The Skandalaris Center hosted their first information session of the 2018 – 2019 school year last week. Nearly 40 students attended while Shauna Williams, Skandalaris Center’s Brand and Communications Manager, presented on the resources available through the Center.

The resources were presented in three sections:

1. Get  Connected
2. Get Trained
3. Get Funded

Below is a quick look at what was covered.

Get Connected

Getting connected is all about staying in-the-know, meeting new people, and exchanging ideas. Here are some ways to do that:

• Join the Up Next with SC email newsletter
• Join a student group or fellowship: There are over 15 student organizations on campus dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Apply for the Entrepreneurial Student Advisory Committee (ESAC). ESAC is a leadership opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students, and it is currently accepting applications until September 13^th.
• IdeaBounce® is both an online platform and event for sharing ideas and making connections. The first event is on October 10^th. Registration details will be released on the email newsletter.
• The Creator’s Gallery is an interdisciplinary exhibition for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to showcase their talents through any medium. The application to submit your work will open at the beginning of October. Details will be released to the email newsletter.
• NEW! Expert Hours are an opportunity to meet with an expert, get feedback on your idea/venture, or learn about how to navigate the expert’s industry of expertise. This first Expert Hours of the year is with David Vinjamuri, branding and marketing expert, on October 18th.
• NEW! Make It Take Its are monthly craft days open to the WashU community, including their children. The first Make It Take it of the year is on September 28th.

Get Trained

There are many ways to get trained in creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship on campus. Here is a snapshot of some of the opportunities:

• The Hatchery is an experiential, interdisciplinary, and multi-level course offered at Olin. It focuses on preparing students to launch their venture idea.
• Freelance Bootcamp is an all-day workshop in the Spring that enables students to brand, market, and sell their freelance services.
• Meet & Eats are an opportunity for students to meet and learn from successful creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs from a variety of industries.
• The Summer Internship Program is a paid, 10-week summer internship at a St. Louis startup or new venture. The application for the Summer 2019 program will open in January 2019.
• The Student Entrepreneurial Program (StEP) allows undergraduate students to own a business on campus that serves the Wash U community.
• NEW! HER Summit: Helping Entrepreneurs Rise is an inaugural, free event dedicated to community-building and empowerment amongst female entrepreneurs. It is on November 3^rd, and will be open to the public. Registration will be open soon, and will be announced on the email newsletter.

Get Funded

The Skandalaris Center offers a few funding opportunities. There are three Business Plan Competitions:

• Global Impact Awards (GIA): GIA provides up to $50,000 for ventures that are scalable and sustainable with proof of concept and a broad impact. This is open to students, postdocs, residents, and recent alumni (<10 years). Registration will open in 2019.
• Skandalaris Center Cup (SC Cup): SC Cup provides up to $5,000 for early-stage, scalable ventures. This is open to students, postdocs, and recent alumni. Registration will open in 2019.
• Leadership in Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program (LEAP): LEAP provides developmental experience, industry connections, and resources to research teams with the goal of advancing Washington University intellectual property towards commercialization. This is open to any person/team with Washington University intellectual property.

Another funding mechanism for Washington University ventures is the William Greenleaf Eliot Seed Fund. For details, contact the Skandalaris Center.

After participating in a variety of training and experiential opportunities, students may qualify for Honors in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This is the Skandalaris Center’s way of recognizing the most involved students.

The information session ended with an opportunities fair, in which students networked with and learned about various student opportunities.

“Running a nonprofit, I was hesitant coming into college and didn’t know if I could continue working on it after high school. The Skandalaris Center has the resources to do that, and I don’t think many colleges have this kind of opportunity.”

– Dillon Eisman (BU22)