Friday, September 13th, Georgetown University:
Students, faculty, and honored guests packed into the Lohrfink Auditorium at Georgetown University for the annual Georgetown Entrepreneurship Day that included unique networking opportunities, entrepreneurial spotlights from keynote speakers, and breakout discussions ranging from topics such as venture capitalism to the DC tech scene.
Sara Zulkosky (MBA ’14) moderated the entrepreneurial spotlights and shed insight onto why entrepreneurship is an important aspect of economic development, and an ideal career path for many students in Washington, DC and beyond. Sara spent 7.5 years supporting a clean-tech start-up company, holding positions including Project Engineer, Project Manager, Director of Engineering, and Director of Product Management. Currently a MBA candidate at Georgetown, Sara received a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Engineering Management from George Washington University.
The first speaker was Paul Centenari. With experiences working with fortune 500’s and investment banks, Paul came to the realization that entrepreneurship is what makes him happy. Currently Paul owns Atlas Container, operating out of Baltimore, MD with over 200 employees of which he seems to take good care of. Employee benefits range from healthcare to education, and the company is avid on providing financial transparency and incentivizing workers. “Things are changing right now, and there’s a reason for that! Entrepreneurship is the best place to go… Young people get it,” he explained. Paul is an avid family man and enjoys a good adventure. You might find him swimming Alkatraz or heli-skiing in the winter. In his seemingly infinite wisdom, Mr. Centenari left me pondering a few points, “You build your business in your own image… It’s all about leadership… Take the risk; do something!”
Erin Wiley, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) was the second speaker. “There are so many resources for entrepreneurs, it’s a great time,” she explained while elaborating on her global missions inciting business development from Asia to South America. Erin touched on many talking points about creating global good through entrepreneurship, and encouraged students to get out there and make a difference. Effectively, GEW has engaged more than 10 million people in over 100 countries.
The third speaker, Mike Malloy of Waveborn, worked for Deloitte before realizing that the 9-5 lifestyle was not for him. “Sometimes I sleep until 11am; but that’s because I was up until 4am sending emails and working on pitch decks,” he explained. Living a seemingly enjoyable life, Mike explained his experiences as a business owner and professional frisbee player, boasting that his company allows him to travel “anywhere in the world where it is sunny and call it a business trip.” Mike elaborated on why it’s so important to him to be a part of a forward thinking community and give back whenever possible. It is a mission he has engraved into every aspect of Waveborn.
Brittany Heyd, one of the founding team members of 1776 spoke next. “I took a lot of risks with internships,” she noted, including that she had 10 internship roles during her 4 years of undergrad at University of San Diego earning her Juris Doctor / Masters of Public Policy from Georgetown University. Brittany went on to explain why DC is a great place for entrepreneurs, shedding light on key resources such as the abundant “tech talent,” powerful contacts & experts, and the fact that DC is a global nexus for virtually every sector of business from policy on.
Up next was James Li, co-founder and CEO of Encore. Encore is a platform that helps digital marketers identify key social media mentions, advocates, and trends in real time, alerting them with an actionable insight. He was names the 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year at Georgetown University, and has been featured in the Washington Post, NPR, and Washington Business Journal. “I’m here to talk about how easy it is to start a business as a student. It’s not as hard as you may think,” he explained. “Just start working on it; it’s common sense…. Sometimes it’s dumb luck, but normally it’s just common sense.”
Jeff Reid, founding director of the Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Initiative wrapped things up, “The world needs entrepreneurs, people who want to change the world.” Jeff is well known as a leader of entrepreneurship education, having been featured by like likes of Forbes, Princeton Review, and beyond. Before coming to Georgetown University, Jeff founded UNC-Chapel Hill’s Center for Entrepreneurship, growing it from inception to a number 1 national ranking earning him the nomination as one of the top five entrepreneurship center directors in the United States.
Following the speaking engagements, guests were able to choose one of four breakout discussions that were meant to dig deeper into different aspects of entrepreneurship through facilitated discussions.
Exploring the DC Tech Scene was moderated by Brittany Heyd, touching base about how students can engage with the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Washington, DC region.
Social Entrepreneurship was moderated by Mike Malloy, discussing how entrepreneurs create social value as they grow sustainable organizations. His organization donates one pair of eye glasses for every pair of sunglasses sold.
Venture Capital & Angel Investing was moderated by J.S. Gamble and Bobby Ocampo, providing an overview of the early stage investment process and exploring what it’s like to be an investor evaluating companies in addition to figuring out how to position your company for fundraising success.
Entrepreneurship Around the World was moderated by Erin Wily, John Hancock, and Zainab Ali, talking about how entrepreneurship is an important, powerful force for global economic growth, specifically in the developing world.
(click to view)
You can stay updated on upcoming events such as this with Startup Hoyas, and don’t forget to come out to Rebuilding America: Path of the Entrepreneur on Friday, September 20th (free) where there will be a panel discussion and presentations from successful entrepreneurs as well as a pitch competition for collegiate entrepreneurs.
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