We are excited to share the Skandalaris Center Annual Report for Academic Year 2021 (July 2020-June 2021). Last year was an interesting departure from the norm, as we entered fall 2020 during a quarantine situation and were not sure of how the year would go. Luckily, we were able to continue the work of our mission and stay connected through outreach, online webinars, virtual meetings, and conducting competitions remotely.
We are proud to report that we served over 1,700 people across 52 events and programs, and 245 venture meetings. Our reach extended to all Washington University schools and all levels. 206 new startup teams were engaged and over $497,000 was given to Washington University ventures.
To top it off, the programming and resources the Skandalaris Center provided contributed to the strong entrepreneurial ecosystem here, resulting in multiple number one rankings for Entrepreneurship at Washington University. (See the full report here.)
A few highlights:
– Skandalaris’ IdeaBounce® platform continues to be a way for our community to share ideas, describe new ventures, and solicit help. We now have other universities, like Harris-Stowe and Principia College, using the IdeaBounce® platform. Last year we conducted nine IdeaBounce® events, engaged over 200 participants, and gave away over $1,800 in IdeaBounce® prizes.
– Out of 46 entries in the Global Impact Award, one venture took home the $50,000 non-dilutive award donated by Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal. Golden Roots Essentials founded by Fanta Kaba (MBA ’21) was the winner due to the scalable, sustainable, and quick-to-market product with broad impact.
– In summer 2020, we saw a dramatic increase in students with ideas who wanted to start a new venture. The Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC) expanded to a two-semester sequence. Over these two SVC cycles, $47,500 in non-dilutive funding was distributed, thanks to support from Skandalaris National Council Member, Kishore Kanakamedala.
Being back on campus for the 2022 academic year has been invigorating as we reconnect with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. Entrepreneurship truly takes a village and we are proud to be the hub of amazing innovation happening at Washington University. In 2022, we will continue to foster and empower an inclusive community that finds opportunities in problems and transforms ideas into action.
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our National Council, experts on call, in-residence experts, volunteers, colleagues across campus, students, faculty, staff, and alumni who collectively help us advance entrepreneurship at Washington University. We couldn’t do it without you!
Please contact us if you have questions about our Annual Report, or would like to engage with us in 2022!