Win $2,000 – Moving on Up Contest
Thats right, a whopping $2k for the best business concept for a student-owned business from the University of Michigan-Flint LAUNCH program. The flyer says this about the initiative
“Compete in Moving On Up, a business concept competition hosted by Launch at the University of Michigan-Flint. In a short video, students can pitch their business ideas to real world investors, business people and the local community.”
This contest is giving away prizes in all the following categories:
- Best Business Concept for a Student-Owned Business – $2,000 Grand Prize
- Best Video from each college: Baker, Kettering, Mott and UM-Flint – $250 each
- Best Social Entrepreneurship Concept – $500 Prize
- Best College Club or Greek Organization Video Pitch – $500 Prize
- Best High School Business Concept – $250 Best Buy gift card
Take a look at the flyer here, and get involved!
POCO Labs Talks Product Development
Concluding a trip to Brussels and Seattle, Tim Woods from POCO Labs sat down with the Kettering Entrepreneur Society Wednesday the 14th to talk about his experience in product development and strategic consulting. Tim has consulted companies like Microsoft, Sprint, and Toyota. Here is a little Q&A we caught from the luncheon:
Q: What is the hardest thing about your job as a consultant?
A: Clients. (with a laugh)
Q: What is the most recent project you can tell us about?
A: I was just in Brussels, Belgium, working with Proctor and Gamble, collaborating with other kitchen appliance manufacturers to come up with innovative solutions and products.
Q: Is there anything specifically you see being a “game-changer” for technology markets in the next 10 years?
A: Applying the human genome and nanotechnology will begin to be commercialized and create markets. Finding mass consumer applications in these areas of science will help create capital for more research, and allow those fields to grow at an amazing rate.
Tim is a great guy, and has created his own successes through hard work and honesty to his clients. Tim says “I had no idea two years ago I would be working in the markets I am in, and thats whats so cool about it.” To find out more about POCO Labs and Tim visit his website.
KES Donates 50 Shirts to Shelter of Flint
The Kettering Entrepreneur Society is all about business, but this Tuesday they reached out to the Flint community in a big way. About two years ago the group received some t-shirts and polo-style shirts with the word “Entrepreneur” spelt wrong, an error the printer made while processing the logo. The mistake wasn’t realized for a while, and in the end, the shirts couldn’t be re-printed. The KES students took a step towards social entrepreneurialism, and contacted Gary Haggart from the Shelter of Flint to donate these to those in need. Gary said “Wow, I was expecting just some t-shirts, these are nice polos!”, which assured the society that these would be going to good use. KES member Matt Gaidica responded “It is good to see them put to use, we had no need for them anymore.”
Gary stayed and talked with Matt a little about some entrepreneurial ideas that have taken place in the shelters he is a part of. If you would like to get in touch with the Shelter of Flint, visit their website here.
TechVenture Underway: Be Your Own Boss
If the title caught your eye, you need to check out what is happening every Wednesday night at the FastTrac TecVenture program. Neil Sheridan, Director of Kettering’s TechWorks facility leads this program and says “The TechVenture program is designed to take ordinary people, and introduces them to the framework needed to run their own business.” See the event details here and be sure to get involved if being your own boss sounds like something you would like to be doing!
What is TechWorks?
“As part of Kettering University, the TechWorks can support your new company’s Research & Development requirements with state-of-the-art laboratories and expert faculty for consultation and, potentially, collaboration. We operate a business incubator space with shared services and attractively priced rental rates for a first-class office setting with an excellent technology infrastructure.”
You can find more information about TechWorks and it’s initiatives on the website here.
Formula Zero Team Runs on Hydrogen
The Kettering Formula Zero Team, or the “Rainmakers”, might be something new to you. The Rainmakers just got up and running during the summer of 2009 and are a state-of-the-art racing team. The team will be competing in a 2010 race circuit in which each team must build a kart, and the catch is, it cant use gas. The kart will reach speeds in excess of 35mph, and will use primarily hydrogen fuel-cell power. The team is broken down into various sections including electrical, power train, fuel cell, and controls divisions. Each division is responsible for their own specialty, while still maintaining a multi-disciplinary outlook and keeping team unity at the forefront.
The Rainmaker’s are looking for young talented leaders to be part of the team. You can get in touch with the team through the contact form on their website here.
FlowerHouse Owner Goes Green with Senior Capstone Students
Local Entrepreneur Scott Wehner and owner of FlowerHouses gave the senior capstone class a visit and donated one of his “pop-up” greenhouses for their capstone project entitled “Greenhouse Climate Control System”. This is one of two projects the class members got to choose from, with the mission to create a full electronic control system to monitor, log, and actually control the environment inside a greenhouse. The seniors, comprised of electrical engineering and computer science/engineering majors will work in teams of 3-5 to design, build, and implement their control systems.
Scott was able to give the class some insight into how he runs his international business, doing his sales and manufacturing throughout countries like Germany, China, France, Canada, and the United States. Scott says “I was originally in sporting goods, and I used the structure of a pop-up hunting blind to create my first portable greenhouse.” Scott went on to explain how he has secured patents for his products, and how his company has become extremely flexible due to new-age technologies, “I can email China with a sketch today, and have parts next week. Its literally that fast, and that easy.” We are looking forward to a follow-up at Kettering with Scott.
The teams are expected to present their ideas for their system this week in class, and will work throughout the next couple months to build their systems.
KES Votes New Leadership
The Kettering Entrepreneur Society voted in a new group of leaders at their first meeting of the term on Tuesday, October 6th. More commonly reffered to as ”KES”, this group meets once a week to discuss a wide variety of entrepreneurial and business topics. The new leaders have specific tasks and initiatives for each term, and help the society grow as a whole.
KES has been an active organization since its creation in 2006, and is supported most heavily by the Kern Foundation. There are many grant and seed funding opportunities in the group as well as networking opportunities on and off campus. The new KES website is in the making, but if you want to be a part of the action, check it our here.
The new leaders are as follows:
- President – Brad Birdsall
- Vice President – James Cooper
- Director of IT – Jordan Ruthe
- Director of Media – Matt Gaidica
- Director of Marketing – Jacob Reaume
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