2020 Brandeis Innovation Summer of Opportunity
Brandeis Innovation: Summer of Opportunity
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What do Venmo, WhatsApp, Groupon, and Airbnb have in common? They were all inspired by the problems highlighted by the 2008 economic recession.
How can you proactively respond to the problems highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic? This is your opportunity to use your skillset to meaningfully solve these problems.
Only you know what you are capable of. We are here to help you identify a viable business idea and bring that to life. In each speaker session, you will have the opportunity to present your idea and receive feedback from startup experts.
Speakers will share their expertise from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays May 26- June 23. There is one additional session on June 3. There will be a virtual networking event on June 30.
Featured Event
Vivekanand Vimal ‘17, PhD - Finding Inspiration
5:30-6:30 p.m. May 26, 2020
Learn practical tips on how to find and keep your inspiration from Vivek, a postdoc in the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Lab. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create storylines, frameworks that weave together the different aspects of your life, to focus your creative output, by exploring a case study on how Vivek applies the storyline concept in his own work. Prepare to come away with practical ideas on how to keep your creative energy up in the midst of competing priorities, and life’s downs and ups.
Feel free to contact him and you can learn more about him from his website: https://sites.google.com/view/vivekanandpandeyvimal
Upcoming Events
Jay Freeman ‘13, BA - Developing your Product
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 2, 2020
In this workshop, learn how to bring ideas to market through product strategy, design, and engineering.
Jay Freeman previously founded Tinker Growth , a venture studio tailored for founders to create digital products and launch companies. Tinker Growth is committed to helping founders drive their mission, create meaningful customer experiences, and build sustainable businesses.
Jay is also the Founder & CEO of Bourn.io , an AI-powered visual commerce platform that lets consumers buy whatever they see. Bourn creates discovery experiences by seamlessly combining visual content with commerce, inspiring everyone to shop anywhere, anytime.
Christina Inge - Marketing Your Startup: Finding Customers
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 3, 2020
You have a great idea - now you need customers. Learn cost-effective ways to get the word out about your product or service to the right customers. Get an action plan to market your product, including:
- Creating an eye-catching brand
- Building a website that generates sales leads
- Promoting your company using social media, advertising, word-of-mouth, and proven sales techniques
- Managing the sales process to close more sales
Christina Inge is the Online Infrastructure Manager at Brandeis Innovation. The founder & CEO of Thoughtlight, a Boston-based digital marketing agency, she has led marketing and launch strategies for tech startups, leading nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies. Her focus is on using digital media to build relationships between brands and their target consumers in an authentic, data-driven way that builds lasting traction. She teaches marketing at Northeastern University and Harvard University and is the author of the forthcoming book, Fundamentals of Marketing Analytics.
Bozhanka Vitanova ‘16, MA - Building a Startup Team
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 9, 2020
Learn the process of building the people skills you need to transition from a Founder to a CEO. In this workshop, you’ll learn tips on finding the right people and building the skills and cognitive diversity balance for your team.
Bozhanka Vitanova is NSF I-Corps Instructor at Brandeis University and co-founder and managing director of EML Solutions on a mission to build a collaborative future of work. EML’s solution TeamLift provides a data driven approach to manage collaboration inside large organizations. EML’s solution LiftSME supports the internationalization of SMEs from select developing economies. Vitanova is a Fulbright scholar, Global Shaper with the Boston Hub, and One Young World Ambassador.
Fundraising for a Startup ‘84, BA-Dan Scheinman
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 16, 2020
Dan Scheinman will go over how to raise funding for a startup and what investors look for.
Scheinman is an angel investor deploying his own capital. Scheinman has invested in over 15 tech companies since 2011, and has been part of well over $50B of value creation. Scheinman has been through two IPOs (Arista and Zoom) where he was an early investor and board member, and one near unicorn sale (Treasure Data sold to ARM). Scheinman has also invested in 2 other unicorns (SentinelOne and Tango.me). Before launching his investment business, Scheinman was a longtime executive at Cisco Systems, where he ran Corporate Development among other roles.
Building a Brand - Derrick Duplessy
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 23, 2020
Virtual Networking Event with Entrepreneurs
5:30-6:30 p.m. June 30, 2020