Yearly Archives: 2018

Share“Fail fast; learn fast.” It’s a mantra that we’ve heard repeatedly over the past decade, especially as startup culture has entered mainstream consciousness, but a part of me has always wondered how many of us actually take it to heart. In my own entrepreneurial career, which has included both spectacular successes and failures, I’ve been forced to face my mistakes and grow from them as quickly as possible. However, I’ve also seen how easy it is to fall into a rhythm and get stuck in a professional rut. So a few years ago, when my company was approaching its 25th […]

3 Ways to Use the Entrepreneurial Mindset to Accelerate Your ...

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ShareWith the explosion of startups and the success of game changers like Google and Facebook, it’s no wonder entrepreneurship is more relevant than ever. The related concept of intrapreneurship is gaining prominence for the way it’s revolutionizing the business world as well as the academic sector. Intrapreneurship is simply the companywide adoption of an entrepreneurial mindset, and it’s driven by disruption. Startups unleash a level of innovation that threatens to make the most established companies irrelevant. Just look at how Airbnb and Uber disrupted legacy companies in their respective industries. To stay competitive, companies have been forced to consider an […]

Build A University Grounded In Intrapreneurship To Spur The Change ...

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ShareStartup accelerators have been around since about 2005, when Y Combinator was founded in Cambridge, Mass. Since then, they’ve exploded in popularity — expanding from startup hotbeds like Boston and Silicon Valley to assorted locations around the globe. Milwaukee, though not traditionally known as a tech hub, is home to Gener8tor, an accelerator that recently launched an artist fellowship program. Sydney is an international city in its own right, but it’s also attracting tech entrepreneurs with its Future Transport Digital Accelerator. And, while Cairo certainly has a rich history, it’s also preparing for the future of innovation with the Flat6labs accelerator, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary in […]

The 3 Most Essential Points to Keep in Mind for ...

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ShareIn today’s startup world, it’s easy to feel left out if you’re not in Boston or New York or Silicon Valley or Seattle. That’s where the talent often migrates, where the media spotlight is centered and, most importantly, where the money is: According to a data analysis by Richard Florida and the Martin Prosperity Institute, the vast majority of venture capital money still flows primarily to the startup hubs on the coasts, and very little trickles to the cities in between. Related: Capital-Hungry Startups Should Consider This Alternative to VCs But great amounts of money don’t automatically produce great businesses. One of the […]

These 3 Simple Steps Will Help You Expand Your Network ...

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ShareEvery organizational leader lauds innovation, so why do so many businesses struggle with the process? Companies’ internal R&D teams can only take their innovation efforts so far. Case in point: Though 93 percent of executives surveyed by Accenture said innovation was critical to long-term success, less than 20 percent of the same pool of respondents said their current efforts were moving the needle. Just as people are motivated by the company they keep, companies are influenced by the partnerships they embrace. Those hoping to innovate would be wise to look beyond their own walls, forming partnerships with universities, startups, and other industry players. Making the […]

3 Steps to Creating a Strategic Partnership to Spur Innovation ...

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ShareIf you’re like me, you probably never heard of inclusion riders until Frances McDormand mentioned them in her Best Actress acceptance speech at the Oscars. But these contract clauses, mandating certain demographic hiring goals for casts and crews at movie shoots, will likely become more ubiquitous as conversations around diversity continue to increase — in both Hollywood and the wider world. Still, while the value of diversity has become a staple in everyday dialogue, there has yet to be much real progress to show for it, particularly in the startup space. Case in point: A Silicon Valley Bank study found that among the startups […]

Achieving Diversity Demands Less Talk and More Action. And Good ...

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ShareThe rest of the country might think the Midwest is behind the times, but in many ways, cities between the coasts offer tech job seekers the best chances of success. In St. Louis, where I operate, I see a “pay it forward” mentality that’s unmatched in bigger cities’ startup communities. Even those new to the area are only a couple connections away from some of the city’s biggest players. Our startup scene is eager to help newcomers along, and that kind of mentorship has become harder to find in the competitive world of Silicon Valley. Thanks to the Midwest’s lower costs, founders […]

Why Tech Job Seekers Might Look Outside Silicon Valley for ...

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ShareThis aphorism has always rung true, but when it comes to educating the next generation, it’s an essential mantra. The oldest members of Generation Z — defined by Pew Research as those born after 1997 — are on the cusp of adulthood, and while they’re ready for college, are universities really ready for them? After all, in the same way Millennials presented unique challenges and opportunities, so will Generation Z. For one thing, as the first generation to not know a world without the internet, Gen Zers view digital media as an indispensable resource. They’re not satisfied with sittingand waiting; instead they choose to investigate and experiment for themselves. […]

Generation Z’s Are Starting College, But Are Universities Ready For ...

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ShareThe media would have you believe that securing venture capital support and funding is the epitome of “making it” in the startup world. But capital aside, what many fail to realize is that VC partners aren’t always a good strategic fit. Take Fitbit, a company that VCs poured millions into just a few years ago. Unfortunately, the funding couldn’t stop Apple from overtaking Fitbit in the wearable market last year. So when Fitbit was looking to light a spark under its fledgling line of smartwatches earlier this year, it didn’t tap another VC. Instead, it turned to Adidas, the shoe and apparel giant known for reinventing itself. […]

What the Adidas-Fitbit Collaboration Can Teach Your Startup That VCs ...

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ShareLike most people, I used to think that entrepreneurship was narrowly defined as the process of starting a new business. Like most people, I could not have been more wrong. The truth is that the talented artists, biologists, sociologists, computer scientists, social workers, education majors, and quite literally every other discipline on campus have as much to offer the field of entrepreneurship as do our business students and future entrepreneurship majors. Business students and self-identified entrepreneurs are critical, but we also need the artists’ ability to create something out of nothing. We need the biologists who are consummate systems thinkers […]

Why All Students Must Enroll In the Entrepreneur Certificate

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Share“As a young man, my grandfather gave me some advice: ‘Get with a good company, and stay for 40 years,’” said Charlie Hoffman, dean of the UMSL College of Business. “Those who did that are now finding themselves in their late 50s — at the edge of retirement and bored. These are successful people who’ve realized they’re not done growing and learning. They’re looking for more.” They’re not alone in that thinking. Seventy percent of Americans dislike their jobs, and 73 percent of 30-somethings would prefer to change careers. Professionals who’ve worked in their industries for decades have plenty of […]

Why Going Back to School Mid-Career May Be the Best ...

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ShareMentorship is one of the best gifts. Having someone you admire invest time and energy in your goals builds successful companies and careers. Likewise, transmitting your experiences to others is energizing; it’s what being an entrepreneur is about. Many of us are fond of our mentors, particularly if they took an interest in us while we were pushing our boulders uphill. But no one person has all the answers, and gathering multiple viewpoints is particularly important in our rapidly shifting world. As a 25-year member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization Forum, I know this firsthand. I’ve made monthly peer-mentoring sessions of 10 […]

Why Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Is Essential for Entrepreneurs

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ShareAs an entrepreneur, we don’t know all the answers. There are too many roles to play when starting a business, and can seem impossible with our limited resources and know how. But there’s good news for the local entrepreneur community. The University of Missouri- St. Louis (UMSL) now offers entrepreneurs and small business owners in the community some resources that will help them thrive. UMSL Accelerate, UMSL’s award winning and nationally recognized entrepreneurship & innovation resource, is inviting entrepreneurs in the local community to take advantage of a program, used by its very own students and faculty, to start and […]

UMSL Accelerate Launches Initiative to Help Community Entrepreneurs Thrive

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SharePatrick Davis is in his last year at UMSL and working on his own business called Illlumenessence that focuses on custom automotive lighting. His story perfectly showcases an entrepreneurial journey. Hi Patrick, could you tell us a little bit about you? Hi, absolutely! I am graduating in the fall with a major in marketing and a minor in digital media. I will also earn my Certificate in Entrepreneurship. In addition to my academics, I work on my own custom automotive lighting company. Which entrepreneurship classes did you take? What have you learned from them? I have taken the Introduction to […]

Custom Automotive Lighting from an UMSL Student Entrepreneur

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ShareBailee Warsing was an intern of the inaugural Ameren Accelerator 2017 program and you can read more about her experience in this post. Bailee, could you tell us a little bit about you? I am a sophomore and my major is in computer science. I am also part of the Honors College, I serve as the Vice President of the Environmental Adventure Organization and previously I was part of the Emerging Leaders Program. How did you hear from the Ameren Accelerator Internship? UMSL Accelerate had a table at an Honors College event and Ala Al-Lozi told me about this opportunity and […]

Bailee’s Experience with Ameren Accelerator

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ShareWhich came first: The chicken or the egg? For many recent college graduates, this question seems less like a fun riddle and more like a harsh reality in employment: They need experience to get a job, but they need a job to get experience. Related: How Student Loan Debts Are Crushing Millennial Entrepreneurialism A degree, unfortunately, is often not enough to gain a job in their preferred field. And with mounting student loan debt looming, many are forced to take jobs unrelated to their degrees. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor, as of […]

3 Steps to Attracting the Brightest Recent Grads to Your ...

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