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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 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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ShareWhy should UMSL students come to Ameren Accelerator Demo Day? On Thursday, October 26, 2017 from 12pm to 5pm at Touhill, the this one of a kind event will offer students the chance to see some of the latest advancements in clean energy tech! What is Demo Day? Well, the Ameren Accelerator, seven companies were selected to participate in an intensive program to accelerate their clean tech product. At Demo Day, the seven companies will be showcasing their exciting accomplishments. The companies are /blossom, Hyperion Sensors, Omega Grid, Rebate Bus, SensrTrx, Switched Source and WIFIPLUG. Their products range from e-commerce instant utility […]

Ameren Accelerator Demo Day- Experience the Excitement

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ShareEntrepreneur enthusiast Yaniv Dudaie grew up with interests in soccer, travel, business, and a love for different cultures. As a child, he wanted to own a hotel in Italy with a pizzeria attached to it. Now that he is college bound, Yaniv wants to learn how to develop and grow companies so his childhood dream could still come true. What will his next dream vision look like? He was born in Mexico, Grew up in Israel, and currently goes to school in St. Louis. Asides from his heavy involvement at UMSL Accelerate, his triple major in Finance, Logistics, and International […]

The Dream Catcher

 in Ameren Accelerator Internship / Entrepreneurship Courses / Entrepreneurship Faculty / UMSL Accelerate by
ShareLeaving the last meeting for the day, Nino thought about his time spent working this close in the entrepreneurial environment and doing real business-related work outside of school which, as he found out, is challenging. It’s no piece of cake; there are seldom any textbook answers this time. He looks forward to absorbing as much as possible during the program so he can equip himself with this experience for the rest of his life. But it first begins at UMSL Accelerate and his go-ahead spirit. Nino Obanor grew up in Belgrade, Serbia, and then moved to the U.S. to start […]

Rise of the Go-Ahead Spirit

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ShareWe have #UMSLPride in being one of the newer departments started on campus. How do you respond to the needs of people who need access to resources to help achieve their goal? You give those people what they want. For any students taking one of our awesome entrepreneurship courses, or just thinking about whether your business ideas if feasible, now is the best time to go for your next step. Entrepreneurship and academia are building a bridge to connect with each other because, although they may be on completely different industry spectrums in terms of structure, they both actually fall […]

Dream Goal Left You a Voicemail, “Stop Waiting”

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ShareUMSL’s first-ever dedicated College of Business Administration building is officially open for business! The building was funded by various corporate donors from different industries around the St. Louis region. One of those companies, Ameren, contributed to provide a dedicated student area at AB Hall. Asides from this contribution, Ameren is continuing its work with UMSL Accelerate for the long-term Ameren Accelerator that runs a cohort tailored to technology startups focused on shaping the future of renewable energy. So, what exactly is all the excitement about? For one thing, business students no longer need to feel like their resources are scattered […]

Cheers to New Business

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ShareBusiness mentors, tech-savvy resources, partner connections; sounds like every entrepreneurs dream, right? This fantasy is coming to life in Saint Louis thanks to the new UMSL Accelerate partnership forged with Ameren Accelerator. Partner leaders heading this initiative, who also happen to be UMSL alumni, invited students, faculty, the community (and the press!) for the big reveal on March 31 at the Cortex Innovation Center. Partner leaders are Ameren, University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL Accelerate), and Capital Innovators. The Ameren Accelerator is an innovative partnership that will empower energy technology startup companies with resources and capital to thrive in the industry. […]

Flashback: The Ameren Accelerator Launch

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ShareRemember when we announced the pooling of money and resources into one spot that was meant to help develop companies and their products toward better energy? This awesome idea came in collaboration with Ameren and Capital Innovators. Fast-forward four months later, and Ameren has announced the seven-startup companies chosen to take on the cohort this season. This decision came after screening more than 200 companies from 31 countries that applied for the program.   The event was a raging success; you could smell the excitement in the air. Students, faculty, professionals, inventors, and investors, all in one room talking about […]

New Pathways to Energy

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Share(From left to right: Mohammad Aljamaan, Rajabu Obede, Nino Obanor, Yaniv Dudaie)By Shante Gordon  By now, it’s no secret! Five to seven lucky companies, young entrepreneurs like yourself, will be handpicked by the Ameren Accelerator team for a chance at 100k in funding for their start up plus perks. With orientation and results on exactly which companies are going to be participating, only a little over a month away, we wanted to ask some of the business savvy students who applied how their company will help the future of clean energy, what do they wish to gain from some of […]

My Dormmate Is An Entrepreneur -The Ameren Accelerator Interns

 in Ameren Accelerator / Ameren Accelerator Internship / Innovate / UMSL Accelerate  tagged Accelerator / Ameren / Applicants / Entrepreneur / UMSL by
ShareDuring a chilly winter evening at cortex’s weekly Venture Cafe, a couple of my buddies and I decided to attend a workshop that happened to start around the same time we were looking through the schedule. It was a session that gave me the first insight into what the startup culture of St. Louis is shaping up to be. Fast forward from that session, I also managed to land an interesting internship that, to say has given me great hands-on experience, is an understatement.  This is a short story about my discovery of ROW VIGOR, and a personal account on […]

Row your Stress Away: ROW VIGOR Comes to UMSL

 in Collaborate / UMSL Accelerate by
ShareBusiness mentors, tech-savvy resources, partner connections; sounds like every entrepreneurs dream, right? This fantasy is coming to life in Saint Louis thanks to the new UMSL Accelerate partnership forged with Ameren Accelerator. Partner leaders heading this initiative, who also happen to be UMSL alumni, invited students, faculty, the community (and the press!) for the big reveal on March 31 at the Cortex Innovation Center. Partner leaders are Ameren, UM System, University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL Accelerate) and Capital Innovators. The Ameren Accelerator is an innovative partnership that will empower energy technology startup companies with resources and capital to thrive in […]

Driving Energy Startups: Ameren Accelerator

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