NEWPORT, R.I. – Following a week of collaboration among college students, young entrepreneurs and investors, the inaugural Newport Startup Session at Salve Regina University will conclude with a Startup Campus Conference on Saturday, June 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The conference, free and open to the public, will be held at the Young Building, corner of Bellevue and Ruggles avenues on Salve Regina’s campus. For more information, visit: http://startupcampus.eventbrite.com/.
The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island (AICU Rhode Island) partnered with local startups to host the Newport Startup Session at Salve Regina from June 23-30. The collaboration is a product of bRIdge, an economic development initiative connecting Rhode Island’s colleges and universities in a coordinated effort to develop the state’s knowledge workforce.
Included on Saturday’s conference agenda are a presentation on “Advancing Entrepreneurship on Campus” by Adam Leonard, bRIdge program manager; “Newport Startup Session Presentations” by three participating students; “Developing Entrepreneurial Talent: The Betaspring Model” by Allan Tear, managing partner for Betaspring; and “Creating Pathways to Innovation in Higher Education” by Kyle Juda (CEO, Recovend), Mark Abramowicz (CEO, JumpOffCampus) and Brent Grinna (CEO, Evertrue).
Newport Startup Session provided college students in Rhode Island with the opportunity to work with early-stage ventures developing products and services for the higher education market. Students worked in an experiential learning environment to gain an accelerated experience of what working at a startup is like.
"It is extremely important for institutions of higher learning to continually identify the skillsets demanded in today's ever-evolving workforce and to prepare students with the tools to meet those demands," said Dr. Jane Gerety, Salve Regina President. "It is equally important that we foster networking relationships to bridge academia and the business community.”
Saturday’s conference brings together members from academia and the business community to discuss strategies to leverage academic institutions for local economic impact.
"We're using the high density and diversity of colleges and universities in Rhode Island to develop a state-wide ecosystem for supporting entrepreneurial activity in the higher education sector," Leonard said.
“We want to give back to the community by sparking passion for and interest in entrepreneurship among students while they are still in school and can help achieve great change,” adds Kyle Judah, CEO of RecoVend.