November is National Entrepreneurship Month and Suffolk University in Boston celebrated by organizing experiential courses on crowdfunding. During Global Entrepreneurship Week on November 14, students partaking in the programs launched campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo to support their startups. Seven startups and campaigns have launched out of the “ENT-340: Crowdfunding the Startup” Sawyer Business School class. They include:
- Buddha Bus Yoga – “[T]akes Yoga out of the studio by traveling to various locations in New England providing all-inclusive Yoga classes.”
- Upward Bound – “[A] federally-funded program for high school students who are below the poverty line and are the first generation from their family to attend college.”
- WarmUp Protein Coffee – “[A] high-protein coffee targeting fitness-focused, on-the-go people”.
- NEO Miners – “[A] card game that focuses on resource management and economic principles, where each player mines asteroids to collect resources.”
- Vegitano – “[A] health food brand that will offer healthy alternatives to people who eat on a vegan diet, are allergic to dairy and/or gluten.”
- The Wicked Fisha – “[T]his cooler-tackle box combination features a simple design with limitless functionality for its user. It completely eliminates the hassle for fishermen who want to enjoy a (few) cold beverages during a fishing trip.”
- Goliath Gallon – “[A] reusable, BPA-free gallon bottle that comes apart in the middle to allow for easy cleaning and accessibility to add anything you want in it”.
According to Professor Jennifer Dinger, who teaches the course on entrepreneurship:
“While a few other universities are discussing crowdfunding as part of traditional course content, the real-world approach to this course makes it different. Suffolk students in this class are learning how to turn their business ideas into action, and they are going after the funding to support those enterprises.”
The course and the ventures that have risen out of it are prime examples of young people looking to make a difference and celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship in a meaningful way.
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