Center for Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs’ Pitch Contest A Wonderful Experience!

cwhite — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:14:18 +0000

CFE to Hold Pitch Contest

amccreery — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:50:52 +0000

The CFE’s next event: the Entrepreneurs Cafe Pitch Contest. The contest is open to local entrepreneurs and small & family business owners to present, or “pitch”, their ideas to a group of potential investors for funding. Each attendee will have 5 minutes to present their concept to the crowd and each member of the audience will have the opportunity to bid on their favorite project. The winner will take home the total of the bids from the audience and a special cash award provided by the event sponsors.

The Contest is March 20th from 5:30-8:00pm in the Capitol Theatre Ballroom in downtown Wheeling, WV. Click here to view the flyer with full event details.

Weekly Channel 14 Show Planned for CFE

amccreery — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:19:32 +0000

The Center for Entrepreneurship is very excited to announce that it now has a weekly show which will air on WLTV, Channel 14. “In Your Business” will feature small and family businesses, as well as budding entrepreneurs. The show will be taped on Fridays at 10:30am. This week’s guest is Attorney Salene Kraemer, whose sole proprietor law office is in Weirton, WV.

Center for Entrepreneurship Hosts Next Event

amccreery — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 14:13:20 +0000

The Center for Entrepreneurship at West Liberty University is preparing to host its next event, “The Upcoming Tax Bomb.” The event will be held on Thursday, November 8th, 2012 at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling, West Virginia. Social hour will begin at 6:00pm with a panel of tax experts beginning at 7:00pm. Please view the event poster by clicking the link below to learn more event details and how you can register for the event, which is free and open to the public.

Herald-Star Highlights EET Event

amccreery — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:01:54 +0000

The Herald-Star newspaper, which serves Jefferson and Harrison counties as well as the upper Ohio Valley, published an article yesterday highlighting the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour event that was held on West Liberty’s main campus on Wednesday. The event featured successful entrepreneurs, both West Liberty grads and others, who spoke to the crowd of approximately 150 about what it takes to start a business. The event was sponsored by the Gary E. West College of Business and the Center for Entrepreneurship at West Liberty. The full article can be read here: http://www.hsconnect.com/page/content.detail/id/578878/WLU-graduates–students–have-successful-start-ups.html?nav=5010

Director Featured on WLTV-14

amccreery — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:57:27 +0000

Center for Entrepreneurship Director Carrie White was recently featured as the guest on WLTV-14′s “OnMoney”. White discussed the CFE, Entrepreneurship courses, and upcoming CFE events. You can watch the entire segment by clicking the following link: http://vimeo.com/50853587

Collegiate Business Plan Competition Under Way in West Virginia

Annette Godown — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:57:25 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — College student entrepreneurs across the state are readying their brilliant ideas for the 2012-13 West Virginia Business Plan Competition, a competition that will award a $10,000 first prize in each of two categories. Students in all of the state’s four-year higher education institutions have until September 28 to submit their entries for the competition.

Now in its seventh year, the West Virginia Business Plan Competition is hosted statewide by the West Virginia University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the College of Business and Economics. Prizes are awarded to the top business plan in each of two categories, including Lifestyle & Innovation and Hospitality & Tourism. All winning teams in the competition are required to start their businesses in West Virginia.

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said the competition promotes entrepreneurial thinking and is a source of ideas that turn into real businesses.

“The West Virginia Business Plan Competition presents our students with a wonderful opportunity to take an idea, develop a plan, and make it a reality,” Gov. Tomblin said. “The renewed sense of resourcefulness and innovation our students show during this competition gives us a glimpse of the successes tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and leaders are poised to deliver. Together, they will ensure West Virginia’s economy remains diverse and strong.”

The competition spans the academic year, and will award two professional services packages worth more than $6,000 each in addition to the two $10,000 first prizes.

Students who enter the competition must submit a three- to five-page summary of their business idea no later than September 28 at noon. The Business Plan Competition is open to any fulltime college student attending a four-year, degree-granting West Virginia institution. From the field of entries, up to 10 semi-finalist teams in each category will be selected and announced in mid-October.

“We had a record number of entries last year, 117 in all,” said Steven Cutright, director of the WVU Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. “The wave of interest in entrepreneurship continues to grow at the high school and college levels nationwide, and we’re looking forward to seeing truly innovative business plans.”

A total of 536 teams from 14 different West Virginia colleges and universities have participated in the statewide business plan competition in six years. During that time, more than 100 volunteers from the statewide and regional business communities have assisted student teams. As a result of the competition, 20 finalist teams have gone on to start West Virginia-based businesses.

Students of any major and class rank may compete, and all that is required to enter is a business idea. There are three elimination rounds and, as students progress through the competition, Cutright emphasized that participants receive education and support to turn their idea into a viable business plan. To be eligible for advancement in the competition, all submitted business proposals must be located in West Virginia.

“Past participants in this competition will tell you that the experience they gained during the course of the event will stick with them the rest of their lives,” Cutright said. “The different phases of the competition, the experience of having access to competition judges that are business professionals and the evolution of the business idea itself are all invaluable.”

For further information on the West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition, go to www.be.wvu.edu/bpc/ .

Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Comes to West Liberty

amccreery — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:40:23 +0000

West Liberty University and the Center for Entrepreneurship will be hosting the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 from 11:00am to 3:00pm in the Boyle Conference Room in the ASRC.

EET introduces all students to a new life framework: that being able to leverage their entrepreneurial mindset regardless of career path is critical to success. It inspires them to plan, prioritize, and pursue their own vision. The day will include a panel discussion (with two WLU alumni and one current student), workshop, and networking opportunity, as well as three informative speakers – EJ Carrion, who has been featured on ABC, NBC and Fox News affiliates, Steven Washington, who was honored by The White House as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs under 30 years old, and Robert Nicholson, the Executive Director of The Nicholson Center, which is currently working on a new venture to provide day habilitation programming and employment opportunities to MRDD adults. There will also be gift bags to registrants, giveaways, and refreshments

The event is FREE and OPEN TO ALL. To find out more and to register for the event, visit the website below.

http://www.extremetour.org/westliberty

What Can Entrepreneurship Do for You?

Annette Godown — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 03:36:00 +0000

As a university student, you might be wondering…”What can Entrepreneurship do for me?” Here are some great suggestions for students across all disciplines.

Science students: Learn to own your inventions and take them to market! Learn how to run your medical office!

Education students: Learn how to become a consultant and make money from your expertise!

Arts and Communications students: Learn how to start your own business, market yourself and make money for your services! Learn to own your creative works and take them to market!

Liberal Arts students: Learn how to become a consultant or expert and take your skills to market!

Business students: Learn how to start your own company, write your own contracts or become a consultant to others!

Professional studies students: Learn how to work for yourself!

Entrepreneurship skills are for everyone. Classes are ongoing. For information about The Center for Entrepreneurship and personal advice on how Entrepreneurship can help you in your career, contact Professor Carrie White at cwhite@westliberty.edu or x8159.

2012 WV Business Plan Competition Underway

Annette Godown — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 03:26:25 +0000

The West Virginia Business Plan Competition is open to any and all WV college students. All you need is an idea for a business and you can win $10,000!

You can work in teams or alone. Submit your idea by September 28 to be entered into the contest. After that, you will be teamed with a business coach to help you through the rest of the process. If selected for the competition, you will give an elevator pitch for the second round. In April 2013, the final round of the competition will be held where the complete business plan will be judged and presentations will be given.

Professor Carrie White in the College of Business is our campus contact person and will be happy to help you will all the information you need to get started. Contact Professor White at 336-8159 or cwhite@westliberty.edu. The full website will also assist you with your planning at http://be.wvu.edu/bpc/.

Let’s represent West Liberty University well!!