Johnson C. Smith University to host Charlotte Startup Weekend (3632 hits)
Scholarships available for undergraduate and graduate students to attend
Johnson C. Smith University will host members of Charlotte’s technology, design, business and leadership communities for the ninth Charlotte Startup Weekend, April 28-30, 2017. Coaches and mentors from SharkTank, Google, Carolinas Healthcare Innovation Lab, RogerWilliams Capital, Iron Yard, JCSU, Ventureprise, StartCharlotte, Connectivity Concepts, and Tech Talent South will all be present to help experienced and novice entrepreneurs move forward with viable businesses.
Thanks to sponsors The Knight Foundation, IBM, Google, Spengler & Agans, and Charlotte Center City Partners, JCSU is providing scholarships for current undergrad and graduate students who are committed to attending Start-Up Weekend. Students may click here to fill out the Scholarship Application, but the application will close at the end of business on Wednesday April 19, 2017. Selected candidates will be informed by April 24, 2017.
This year’s event is being held at JCSU in partnership with the College of STEM and Department of STEM Innovation. The Department’s mission is to enhance the student experience and research capacity through strategic partnerships and program development. “We are excited about this partnership to enhance Charlotte’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and to provide more exposure for our students,” says Terik Tidwell, director of STEM Innovation.
The event begins on Friday night in the auditorium of JCSU’s New Science Center, where attendees will pitch potential business concepts then vote for the best pitches and form teams. They will work Friday night, Saturday and most of Sunday while mentors from the business community give advice on marketing, financials, customer attraction and advertising. On Sunday evening, team leaders present their final pitches and products to a panel of judges. Judges choose a winner based on the team’s pitch, business model and product viability.
Anyone interested in participating in the event is encouraged to sign up online at http://charlotte.startupweekend.org while tickets are available. The media and community members are invited to the final presentation Sunday, April 30, 2017 at 5 p.m. Click here for Charlotte Start-Up Weekend Tickets. **Tickets are free for Demo Day.**
About Start-Up Weekend Start-Up Weekend is a 54-hour entrepreneurial experience that is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. It brings together curious and aspiring entrepreneurs with engineers, user-experience designers, operators, investors, and marketers. So, bring your ideas and inspire others to join your team. During Saturday and Sunday, teams will focus on customer development, as well as validating their ideas and building a prototype. At the end, teams will pitch their businesses to a panel of judges who will provide feedback and select the winners. Food will be provided for participants.
About Johnson C. Smith University Founded in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is an independent, close-knit urban university located in Charlotte, N.C. It has a growing national reputation for integrating the liberal arts with business, the sciences and technology in ways that empower tomorrow’s diverse entrepreneurial citizens and leaders to be change agents in their professions and communities. Offering 25 fields of study, including a master’s degree in social work, to more than 1,400 students from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, the university’s programs focus on intellectual rigor, social consciousness and global responsibility. Visit www.jcsu.edu or follow the university on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.
