Four Judges, Three Innovative Ideas, Two Hours, One Grand Prize

Four judges, three innovative ideas, two hours, but only one grand prize.  With that much on the line you’d think the room would be tense in Smith Labs 155 for Holy Cross’ annual Shark Tank competition. Instead, it was welcoming and as Professor Chu put it, this was a space to “let our entrepreneurial juices flow.” The five judges stood to introduce themselves as Tom Flynn ‘87, managing partner at SV Life Sciences, Ed Mclaughlin ’78 founder of Blue Sunsets LLC and author of The Purpose is Profit, Bryan Sparkes ‘04, EVP and National Director at JLL and last but certainly not least, April Lukasik, parent of 2016 Holy Cross grad Sydney Zeferina-Pugliares, Founder & President of Bright & Early Children’s Learning Centers.

Dylan Olivera ’17, started the evening with a ride-sharing idea initiative called Splitrips, offering a fun, friendly and affordable alternative way to travel by introducing carpooling to college campuses. He tested the market by creating carpooling Facebook groups at various campuses and received many positive reactions.

Paul Wiley ‘20 then pitched his startup, PW Industries, specializing in custom handcrafted executive products and jewelry for the promotional product industry.  PW Industries has been running for three years and has clients like Lamborghini and Holy Cross, with hopes to expand this year to more corporations and test other college campus bookstores.  These pens are handcrafted and can be personalized according to the client.

Mary Kate Vanecko ’17 introduced her idea, Ella, a jewelry company that empowers girls to find their strengths. Ella was inspired by Mary Kate’s goddaughter, Ella, who at the age of four spreads positivity to everyone around her. Unfortunately, girls can begin to have a negative body image earlier than becoming a teenager. Her jewelry and message resonated with the judges, which they believe could connect with many young girls around the world.

The presentations ended and it was decision time.  The judges left the room to pick a winner.  After a very long 45 minutes, Professor Chu and the four judges re-entered the room. Now the room was tense.  Everyone did so well, there was no clear winner.  Professor Chu then announced Paul Wiley ‘20 as the winner of the Entrepreneurship Deep Dive! Paul received  $12,000, an alumni mentor, membership to the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, The Worcester Clean Tech Incubator and the Venture Forum.  The night ended and everyone left with their entrepreneurial juices flowing for next year’s Shark Tank.

 

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Thank you to Rosangel Cruz Cabrera ’18 for her recap of this year’s exciting Shark Tank competition.  Congratulations to Paul Wiley ’20 and thank you to our judges –  Tom Flynn ’87, April Lukasik P16, Ed McLaughlin ’78 and Bryan Sparkes ’04.  See you next year!

Cassie Gevry
Associate Director, COES & Prebusiness Program
College of the Holy Cross

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FUTURE STEPS WORKSHOP

jb17<< MEET JULIA BAKER ’17 – “I’m a Psychology major and in the COES Professional Certificate Program here at Holy Cross. Last spring I completed the Marketing Communications and Sales workshop, and this past summer I was an Account Management Intern at BBDO. Working at an advertising agency gave me real world experience, but I am still anxious about job applications and interviews.

I am eager to participate in the Future Steps Workshop because I think it will be beneficial to reflect on my experiences at Holy Cross and develop my personal brand. I want to be able to take my liberal arts education, Psychology major and internship experience, to create a narrative that will demonstrate my value to future employers. This workshop will help me discover more about myself and help me through this critical time in my career path.”

Julia will be participating in the Future Steps Workshop over winter break to better prepare herself for interviews during senior year.  Join her to learn more about how to showcase your value to future employers, and connect your liberal arts education to the marketplace.

Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 1st 11:59pM
Workshop Dates: January 19-20, 2017
*This workshop is the capstone workshop required to complete COES Professional Certificate Program. Students must have completed Fullbridge and two alumni-led workshops prior to registering for Future Steps.

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WANT TO COMPETE IN SHARK TANK?

SaderSandbox: Idea Session, Round 2🔔
Now worries if you missed the first brainstorming session, your second chance is right around the corner!

Join HCEG on Tuesday, November 1st for our final Idea Session where you will:
– get feedback/advice from experienced entrepreneurs
– meet potential team members
– learn next steps in competing in the annual Shark Tank

Don’t let this opportunity float away – we hope to see you there!
> Tuesday, November 1 at 7pm in Stein 216
> Free pizza and refreshments
> #12Kontheline

RSVP REQUIRED: Upcoming Prebusiness Events!

The fall semester at Holy Cross is always a great time to reconnect with your friends and make new connections.  I encourage you to make plans with these friends to attend some of our upcoming Prebusiness events. Some have food, but they all have great speakers.  See you there!

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Prebusiness hosts Sanctae Crucis honoree Tom Carey ’66
Tom Carey ’66 is the former executive vice president of Omnicom Group Inc. His responsibilities included the strategic development, networking, resourcing and integration of Omnicom companies for the benefit of major clients of the group, such as Daimler Chrysler, Mars, PepsiCo and others. He also participated in evaluation of strategic acquisitions for the company. Previously, Tom was president of BBDO North America and co-CEO of the New York office.  Tom is a member of the Board of Advisers at the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, where he received his master’s degree in journalism in 1967, and a former Trustee of College of the Holy Cross.
>Friday – September 30th from 2:30-3:30PM in Hogan TBA
RSVP: bit.ly/SCawards2016rsvp

 

screen-shot-2016-09-22-at-2-59-31-pmBusiness As Vocation – You have to do well to do good.
JOIN US for dinner and discussion with Tom Beecher ‘56, Chairman of the Board of Barrantys LLC, who will share life lessons from his 50+ years in business. Mr. Beecher is also chair emeritus of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), a nonprofit corporation founded to cultivate a world-class medical campus in downtown Buffalo, and he co-founded a Buffalo Inner-City Scholarship Opportunity Network, which funds scholarships for low-income students. Learn how he managed various businesses, and how ethical business practices adds value to the common good.
>Tuesday, October 4th @ 5:30pm in Hogan 320
Dinner RSVP link: https://goo.gl/gmpExc

 

screen-shot-2016-09-22-at-3-00-35-pmThe Purpose Is Profit: The Truth about Starting and Building Your Own Business
DINNER SPEAKER: Ed “Skip” McLaughlin ’78, Author
Do you feel the pull to start your own business? Tired of working for others? Learn from Ed “Skip” McLaughlin, who left his high-level corporate position to start not one but two new businesses. Discover what to do and what not to do to create your own successful startup. “The Purpose Is Profit” eliminates the mystery of becoming an entrepreneur. FREE BOOK INCLUDED.
>Tuesday, October 18th @ 5:30pm – 7:30pm in Hogan 408
DINNER RSVP: http://goo.gl/VmTq7e

 

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*NEW* Workshop – Global Supply Chain Management

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Global Supply Chain Management Workshop: REGISTER NOW!
No resume, no cover letter, just register!

This new alumni led workshop will provide hands-on experience to help you understand how a global supply chain gets things made and delivered to where customers are. Everything we wear, eat, drive, and consume comes through an organized supply chain from different parts of the world.  Gain political, cultural, and ethical insights from experienced alumni from issues they’ve dealt with that are inherent in managing a global supply chain.

This new workshop will be two days, held over fall break and is open to all majors/class years.

BONUS: it counts towards the business workshops milestone for the COES Professional Certificate Program!

Program Dates: Monday & Tuesday, October 10 & 11, 2016

Online Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 29, 2016 by 11:59PM

CLICK HERE to register and learn more about the four alumni who will be leading this workshop!

Thanks to Ben Lodge ’18, our Student Assistant, for his detailed description of this new workshop. We are very excited to be expanding our workshop line-up and look forward to welcoming these alumni to campus this fall.  Hope you can join us!

Cassie Gevry
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

BACK2BUSINESS + FREE PIZZA🍕

Screen Shot 2016-09-02 at 3.59.14 PMThe summer has ended and that means it’s time to get back to business!

JOIN US  on Wednesday, September 14th  at 5PM in Stein 120 to discuss the COES Professional Program, office hours, prebusiness advisors, and recommended courses – and more.

Interested in a specific area of business? We will also have student chairs from all of the Prebusiness clubs which include finance, marketing and sales, communications and advertising, and entrepreneurship. See below for more information on these club leaders and feel free to reach out to them with any questions you make have.

If that’s not enough to get you excited, there will also be FREE PIZZA! We hope to see you there!

HC ENTREPRENEURS GROUP (HCEG)
Reilly Bloom ’18, rcbloo18@g.holycross.edu
Matt Casale ’18, mpcasa18@g.holycross.edu (abroad)
Dimitri Savidis ’18, dsavid18@g.holycross.edu (abroad)

HC SALES GROUP
Clayton Krueger ’17, CDKRUE17@g.holycross.edu
Tom Cotter ’17, tcott17@g.holycross.edu

THE AGENCY
Caroline Keane ’17, cekean17@g.holycross.edu
Matthew Brown ’18, mpbrow18@g.holycross.edu
Casey Carty ’18, cacart18@g.holycross.edu (abroad)
Carter Mitchell ’19, csmitc19@g.holycross.edu 

THE FINANCE CLUB
Carson Marsh ’17, chmars17@g.holycross.edu
Michael Sixsmith ’17, mwsixs17@g.holycross.edu

Thanks to Sarah Slipek ’17, our Student Assistant, for her detailed description of this upcoming campus event. Like she said, hope to see you there! As always – check out the new COES instapage @HCPrebusiness – and watch for future student write-ups of Prebusiness events.
Cassie Gevry
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

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HC Entrepreneurs Group Summer Networking Event

HCEG_networkingKick off summer with fellow Crusader entrepreneurs and Holy Cross students working in Boston summer internships. Take this opportunity to enjoy a summer evening after work and be introduced to HCEG, mingle with colleagues, and make some new connections!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Bostonia Public House
131 State Street
Boston, MA

$20 (Students are FREE)
Hors d’oeuvres will be provided
Cash bar

REGISTER ONLINE BY JUNE 13: http://bit.ly/1rXiQK6

*NEW* Workshop – Coming Fall 2016

Mark Your Calendars! Fall 2016 Global Supply Chain workshop

The COES Prebusiness Office is excited to announce this new two-day alumni-led workshop designed to help you acquire hands-on experience in understanding how a global supply chain gets things made and delivered to where customers are. It is a great opportunity to connect with alumni and learn about the cycle of everything we wear, eat, drive, and consume. The alumni below offer different perspectives meaning you will also be exposed to the political, cultural, and ethical issues inherent in managing a global supply chain.

The Global Supply Chain workshop will be two days held over fall break and is open to all majors/class years.

Program Dates: Monday & Tuesday, October 10 & 11, 2016

Online Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 29, 2016 by 11:59PM

REGISTER HERE!!!

This new workshop counts towards the business workshops milestone for the COES Professional Certificate Program.  And Yes! We said alumni-led. Below are the alumni that you will have a chance to network with and learn from:

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(Left) William Liesman ’72  is an International Business Consultant for Liesman Consulting in Winchester, California.

(Center Left) Peter Mondani ’79 is the Senior Human Resources leader-Global Risk Management at General Electric Co. He is responsible for financial leadership development and human resources for over 16,000 finance employees from entry level through senior executives. He is also part of the The Holy Cross Gridiron Club Leadership Council.

(Center Right) Ted Pidcock ’88 is the founder and manager an apparel company, Chillybears. He also developed and sold a multi-location retail concept called Custom Caps as well as developed Teddy the Dog which is distributed in the US and Canada.

(Right) Cynthia White ’95 is the President & Lead Consultant at the Ceatro Group.  The Ceatro Group is one of the leading research and consulting firms.  For more than 17 years she has been helping organizations achieve greater results internally and externally.  She has consulting and research experience in North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa.