinge
• “IRS!? TAXES!? INSURANCE!? PAYROLL!?” The Fundamentals of Starting a Business – the Small Business Development Center

We hosted 2 speakers:

• Brand Yourself – Patrick Ambron, CEO and Co-founder of BrandYourself.com
• Student-Athletes and Startups: How My Time as a Colgate Student Athlete Helped Me From Dorm Room Dream to Shark Tank Reality – Jimmy DeCicco ‘15, CEO Sunniva Super Coffee (in partnership with the Department of Athletics)

ENTREPRENEURS FUND
The Entrepreneurs Fund was established in 2013 to grow and advance the ventures of Colgate student and alumni entrepreneurs who are solving problems and demonstrating an ability to execute.

This year we had 17 total applications, which were narrowed down to a field of nine for second round interviews, with a total of five teams chosen to each win a $13,000 award.

eFund judges included Alvin Glymph ’94, Tim O’Neill ‘78, Janice Ryan ’91, Amy Jurkowitz ‘85 and Steve Rock ‘85.

The five awardees were:

Deco Slides is an online retailer and manufacturer of unique slide sandals with swappable straps. (Chase Jackson ’13, Sam Jackson)

Dunne Marketing provides social media management and social media marketing solutions for businesses to increase brand awareness and drive sales, saving both time and money. (Sheila Dunne ’20, Luke Goodwin, Tyler Jones)

ISO Film is a creative content house that specializes in full service film and video production. ISO walks the line between art and commerce by bringing a high level of artistry to business projects, which distinguishes our product and makes our customers stand out in the corporate world. (Brandon Doby ’18, Lauren Sanderson ’18)

Profillic is an AI-powered knowledge discovery platform for data science R&D that connects scientists with research, industry developments, peer reviews, projects, and more relevant to their work and interests. (Gaurav Ragtah ’13, Himanshu Ragtah)

YourYard provides on-demand access to fun lawn and beach games like spike, kadima, and wiffle ball, through a network of phone-activated lockers. (Dean Koman ’17, Nathan Weinrauch, Zach Flyer)

ENTREPRENEUR WEEKEND
eWeekend was held April 7 this year on campus in the Hall of Presidents. The weekend followed an abbreviated format to previous years, as we combined all of the programming into only the Saturday event, without the Friday night feature. Approximately 250 people attended this event.

Twenty-three TIA teams presented at booths in the Hall of Presidents during the “DemoDay” portion of the event, where attendees were able to mingle and spend time at each booth while enjoying a buffet lunch. In addition, four teams were featured to pitch their ventures to the audience:

Strata Printing

NaSo

Natural Beauty

The Viewing Room

In the afternoon a panel discussion kicked off with panelists: Bob Gold ’80, CEO and president of Ridgewood Capital; Jon Klein, co-founder of TAPP Media and former president at CNN/US; Jeffrey Sharp ’89, academy award winning filmmaker and president/CEO of Sharp Independent Pictures; and Katie Finnegan ’05, principal and founder at Store No. 8 and vice president at Incubation Walmart. Finnegan was also awarded the Alumni Council’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Following the panel, we chose four of our best TIA teams from this year to go on stage and pitch the panel for the “SharkTank” portion of the event. The four teams competed for a total purse of $7,000, which the “sharks” broke down into 1^st, 2^nd, and two 3^rd place awards that were subsidized by the panelists (an additional $2000). The awards were paid out of the TIA gift fund. The teams that pitched were:

1. ISO Film – a creative content house that specializes in film and video production founded by Lauren Sanderson ’18 and Brandon Doby ’18, earned $1,000 and was given a chance to make a film with Academy Award-winning producer Sharp.
2. Loophole – a rubber ring phone grip and kickstand — and its founder Patrick Crowe ’18 earned $1,000; also, Gold and Finnegan placed orders for more than 2,000 units of branded products.
3. Gipper – an automated athletics communications service for high schools and colleges, earned $3,000, and Finnegan offered San Francisco office space to its founders Matthew Glick ’19, Jack Zamore ’20, Ruchit Shrestha ’20, and Abby Waxler ’19.
4. UCan – a social recycling system for colleges and universities that channels generated funds toward local anti-poverty organizations, earned $4,000 to expand its operations. Finnegan offered to connect UCan’s founder Christina Weiler ’21 with Walmart’s operations team to expand the project in Walmart retail stores.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
This past year TIA has strengthened its partnership with the Partnership for Community Development (PCD) in order to reach more local entrepreneurs / business owners. As noted above, we’ve worked with the PCD on programming, putting together a variety of workshops and speakers that addressed the needs of our students as well as local entrepreneurs.

We are currently collaborating on opening up the incubator as a co-working space for local entrepreneurs. We will be renting space for $30 / month that includes: work space, internet, printing, a conference room for meetings, a private phone booth for phone calls, and a kitchenette stocked with essentials. We will be opening up and marketing the space beginning July 1.

This year we had 8 community members and 1 alumnus who participated in the TIA Incubator, with three of those participating at the 200 level. Seven finished the year and presented at eWeekend; one dropped out due to family commitments in the spring semester. Over the past three years, we have had 16 community members go through the Incubator. Of those, 2 (Good Nature Brewing, Carrie Blackmore ‘08 and Flour & Salt, Britty Buonocore ‘12) also participated in the Entrepreneurs Fund, each receiving $15,000 grants to go towards growing their local business.

CAMPUS VENTURE INITIATIVE
The Campus Venture Initiative was created in partnership with the Dean of the College and the Office of Finance and Administration to foster an environment on campus that enables students to realize their entrepreneurial pursuits. We work to ensure that school policies and processes reflect our dedication to entrepreneurship at Colgate and the desire to see our students succeed. Students do not have to be in TIA to apply to and be approved by the CVI. We did not have any applications to the initiative this year.

2017/18 TIA PRESS

• Students create app for migraine sufferers
• Lauren Sanderson ’18 wins 1819 Award
• Ben Sharf ’20 on How to Start a Startup @ Colgate
• UCan featured on WKTV in Utica
• 2018 Colgate Entrepreneurs Fund Winners
• The art of entrepreneurship: A day in the life of Brandon Doby ’18 and Lauren Sanderson ’18
• Student ventures receive funding during Entrepreneur Weekend
• Alumni Column: On the Benefits of TIA
• Halligan Works to Improve the Lives of First Responders
• TIA Summit Series
• Trial in Shark Tank spurs alumnus to forge ahead
• Alumnus Ryan Diew ’17 dives into Shark Tank
• TIA student making waves in the music industry
• Entrepreneurs Fund in Action
• Taking the leap to full-time entrepreneur by Cody Semrau
• 2017 Entrepreneurs Fund winners at work in TIA Incubator
• Our experience in the Entrepreneurs Fund
• TIA Insider: The Waffle Cookie
• TIA inCite’s Passion for Business
• Alumni Council Column: Innovation and Leadership

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