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Greetings Gator Nation!
Entrepreneurship education continues its rapid rise at the University of Florida and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) flies the banner high. As always, our mission remains singular: teach, coach and inspire students to be entrepreneurial.
The past five years have seen incredible growth in this endeavor, both across the Thomas S. Johnson Entrepreneurship Master's Program (331 graduates to-date) as well as our experiential learning programs, including GatorNest (190 clients in five years) and the Integrated Technology Venture Program. We have seen Professor William Rossi recognized as a two-time "Professor of the Year", two of our student organizations recognized as "Organization of the Year," and one of our colleagues recognized as a back-to-back "Program Advisor of the Year." We have reached a large audience of students through new, campus-wide collaborative events and activities such as JumpstART, Franchising Day, the Tech-E Intern Swap Meet, Start-Up Hour Gainesville and TEDxUF. And over the past five years we've witnessed the launch of exciting new ventures that are shifting the paradigm in the marketplace like Grooveshark, Voalté, Roombug, Youtorial and Raise the Village. Read more about how UF nurtures emerging entrepreneurs in UF Today.
More recently, we have added seven new faculty members and lecturers to the entrepreneurial mix here in the College including two post-doctoral research fellows. And in the past year alone, eight new entrepreneurship courses were added at the graduate and undergraduate levels resulting in our offering 70 sections of entrepreneurial content to more than 2,000 enrolled students. And as if that's not enough, later this summer we will move into our brand new facility, which will provide not only expanded space for CEI but also include our new state-of-the-art Jeff Gold Experiential Learning Laboratory.
As we look to the future, in the short term, we will again be adding a number of new faculty and lecturers, but our primary focus centers squarely on the growth and expansion of our experiential learning programs. In addition, we will continue to emphasize and build upon the themes of ethics and international integration that have recently been woven into the experiential fabric of our program through activities such as the MSE Ethics Fellows Program, the Global Entrepreneurship Study Program, our relationships with international partners such as Technion (Israel), Sogang (Korea) and Ozyegin (Turkey) along with a continued focus of attracting a diverse demographic of international students (20% program representation).
CEI's Founding Director, Dr. Arnold Heggestad, always said: "Students must graduate from this University with their eyes looking to the stars, not staring at the ground." I believe that CEI plays a significant role in this endeavor and I welcome you to join us!
Jamie Kraft
Executive Director
Raise The Village
MSE Graduates Launch a Gaming Platform with Purpose
Upon graduating from the MSE program, Cameron MacMillan and Joey Sasvari knew they wanted to do something big. Still searching for that special something, each went down different paths without knowing that they would eventually meet again.
The social gaming market was gaining momentum more quickly than ever before. The Facebook game Farmville made more than $200 million from users' purchases of completely intangible virtual goods. Tom's Shoes also became a cultural phenomenon. Drawing in customers with a model that allowed for one-for-one giving, the shoe company attracted millions that shared an interest in the company's philanthropic goals. Cameron took careful notice of these two trends and shared his ideas with Joey during what they both call a "random reunion" in Orlando. The rest is history.
After observing a need in the market, the pair decided to create a social gaming platform that would deliver meaning to its users. Another MSE graduate, Biko Evarist, shared their passion and joined the team near its onset.
The ultimate product of these innovative minds was 'Raise the Village,' which is currently available for iPhone users in the App Store. The first game of its kind, the app allows users to enter into a virtual village, interact with other players and exchange virtual items. However, this particular exchange doesn't stop in cyberspace. The purchase of food in the virtual village translates into the donation of food to a real family in a Ugandan village. The same goes for clothing items, mosquito nets and medical supplies. The growth of your virtual village translates into a better quality of life for Ugandan families. The team has already traveled to Africa and visited with those village members who will benefit from this unique gaming platform.
It is apparent that these graduates have gained a great deal of traction in a short amount of time, and each gives credit to the MSE program. They highly value both the confidence and the knowledge that they were able to gain as students, and then apply in a real-life journey toward success. Cameron says that it was the MSE experience that helped him "get in touch with what [he] really wanted to do." He says, "I learned more in that year about how to run a business than in the other 4 ½ years I spent in college." For more information see www.raisethevillage.com/.
CEI Hosts Entrepreneurs-In-Residence
Entrepreneurship-in-Residence Program Goes Academic and International
Continuing to connect creative and innovative minds, CEI hosts entrepreneurial leaders each semester through the Entrepreneurship-in-Residence program. Invited entrepreneurs, investors and educators come to campus for a week of observing project meetings through GatorNest, serving as guest speakers in entrepreneurship courses, meeting with student groups and holding "Open Door" sessions where they provide students with insight and advice that can only come from previous experiences. For the Fall '10 semester, CEI hosted two individuals as part of this program.
Steve Stolberg spent a week with CEI in Dublin as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Study Program. Stolberg served as the founder and CEO of Trialgraphix, a Miami-based litigation support provider specializing in a broad range of consulting services and technologies designed for use throughout the litigation cycle (discover through trial). In Dublin, Stolberg met with students during advisory sessions and moderated group discussions with a host of Irish guests and panelists.
Dr. Siri Terjesen is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management and International Entrepreneurship at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Dr. Terjesen is a member of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor study and was co-leader of the 2009 special topic on Social Entrepreneurship. During her visit to campus, Dr. Terjesen shared her insights with students on global entrepreneurial trends and discussed in depth the topic of social entrepreneurship and its relevance to today's students.
CEI's William Rossi recognized as WCBA Teacher of the Year
William Rossi, a Senior Lecturer in the Warrington College of Business Administration and Associate Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was named the College's 2010-11 Teacher of the Year. "There were a number of excellent nominees for all awards so choosing the winners was challenging," said Dr. S. Selcuk Erenguc, Associate Dean & Director of the Hough Graduate School of Business. "The College is fortunate to have such a pervasive level of excellence in its teaching and advising activity."
Throughout the year, Rossi reached more than 1,500 students through his lectures in an array of entrepreneurship courses from Principles of Entrepreneurship for undergraduates to graduate level courses such as Entrepreneurship, Venture Analysis, Venture Finance, Business Plan Formation and Creativity for the Master of Science Entrepreneurship and other graduate degree programs in the College.
Q&A with Ken Deckinger
"Doing what I love each day..."
Ken Deckinger is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dillon Road, a premium direct-to-consumer custom clothing company. He oversees Dillon Road's extensive network of Independent Sales Representatives called "Roadies," fitting men for beautiful custom-tailored clothing across the United States.
Before starting Dillon Road, Deckinger, an entrepreneur at heart, was the co-founder and CEO of HurryDate. HurryDate, started in 2001, became the nation's leading speed-dating brand including an online dating website at HurryDate.com. HurryDate grew from a singles party in a bar in New York City into a global concept with approximately 150 events per month in 45 cities across the U.S., U.K. and Canada. HurryDate was acquired by Spark Networks Limited—JDate.com's parent company—in February 2007.
Ken has appeared in television, radio and print worldwide including Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, CNN, BBC, Dateline NBC, The View and MTV to name a few. He is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he was honored with the University's Alumni Entrepreneur of the Year Under-40 award. He sits on the Board of Advisors for the University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and has an MBA from Boston College.
Mr. Deckinger is an avid speaker on the topic of entrepreneurship. He mentors and speaks with students at universities including the University of Florida, University of Maryland and Brown University. He is also the subject of a 2009 Harvard Business School case study.
CEI: You are currently involved in your second start-up. Is this a path that you knew early on you would be taking in life or was it mere circumstances that thrust you toward becoming a serial entrepreneur?
Deckinger: I'd say I always knew or at least always hoped that I'd be lucky enough to have a path as an entrepreneur.
I think I'm just wired for it. Since I was a young kid I remember starting businesses. My first was a comic book company at age 12. Of course, the comic books were terrible. It cost more to produce than I made, and the customers were family members who were subscribed without knowing. They'd then receive a bill for 25 cents for the subscription that they never subscribed for, afterwards.
CEI: As CEI Advisory Board Member and MSE student mentor, many of us are acquainted with your signature easy spirit and generous smile. We're curious to know how it is possible to maintain such an upbeat attitude, even during highly-stressful times like starting a new business?
Deckinger: Being an entrepreneur, and life in general, has many ups and downs. Nothing is easy and…as soon as you think something's going your way it can turn. I try hard to not let my emotions ride those waves. There are enough things to worry about, always. If you let them, they'll destroy your productivity and your soul. Life's short and beautiful - I'm grateful for everything I have and focus on those positives. You can't let yourself get caught up in the stresses – you will miss the ride.
For me I also find comfort and satisfaction in touching people's lives positively. Whether it's from a bad joke I've told (most of my jokes are not good), simply saying thank you to someone who hasn't had one in a long time, or shifting one's attention off their worries for even a moment, it makes me feel good.
CEI: Is your perspective on what constitutes a successful career the same now as when you first stepped into the entrepreneurial arena?
Deckinger: No. It's quite different. My perspective at the beginning was characterized much more by financial gain and recognition from my peers. That's secondary to me now. Of more importance are my quality of life and the experiences and time I have with those important to me.
Yesterday, I was 22 years old and graduating from UF. Today I'm 37. Tomorrow I'll be 50. It happens so fast and being buried in a business can make you miss the important things. Ironically being buried in a new business is the only way to success. However, as I've matured—a point some would take issue with in general—I've realized that a successful career to me is one in which I'm doing what I love each day while also enabling me to live the life that I want to live with my family. Quality time spent with my wife and my daughter is, above all else, of utmost importance to me.
CEI: One can imagine that you have a similar measure for success in life. How do you keep from tipping the work-life balance too far toward the work side when you are constantly pushing your start-ups forward?
Deckinger: As an entrepreneur there's often very little distinction between the two. Your work life and your "life life" are generally the same. My work life has more or less been an evolution of my personal life. For instance, my last company was a singles company. I was 27 and single when I started it. Hosting singles events around the country and building an online dating site was exactly where I wanted to be— it was an extension of my personality and my life.
Now I'm in the menswear business. I love men's fine clothing. I love the challenge and excitement of traveling to and working with my Asian counterparts (suppliers, manufacturers.) I love meeting new people. These have all evolved in my life as the Founder and CEO of Dillon Road. My passions are my family, traveling, sailing and building my business. It's one pie as far as I'm concerned. I try to bring them all together and believe that my life is richer that way.
CEI: Your humorous enthusiasm is almost contagious! Has this become part of your personal brand across both businesses? Does it seem to attract positive energy in your employees and even customers?
Deckinger: I hope so. And, frankly, I'm glad that that question is documented in this interview because most people won't openly admit that I have any humor whatsoever. You just used the word "humorous" and my name in the same context. Thank you.
Kidding aside, I surely hope so. I want everyone that I work with to enjoy life. If you work for Dillon Road there's a good chance that you spend a lot of time at or on work. I feel a big responsibility to make that environment a positive one. First and foremost, at the end of the day we have a company to run and goals to meet. There shouldn't be any confusion there. But I also want our employees to feel that their time with our company impacts their lives positively.
CEI: What would you offer as the most encouraging bit of insight you can share with our current entrepreneurship students and recent grads who are in the process of creating their own entrepreneurial paths into the future?
Deckinger: Go for it. You're only here once. Do your homework on your business, make sure you've really learned about the space you intend to enter, and make sure the risks you're preparing to take are calculated. Find a mentor—someone who can help you navigate some of the mistakes that you're guaranteed to make. Then…pull the ripcord and jump. It's an awesome, albeit challenging experience.
CEI & the MSE Program Welcome 7 New Faculty Members
Years of hard work from CEI staff and supporters has led to significant growth in the number of entrepreneurship courses being offered for students at UF. What lies behind this expansion are seven new faculty members who will all be contributing to the mission of CEI. The Center welcomes each of these individuals and we all look forward to the positive repercussions of this recent growth.
Linda Clarke: Clarke comes to the Entrepreneurship program with a J.D. from American University's Washington College of Law, a Ph.D. from Florida International University's College of Business Administration, an MBA from Queens University, a B.A. in German Language and Culture from UNC at Charlotte and a B.S. in Mathematics from Appalachian State University. Clarke will serve as a lecturer for Entrepreneurship, International Entrepreneurship and The Entrepreneurial Opportunity.
CD Hobbs: Hobbs is an internationally-recognized expert on practices in energy utility operations and technology. He has driven various established companies to become the forerunners within different industries by assisting in the alignment of marketing, financial, sales and operational strategies. After serving as CEO of several enterprises, Hobbs brings to the classroom real-world experience and first-hand encounters which he is able to share with students. His teaching focus is on Strategies in Competitive Sustainability.
Yongseok Jang: Yongseok joins the team at CEI with a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning focusing on the evaluation of technology business incubators as a tool of government intervention. He also holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida. He completed his B.A. in Political Science at Korea's Inha University. Jang's course, High Tech Entrepreneurship, introduces students to this topical area of innovation and exposes them to various speakers who have significant experience in the field.
Scott Livengood: Livengood completed his Ph.D. work this past May at the University of Maryland with a focus in Strategic Management. Both his MBA and his B.S. with a major in Accounting were completed at Brigham Young University within the Marriott School of Management. Scott comes to CEI as a partner from the UF Management Department and will be teaching Business Plan Formation and Fundamentals of New Venture Planning.
Jim Parrino: Parrino earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration after receiving his MBA in Finance from George Washington University and his B.S. from UF's Fisher School of Accounting. Jim has more than 16 years of experience in the area of corporate finance consulting. He also helped found Telesis Partnership, a leading advisor to financial institutions on investment banking and corporate finance issues. Parrino, who was recently teaching at Babson College, will share with students his expertise in the area of Venture Capital and Private Equity.
Aner Sela: Before receiving his Ph.D. in Marketing from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Sela received his M.A. with focuses in Finance and Marketing from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and studied Architecture at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Israel. Sela's course combines his Marketing know-how with an interest in entrepreneurship and focuses on New Product Development and Management.
Chien-Chi Tseng: Chien-Chi completed his doctorate in Human Resource Development in 2010 at the University of Minnesota. Between 1998 and 2002, he served as Manager of the Incubation Center for the National Taiwan University and later the National Taipei University of Technology. This allowed him to support more than 100 small to medium-sized enterprises and develop research interests in organizational learning, small and family business management and entrepreneurial leadership. Tseng will focus on Family Business Management with his students.
Mentor Program Hosts Valuable Panel Discussions
The MSE Mentorship Program played host to two panel discussions which featured several of CEI's highly-seasoned entrepreneurial mentors to offer the 34 MSE students an opportunity to gain valuable insight and make connections with additional mentors over the course of the program.
The first panel was a great success much to the credit of the moderator, Professor Emeritus Dr. Arnold Heggestad, who opened the evening's conversation and led a meaningful and inspiring discussion on The Value of Mentorship. Panel participants Tim Cannon (Sr. Director of Business Strategy, Microsoft), Matt Hintze (Tutor/Founder of TutoringZone) and Geoff Wilson (Founding CEO of 352 Media Group), shared personal reflections on their start-up experiences and how mentors played into their entrepreneurial stories.
The second and equally-engaging panel discussion highlighted The Mentor-Ethics Connection. Dr. Virginia Maurer, The Huber Hurst Professor of Business Law and Legal Studies and Director of the Poe Center for Business Ethics, served as panel moderator and expertly led discussions examining ethical challenges and dilemmas that entrepreneurs face, and the positive strength that a mentor can have on personal growth and outcomes in those times. Darin Cook (CEO, Infinite Energy, Inc.) and M.G. Sanchez (Chairman, Executive Committee, Florida Capital Group, Inc. and Florida Capital Bank, N.A.) served as panelists and the third contributor, Ken Deckinger (Founder & CEO, Dillon Road, Inc.), was Skyped-in live from New York!
MSE Students Experience Entrepreneurship in Ireland
Ireland's story of ascent to prominence in the global marketplace was one of the major reasons students from the Thomas S. Johnson Master of Science in Entrepreneurship Program ventured to Dublin on a Global Entrepreneurship Study Tour in the fall. Despite its current economic woes, Ireland remains strategically placed in the global marketplace, making it one of the most active entrepreneurial centers in all of Europe.
"The goal of our Dublin program is to introduce students to global entrepreneurial perspectives in an immersive, experiential format," says Jamie Kraft, Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation." Not only do the students gain a more practical understanding of international business and entrepreneurship as a global economic development engine, they also gain significant exposure to cultural differences as well as develop networking opportunities with like-minded students and overseas innovators."
MSE students along with a dozen more from the Master of Arts in International Business program visited a variety of companies from international corporate giant IBM to smaller yet successful, local and national ventures. They participated in seminars involving franchising opportunities and venture investment among other topics.
In addition to learning Irish business practices, MSE students learned about Irish culture. They visited with university students at the Dublin Institute of Technology, took cooking lessons and viewed traditional Irish music and dancing showcases. The trip was such a success that MSE is planning a return trip to Dublin in the fall of 2011.
GatorNest Students Find Operafestival Di Roma Financially Feasible
Thanks to Operafestival Di Roma, students from around the world had the opportunity to participate in a real opera in Rome. But the program went on hiatus after the retirement of the program's founder two years ago. Dr. Anthony Offerle, Associate Professor in UF's School of Music, recognized the program as being extremely popular and important to the development of young opera singers. So he tapped the GatorNest program to explore the feasibility of bringing the program to the University of Florida to be managed in the College of Fine Arts. The GatorNest team, made up of five graduate business students, recently reported back to Dr. Offerle and his colleagues. The final presentation concluded that the Operafestival Di Roma program could be a big success at UF as long as funding was secured, some costs were cut and the market strategy was revamped.
At the annual Operafestival Di Roma, opera students who were winners of a multi-national application process sung at a theater in Rome accompanied by a professional orchestra in front of a large paying audience. No classroom or sound studio session can provide such an immersive experience. Many former participants have gone on to enjoy professional opera careers.
GatorNest is an experiential learning program directed by Ted Astleford in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Warrington College of Business Administration at the University of Florida. The program puts multiple teams of graduate business students to work each semester doing business consulting projects for startup companies, UF technologies and UF departments. For more information see www.gatornest.net.
Swap Meet
CEI Hosts UF Tech-E Intern Swap Meets
More than 25 local tech start-ups and more than 500 students participated in the first two offerings of UF's Tech-E Intern Swap Meet held in Hough Hall at the Warrington College of Business Administration.
The events were organized and hosted by the UF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) and the UF Office of Technology Licensing (OTL).
"We had more success in a few hours at this event than in weeks of recruiting using traditional methods," said RegisterPatient.com's Director of Marketing James Davis. "Facebook posts and classified ads are great, but there's nothing like that first impression when you meet an intern face-to-face."
The Swap Meets were organized as informal meet-and-greets between local tech entrepreneurs and UF students. Entrepreneurs and students mixed and mingled in breakout rooms to discuss the companies and to swap business cards and résumés. Entrepreneurs offered a wide variety of internship positions ranging from marketing, graphic design and web development to computer engineering and systems engineering.
"The incredible turnout was evidence of the desire many UF students have for experience with startup ventures. Now it's up to us to find innovative ways to create exciting and valuable internships, which will in turn help grow the innovation community in Gainesville," said Austin Cooley, Founder and CEO of YoutorialMarket.com.
Participating companies included the following local startups and other start-up related organizations: Grooveshark, RegisterPatient.com, Fracture, CitiSync, ToneRite, Convert Marketing, RoomBug, Energent Ventures, Trendy Entertainment, YoutorialMarket.com, True Ventures, Always Give Back, Gainesville Social Media, Accelerond, ZaZaa Marketing, Inflexion Fund, New Charity Era, Gainesville Socials, Podium Apparel, DTC Interactive, and Gainesville Area Innovation Network (GAIN), Xhale, Techshido, Nautic Studios, Park on the Fly, 101 Management Group and Startup Fusion.
JumpstART III: A Workshop in Creative Entrepreneurship
Playing on the intersection of creativity and commerce, more than 70 campus and community artists and innovators participated in JumpstART III: A Workshop in Creative Entrepreneurship. The program is a collaboration between the UF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the College of Fine Arts School of Art +Art History, School of Music, School of Theater & Dance, the Harn Museum and with assistance from members of the Gainesville Fine Arts Association.
The event was kicked off by Dr. Kevin Knudson, Director of the UF Honors Program, covering the topic of the "Creative Campus." During the morning session, participants heard from Dr. J. Richard Lister, Professor and Associate Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at UF, about creativity and its roots in the brain. In addition, there was a discussion about the blend of creativity and commerce hosted by Patrick Brennan from Walt Disney Imagineering.
The morning lectures were followed by an interactive roundtable involving all participants over lunch, and then an afternoon panel hosted by successful local artists representing the visual and performing arts: Stan Kaye, Associate Professor, Lighting Design; Tina Mullen, Director, Shands Arts in Medicine; and Tobin Wagstaff, Executive Director, Studio Percussion, Inc.
Sustainability & Social Impact Initiative Update
Applications for the 5th Annual UF Young Entrepreneurs for Leadership & Sustainability Summer Program for high school students are now being accepted. Space is limited to 36 students, we will waitlist students once the program is full. If you know a bright, motivated student, encourage them to apply for this life-changing experience. You can help these future Gators in 3 ways: 1) Spread the word 2) Participate as a volunteer Speaker or Mentor and 3) Sponsor a Scholarship. For more information, see: ufyoungentrepreneurs.org
Last summer the program ran entirely carbon-neutral and the students completed a total of 4,312 hours of volunteer service, valued at $89,905 to the local community!
In Fall 2010, UF became an Ashoka Foundation Youth Venture Campus. We are excited about this new partnership. On March 19th we will be hosting a "Changemaker Challenge Bootcamp" for undergraduates interested in launching ventures to solve social, environmental, and economic problems. They will present "action plans" to win $1,000 seed grants.
UF's graduate chapter of NetImpact is On The Go! The team attended the international conference at the Ross School of Business in November. On January 28th four teams competed in the UF NetImpact-Walmart Sustainability Better Living Business Plan Challenge, and Mama Kuku: Poultry Farming for Poverty Alleviation will be representing UF at Regionals in Atlanta, competing for a $20,000 award!
