Start, Launch, or Enhance Your Business
The CIE provides a unique opportunity for student entrepreneurs to get help starting or launching a new business, or to enhance an existing business idea.
Do you own a business already? Do you have a great concept or idea that you want to make a reality? Our goal at the CIE is to help you realize your personal goal, whether you’ve started a business or not. As long as you can articulate your idea and convey your vision¡ªyou’re an excellent candidate to get involved with the CIE.
As a participant in the CIE, we will help you answer three integral questions:
- Is it a good business idea?
- Is it a good business idea for you?
- Is it a good business idea for you, right now?
If the answers are yes, we can help you connect with a network of entrepreneurs, lawyers, accountants, and technical experts who have been where you are and can give you perspective on how to build your business, market your product, and expand your dream. You’ll receive valuable insight into the strategic, financial, legal, technical, operational, and managerial matters you’ll need to know.
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship prepares you for the intricacies of running your business.
The rest? That’s up to you.
Launch With Us
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Students: Launch Your IdeaThe Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship is here to help students develop and grow their own business ideas.
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Partners: Work with UsThe Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship supports and is supported by a number of partners in the 足彩胜负14场 entrepreneurship ecosystem.
CIE Partners
Join the list of our past and current partners by sponsoring an CIE project! Here are just a few organizations that have collaborated with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and its students:
Events & Competitions
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship organizes and sponsors events that are relevant to entrepreneurially-minded students, including Launch Champlain and the Elevator Pitch.
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Elevator Pitch Competition
Get Ready to Pitch!
Champlain College’s Career Collaborative, Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and the Office of Institutional Advancement collaborate to present the Annual Elevator Pitch Competition held during spring semester. The contest invites participating students to give their 90-second “pitch” to an executive (dubbed the “suit”) as they ride together in a fictional elevator. There are three categories of competition:
- Entrepreneurs/Game Developers
- Job/Internship Seekers
- Advocates
The event is patterned on a national competition and teaches students the importance of presenting a “big idea” as succinctly and convincingly as possible. The competition is open to all years and majors. Support and coaching is available from about a dozen volunteer coaches ©¤ faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the College.
Why enter this year’s Elevator Pitch?
- To learn?essential communications?and?networking skills.
- To gain?self-confidence.
- Maybe win some?serious CASH!
- Three $500 first-place prizes
- $2,700 total in cash prizes
- Students can fulfill an InSight Career ¨¤ la Carte milestone.
- Have some?FUN!
Cash Incentives
What’s the incentive¡ªbesides learning an important life skill? Quite simply it’s cash¡ª$2,700 in all-with three $500 first prizes. Second and third-place prizes of $300 and $100 will also be awarded in each of the three pitch categories. Additional prizes of gift certificates to local restaurants are also up for grabs to contestants who earn the “audience favorite” vote.
For further information about the Elevator Pitch Competition, contact:
- Pat Boera, Career Collaborative,?boerap@champlain.edu, (802) 651-5991
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Launch Champlain Competition
Champlain College students with a business OR business idea (operating business is not necessary) may enter the?Launch Champlain?competition and present their business idea to a panel of judges. The winner(s) receive the opportunity to represent Champlain in the Generator and LaunchVT Jump/Start program, as well as cash prizes.
Why compete in Launch?Champlain?
In addition to receiving financial support (with $3,000 in prize money available at this event), it’s a great way to sharpen your idea and learn how to pitch it effectively in order to raise capital and attract both talent and supporters. Mentoring is provided throughout the entire process.
How do you compete?
Competitors will have ten minutes to present their idea. Presentations should provide compelling answers to the following questions:
- What is your business idea?
- Does it solve a problem? For whom?
- How does your business idea work?
- How does it fit into today’s market?
- What makes this idea unique from the competition?
- How will you execute?
- How do you plan to use the prize money to advance your business idea?
I am interested. What’s next?
To find out more or to enter?Launch Champlain, contact Pat Patel, Program Director of CIE at?cie@champlain.edu.
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Generator and LaunchVT Jump/Start
Jump/Start is a product-focused nine-week program designed to connect very early-stage makers with the resources they need to turn their product prototypes into market-ready businesses. JumpStart provides a comprehensive business development program, one-on-one expert mentoring, sophisticated prototyping tool-sets, technical training, free workspace, and more.
I’m developing a juice company, and the Elevator Pitch gave me the opportunity to present it. I explained my company in the best way I could in 90 seconds. That helped boost my self-esteem and gave me more confidence.
Get the Run-Down
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Sarah Ramsey Startup Flight FundThis investment fund?provides students with up to $2,000 in funding per year to support a wide range of work¡ªsuch as testing ideas in-market, prototyping products, or building out websites.
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Sarah Ramsey FellowsSarah Ramsey Fellows are student leaders from the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Sarah Ramsey Fellows receive a stipend of $500 for each semester of service, and they can participate in the?Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, with annual conference registration and travel expenses paid.