Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship

Today, the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship partnered with Wells Fargo to host a screening of "Show Her The Money," an award-winning documentary highlighting four amazing women entrepreneurs who have beaten the odds to secure venture capital funding – and their ecosystem of supporters in the investment community. Dozens of AU students attended the screening along with local women entrepreneurs, financiers and business leaders. Jasmine Jones, an entrepreneur featured in the film, shared her journey and offered insights on the challenges entrepreneurs face. Her story sparked a meaningful discussion about funding, equity, and the future of women-led businesses, leaving our audience inspired and eager to continue the conversation. “It was amazing to see successful women in business, especially those I didn’t know about. There aren’t many well-known female entrepreneurs to look up to, so it’s inspiring to see women making an impact and paving the way for the next generation.” - Angelina Lombardo, BSBA ‘27 A huge thank you to Julie Spadora, Regional Sales Director for Wells Fargo, for making this event possible and for supporting the Veloric Center’s mission to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs! Check out the trailer here!: https://lnkd.in/gDeyU9Cj David Marchick, Parthiban David, Gary Veloric, Mark Clark, Tommy White, Danielle Vogel, Zach Vlahos, Stacy L. Merida, Ayman Omar, Casey Evans, Caroline Lewis Bruckner, Rene Thomas, Dan Kopman, Caron Garcia Martinez, American University - Kogod School of Business

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients is a DC native, and his career has taken him from corporate board rooms to the most hallowed halls of government. But there are more similarities than differences between those two worlds, he told a packed room earlier today at the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship. Missed the event? Watch the full recording: https://lnkd.in/efHMzAXD

On Friday, National Basketball Association (NBA) legend and founder of Helen Holdings Jamal Mashburn shared his incredible journey from pro-athlete to successful investor, entrepreneur, and business leader in front of a packed house. Home to many of AU's student-athletes, Kogod's sports-to-biz opportunities are unmatched. Learn more about the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship: https://lnkd.in/eYtRTGKp

With American University - Kogod School of Business classes starting Monday, the energy is already building for an inspiring new school year! ? Throughout Orientation Week, the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship has welcomed incoming students with engaging activities that set the stage for a fantastic year ahead. Tommy White energized over 70 Kogod graduate MBA and MS students with a presentation about entrepreneurship opportunities on campus. At the same time, first-year undergraduate business majors dove into a scavenger hunt that led them to discover the many resources the Veloric Center has to offer. Here's to a year full of growth, innovation, and unforgettable experiences! David Marchick, Parthiban David, Zach Vlahos, Gary Veloric, Tommy White, Danielle Vogel, Tom K., Dan Kopman, Mark Clark, Casey Evans, Courtney Surls, Gustavo de Campos Abbott, Linda Aldoory

We are thrilled to share that the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship has been highlighted in Inside Higher Ed's (IHE) "Student Success Hub"! ? The IHE article?chronicles our ten-year journey, from our early beginnings of “figuring it out as we go” to becoming a nationally ranked entrepreneurship program. It is a fun and insightful read! ? We are immensely proud of our entire community of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and all those who have played a role in our success. We extend our deepest gratitude to AU/Kogod leadership, the entrepreneurship leadership teams over the years, the members of our entrepreneurship advisory council, and our dedicated instructors, coaches, mentors, judges, and guest speakers.? ? Most importantly, we thank the students who have consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation with their willingness to take risks and become the leaders of tomorrow. David Marchick, Parthiban David, Zach Vlahos, Gary Veloric, Tommy White, Danielle Vogel, Tom K., Dan Kopman, Mark Clark, Casey Evans, Courtney Surls, Gustavo de Campos Abbott, Linda Aldoory, American University - Kogod School of Business

We're thrilled to announce the winners of our 2024 Startup & Standout Solution Slam! ?? For two weeks, nearly 160 American University students from diverse backgrounds collaborated on innovative solutions to real-world problems. Our virtual grand finale showcased the incredible talent and inspiring ideas of the six teams that competed for $10,000 in prize money. Huge congratulations to our winners!? ?? VisionPulse: Joseph Atchulo, Angelina Lombardo, Niveditha Pillamari ?? SproutUp!: Bright Amenyo, Paschalina Paraschou, Sam Scherban ?? Nutrition To-Go: Isabela Barriga, Caleb Tebo, Sara Velcani Thank you to our incredible judges Samantha Bendt, Lisa Francis, Taylor Mason, Jill Olmstead, Lisa Rosenthal, Yasmina Thomure, Peter To, Mark Ware, Patty Caballero, Brendan Doherty, Garrett Ramela, Cameron Ross, Natahcia Scott, MBA and Michael Veloric for contributing their time to this talented group of students. Thank you to Kelsey Wali and Chris Hung from the Kogod Student Development Office, as well as Caron Garcia Martinez and Sara Weinstock from the Center for Professionalism and Communications for your support and collaboration that made this event an extraordinary success. The Veloric Center is committed to fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs. Stay tuned for the Changemaker Challenge! David Marchick, Parthiban David, Mark Clark, Tom K., Zach Vlahos, Shari Pattillo, Gary Veloric, Tommy White, Danielle Vogel, Madison Hall, Courtney Surls, American University - Kogod School of Business

The Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship was thrilled to co-host Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)’s Capital Region Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge on June 12th! 10 exceptional middle and high school student entrepreneurs showcased their innovative business concepts during a student business expo and pitch competition, with over 60 people attending. VCE Director Tommy White and Meg Jensen Stewart, Executive Director, NFTE Capital Region, welcomed the guests to our center.?Four exceptional student entrepreneurs then took the spotlight with seven minute presentations of their business plans followed by three minutes of Q&A with the judges.?? The judges included VCE Assistant Director Danielle Vogel, Jan Baker (The Innovashion Group, NFTE Class of 2000); Anthony Calderazzi (EY, NFTE Capital Advisory Board); Andrew J. Sherman (Brown Rudnick LLP) and Tim Wills (Wills Companies). Bryan Myers ([solidcore]) was the keynote speaker for the evening! A special congratulations to Atman Patel from Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, who took home the first place prize and Keith Harris from KIPP DC College Preparatory School, the first runner up! J.D. LaRock, J.D., Ed.D., President and CEO of NFTE presented the winning checks to all four students, who will move on to compete on October 12th at the 2024 National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Finals in New York City. We are so impressed by all of the students and their entrepreneurial spirit. Events like these underscore the importance of fostering young talent and supporting the next generation of innovators. Congratulations to all who took part, and thank you to everyone who attended and supported this inspiring event. Suzanne Robbins Taylor, Paul Wilder, David Marchick, Parthiban David, American University - Kogod School of Business, Gary Veloric, Mark Clark, Tom K.

The Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenges are nearing the finish line, and we're excited to see the top competitors who will be vying for the National Champion title in New York City this October. The latest event was the Capital Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in Washington, D.C., where four local student businesses emerged as winners. The competitors pitched their original business concepts to a panel of esteemed judges, including NFTE alumna Jan Baker, Experience and Service Designer at the Innovashion group; Anthony Calderazzi, Assurance Partner at EY; Andrew J. Sherman, Partner at Brown Rudnick LLP; Danielle Vogel, Assistant Director of the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship at American University; and Tim Wills, Principal, Wills Companies. Congratulations to: ?? Atman Patel from Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore with his business idea Story Crafters, which makes custom digital books about the customer, aiming to ignite a love of reading in all children. ?? Keith Harris from KIPP DC College Preparatory School with his business idea Tactful Tutors, which empowers students to unlock their full potential by providing the tools and knowledge to foster and develop confidence, critical thinking, and academic excellence. Special thanks to our keynote speaker, Bryan Myers, President & CEO of [solidcore], and our emcee, NFTE alumnus, rommie hooper! The NFTE Capital Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge was presented by EY and American University's Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship, with signature support from Shopify and associate support from the Citi Foundation, PayPal, the Benjamin B. Wills III Charitable Foundation, and Santander!

We invite all incoming and current AU students to join us this summer for our annual, online entrepreneurship festival & competition: Startup & Standout 2024! When: July 8-24, 2024 Where: Online - participate from anywhere! Don’t miss the chance to interact with emerging entrepreneurs, hone your presentation skills, and work with other AU students to create and pitch an idea for a venture to maximize your social impact – for $10,000 in prize money! Register now to make sure you don't miss out! Register at bit.ly/suso2024 by July 5th. Tommy White, Danielle Vogel, Madison Hall, Kelsey Wali, Chris Hung, American University - Kogod School of Business, David Marchick, Parthiban David, Casey Evans, Ayman Omar