Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From the University of Chicago:

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC) to connect University of Chicago Booth School of Business students with young entrepreneurs through the Start-Up LaunchPad program.

The BGCC program is an advanced initiative designed to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs – aiming to foster business acumen, creativity, and confidence among participating BGCC members by creating, planning, testing, pitching, and launching their first startup in their community.

This year, through a partnership with the Polsky Center, BGCC members will have the unique opportunity to work with Chicago Booth MBA candidates who will serve as mentors to help program participants refine their business ideas, sharpen their pitches, and enhance their overall entrepreneurial strategies.

“At the Polsky Center, we have been fortunate to see students have incredible success with their startup ventures, and we are always trying to find new ways to support them and offer experiences for them to learn,” said Paul Cavalieri, Senior Associate Director of Small Business Operations at the Polsky Center. “Through Start-Up Launchpad, we are providing our student entrepreneurs at Chicago Booth an opportunity to share what they have learned while gaining new experiences and perspectives by working with Chicago’s next generation of founders.”

During its pilot last year, Start-Up LaunchPad awarded more than $20,000 in seed funding to five teams.

From East Carolina University:

The College of Business (COB) at East Carolina University has named a former Professor of Management at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) as the Miller School of Entrepreneurship’s new Director. Dr. Joshua R. Aaron, who was on the faculty at East Carolina for six years before joining MTSU in 2014, takes over for Dr. Michael Harris, who officially became dean of the COB in 2024.

Before being named Miller School Director, Aaron held the Pam Wright Chair of Entrepreneurship at MTSU, where he led the Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship program to record-setting growth. As the Miller School Director, he will direct the Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship degree and Entrepreneurship Certificate programs and multiple co-curricular programs. Additional duties include teaching, student recruitment, fundraising and investor relations, strategic planning and budgeting, communications and branding, and other duties necessary to lead a successful and vibrant entrepreneurship school.

Aaron will have oversight of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center and Isley Innovation Hub, a 15,000-square-foot campus-wide innovation space.

From Louisiana State University:

Last fall, 41 business students at Louisiana State University (LSU) provided research and strategy support for eight local companies seeking venture capital. Their efforts were part of the Venture Capital Apprentice Program (VCAP) formed by Nexus Louisiana, Innovation Catalyst, and the Red Stick Angel Network in collaboration with the E. J. Ourso College and the LSU Innovation Park.

“VCAP was designed to provide participating LSU students with real-world finance and business-related experience, along with networking and employment opportunities,” said Bill Ellison, Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Catalyst and the Red Stick Angels. “It also provides high-growth Louisiana-based companies, who require finance, accounting, and market research support services, with a team of smart and motivated students.”

Since the program’s inception in 2021, 292 students have worked on 70 separate projects/deliverables in the nine VCAP cohorts. The student teams tackled a range of projects for their partner companies, including assessing funding requirements, conducting comparative market analyses for equity crowdfunding, performing competitor and market research, and analyzing industry regulations, private equity firms, and financial proformas.

From the University of Mississippi:

Jeff Michael has given $112,600 to establish the “Charles Larry Michael Entrepreneur Scholarship Endowment” within the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration.  The fund, named for the donor’s father, provides income to support entrepreneurship majors. Selected students are eligible to receive the $2,100-per-semester scholarship for three academic years if they’re actively engaged with the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

With an entrepreneurial spirit of his own and only $700, Charles “Larry” Michael moved his family from Chicago to Tupelo when Jeff was three years old. Jeff Michael watched his father work to build a life for his family with one successful venture after another.

“When we first moved here, we lived in a small rental house,” the younger Michael recalled. “I can remember the landlord knocking on the door wanting rent. I witnessed my family going from living there to moving into the first house we owned. I remember the first car we bought.”

The CIE’s mission is to inspire Ole Miss students to create similarly innovative businesses through excellent teaching, exceptional service, and world-class research.

From Florida Polytechnic University:

Florida Polytechnic University has partnered with Catapult Lakeland, an entrepreneurial business incubator, to boost STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Lakeland and the region.

Leaders from the two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding on January 31 at Catapult’s 10,000-square-foot makerspace in Downtown Lakeland. The partnership seeks to empower students and faculty with hands-on STEM education and entrepreneurial opportunities, fueling the region’s transformation into a high-tech economic hub.

“We now have a platform for collaboration, and I firmly believe that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit, it just matters that we do good things together and make a difference,” said Dr. Devin Stephenson, Florida Poly’s President. “Ultimately, we all want to make Lakeland a hub for innovation and this is just one step.”

Catapult’s sprawling space provides a top-quality setting equipped with advanced tools and technologies to help bring innovative ideas to life.

From Rochester Institute of Technology:

A generous donation is giving Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) students the opportunity to explore more pathways in entrepreneurship and innovation. The Bernard Kozel Start-up Program @ Saunders College of Business will provide entrepreneurial-minded students with the resources, mentorship, and funding necessary to bring their innovative ideas to life.

Formerly known as the RIT Student Accelerator, the Bernard Kozel Startup Program @ Saunders aims to empower students across all majors at RIT by offering hands-on learning experiences, networking opportunities, and strategic mentorship from RIT advisers, industry experts, and investors. Eligibility is limited to student teams, and they will receive a stipend for the summer, culminating in a Demo Night where each team will have an opportunity to pitch their business to a group of real investors.

The effort is made possible by support from RIT’s Bernard Kozel Endowed Fund for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Kozel was well respected for his roles as a businessman and entrepreneur, innovator, investor, and connector. His entrepreneurial journey began post-World War II, when he successfully established various companies dedicated to structural steel, semiconductors, and high-tech electronics. Central to his accomplishments was a deep belief in mentoring, evident through his co-founding of KG Capital Associates and his emphasis on guiding and investing in emerging entrepreneurs.

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