You won鈥檛 find presidents or treasurers in IM体育官网鈥檚 Next Tech Entrepreneurs club.
Instead, they鈥檙e preparing for their future with titles like CEO and CFO.
鈥淲e wanted to create a place where we could learn the fundamentals of a start-up,鈥� explains club founder and CEO Elijah Campbell, who is majoring in Advanced Technology. 鈥淎 lot of students have great ideas, but they don鈥檛 know how to go to the next level.鈥�
To equip students with those skills, the club holds workshops, guest speakers and events for about 30 regular members. Some topics include crafting a perfect pitch and developing a one-page business plan.
鈥淚 think the biggest thing I鈥檝e learned is to think like an entrepreneur,鈥� says Osaki Pokima, a freshman pursuing a concentration in Cybersecurity. There are a lot of challenges and setbacks waiting for an entrepreneur, but 鈥渨ith the right mindset you can overcome anything.鈥�
The appeal of becoming an entrepreneur is that you can bring something to market that no one has ever seen before, explains Saivamsi Hanumanthu, a sophomore studying Computer Science.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the reward for all the hard work,鈥� Saivamsi says.
Justin Heacock serves as a staff advisor to the club. In his role as entrepreneurship center coordinator, Justin coaches students with big ideas and walks them through the steps and legal protections necessary to bring a product to life.
From his perspective, the Next Tech Club鈥檚 biggest benefit is bringing together likeminded students. Sure, it鈥檚 important that students learn the technicalities and pitfalls of creating a business, he says. But the club really provides 鈥渁 supportive culture where students can help each other grow,鈥� Justin says. 鈥淭hose relationships are going to continue long after graduation.鈥�
He continues: 鈥淚t鈥檚 about creating a pervasive culture of entrepreneurship at this school. Whatever crazy idea you have, we want to make it happen.鈥�