Entrepreneur Day to Give Students Opportunity to Pitch Ideas to Experts

Long before entrepreneurs start drafting a business plan, they usually need to convince someone that their idea has merit.

Some 25 students are going to get a chance to test out their best ideas on a panel of experts on March 21 and those who impress them most will get to split up $10,000 in prize money they can use as start up cash. This “elevator pitch” competition will be just one part of Entrepreneur Day, a College of Business event that is free and open to the public at Utah State University, according to Jared Clark, a student organizer of the event.

 

Gary Anderson of Farmington came up with the idea of holding Entrepreneur Day at Utah State University, and he was the major sponsor of the 2006 event and is a major sponsor of the 2007 event. vSpring Capital, which sponsored the event in 2006, is also a 2007 sponsor.

 

“I feel strongly that an event like this is important because it not only gives students the chance to interact with successful entrepreneurs but it also gives them the opportunity to test their best ideas with the experts,” Anderson said. “The end result, I hope, is an unforgettable one-day experience that sparks new ideas and builds within these students an entrepreneurial spirit that will help them find success after graduation.”

 

Clark said Entrepreneur Day, which is organized by the Entrepreneur Club from USU’s College of Business, will also feature several keynote addresses and break-out sessions, giving students a chance to hear directly from entrepreneurs who have been invited to tell their stories.

 

“It’s one thing to talk about entrepreneurship,” Clark said. “It’s another thing to hear directly from successful entrepreneurs and learn from them what works. Last year the event was great, and we expect it will be even better this year.”

 

No advance registration is necessary to attend the free conference, which starts with a keynote speech at 9 a.m. at the Eccles Conference Center. The speech will be given by Alan Hall, the founder and chairman of MarketStar, a sales and marketing outsourcing company based in Ogden, Utah.

 

For more information, visit the Web site or e-mail organizers at usu.eclub@gmail.com.

 

Contact: David Herrmann: 435-797-2287 or Steve Eaton, 435-797-8640, cell: 435-760-4884
Source: USU College of Business