April is a busy month for entrepreneurship in Upstate NY

Lots of activity within the Upstate New York entrepreneur ecosystem is taking place in the month of April. Here’s just a sampling of events in which TIA students will be participating:

Colgate is proud to announce Entrepreneur Weekend 2014, April 11–12. Join us as we kick off this powerful weekend with a superstar panel, featuring experts on the business of creating a business. Ashton Kutcher, actor, entrepreneur, and startup investor, will be the highlight of a panel at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 11th in Cotterell Court. He’ll be joined by CNBC’s David Faber, former Skype CEO Tony Bates, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and CEO of Chegg Dan Rosensweig P’15’17. Other highlights from Entrepreneur Weekend include a competition between Thought Into Action Student Incubator participants for a $15,000 grant from Colgate’s Entrepreneurs Fund, the launch of the Entrepreneur Professional Network in the Hall of Presidents and student venture demos hosted by General Catalyst Partners co-founder David Fialkow. Also, Julian Farrior ’93, will receive the first Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his achievements with video game maker Backflip Studios. Click HERE for Entrepreneur Weekend schedules and updates.

Upstate’s colleges and universities have long attracted, trained, and exported the talent that fuels the most successful companies in the world. Over the past few years, an entirely new model has emerged where entrepreneurial students are able to launch their efforts while still in college and also benefit from access to mentors from surrounding business communities. Colgate’s Thought Into Action Entrepreneurship Institute is one of the sponsors of the UVANY Venture Forum: Ithaca Student e-Ship in CNY “Tomorrow’s Leaders” with Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani and featuring top student entrepreneur (eShip) teams. Tuesday, April 8, 2014 from 4:00 – 9:00 pm, Ithaca College, Emerson Suites, Ithaca, NY.

2014 will be the fifth annual New York State Business Plan Competition (NYBPC). It is a statewide collegiate student business competition representing more than 50 colleges and universities. Since 2010 over 570 student teams have pitched their ventures through this competition. Through 2013, more than $800,000 in cash and prizes have been awarded to New York student entrepreneurs. In 2014 it is expected that there will be $500,000 available in prizes. In 2013, Chicory, a TIA-incubated venture, took first place in the regional competition at Syracuse University, and moved on to the state finals where they placed fourth, out of a field of hundreds of startups. Friday, April 4, 2014 at SUNYIT Kunsela Lecture Hall. The winners of the regional competition will advance to the state level competition to be held April 25, 2014 at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany, NY.