US Southeast

 

 

ROLLINS COLLEGE

Crummer Graduate School of Business

Center for Entrepreneurship

 

A Gateway to World of Entrepreneurship

Since its inception four years ago, The Center for Entrepreneurship has put our graduate and undergraduate students on a fast track to the world of entrepreneurial business. We supplement our outstanding classroom teaching with a series of dynamic, practical, and innovative experiential programs that provide our students with actual exposure to the “real world” of entrepreneurial business. In its role as a gateway to Central Florida’s vibrant business community, the Center maintains close relationships with entrepreneurial businesses in industries as diverse as entertainment, banking, real estate development, simulation, manufacturing and more.

 

As part of the Number 1 ranked MBA in Florida by Forbes magazine, we offer a truly extraordinary entrepreneurial education:

 

First Movers

First Movers is our first micro-business, and has been operated and managed by our students for four years. It provides invaluable opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to experience the nitty-gritty details of running a small business, and allows the students to learn firsthand from their successes…and mistakes.

It’s a true hand-on education.

 

ATHENA PowerLink

The Center for Entrepreneurship is the host organization for the ATHENA PowerLink program, which provides mentoring to women-owned businesses in Central Florida. Our students work in tandem with successful local entrepreneurs to help develop strategy, operational plans, etc. for the emerging businesses.

 

Rollins College Dream Team

This exciting and innovative program allows the most promising student business plans the chance to move from an academic exercise to an entrepreneurial reality. Each plan is matched with a Dream Team specially selected to meet the specific needs of the student business. We provide a variety of free services, along with useful contacts and networking opportunities all designed to help the students successfully launch their new ventures.

 

Entrepreneurial Networking

We are committed to fostering relationships with local businesses, so that we can offer our students an extraordinary entrepreneurial education, and the opportunity to interact with business leaders on a personal basis. To enhance our relationships and attract the owners of those businesses, we offer extensive seminars and workshops for local entrepreneurs. In turn, the CEO’s of those businesses are generous with the time and resources they offer our students. They sit on our board, are members of the Dream Team, and participate in the ATHENA PowerLink program. In addition, local entrepreneurs are guest lecturers, they meet our students over coffee, they provide internships, they act as mentors, and they offer jobs to our students.

 

The seminars and workshops include:

• Real Estate Development: Case Studies by the Masters
• Tactical Planning: Your Cure for the Common Strategy workshop
• Exit Strategies for Privately Held Companies

 

Entrepreneurship Consulting Program

Because of our extensive network of local businesses, we are able to place faulty-supervised teams of students, into those businesses to work on projects for which they will receive class credit.

 

Competitions

Last fall we hosted the inaugural Crummer Challenge, a feasibility competition for a selected business concept. Prize money was provided to the top three teams. We also co-host the Sunshine State Venture Challenge, which is the state-wide business plan contest. Last year, 36 colleges and universities were invited to send students to compete in two tracks. The contest is held in October. In March, we host the Crummer Business Plan Contest in which students compete for prize money and for a chance to compete in the Sunshine State Venture Challenge.

 

 

Contact Information:

Tom Kruczek

Executive Director

407-646-2067

tkruczek@rollins.edu

 

Michael Bowers, Ph.D.

Associate Director

Professor of Entrepreneurship

mbowers@rollins.edu