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Tag: Entrepreneurship

  • Engineers in India found more startups than MBA grads. What are B-schools doing to nudge students towards entrepreneurship?

    Engineers in India found more startups than MBA grads. What are B-schools doing to nudge students towards entrepreneurship?

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    Within the small number of students in India that take up entrepreneurship, engineer-founders dominate the landscape. Graduates from the other islands of educational excellence in the country—B-schools, especially the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)—have mostly stuck to risk-averse corporate jobs. One would imagine B-school graduates to be at the forefront of setting up new businesses, having soaked up business expertise during their management course. But that’s not the case. Sample this: there are 5,489 start-ups founded by graduates of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)—Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, and Roorkee— while graduates of IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta) have produced 1,517 start-ups as of October 10, 2022, per Tracxn data. Of India’s 108 unicorns, 60 have founders from the same set of seven IITs mentioned above while 25 have founders from IIMA, IIMB and IIMC. It would be accurate to say that there are way more engineer-founders in the country today than manager-founders.

    While management graduates taking to entrepreneurship straight out of college may continue to be a small number for the foreseeable future, B-schools are not immune to the charms of the start-up space. “We decided some years ago that every MBA student at IIMB needs to develop an entrepreneurial orientation,” says Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director of IIMB. Bhagwan Chowdhry, Faculty Director of I-Venture@ISB, the start-up accelerator and incubator of the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, says that ISB was started 20 years ago with the idea of preparing managers to work for the Amazons and Googles. “Now, we notice that many of our alumni graduate from those corporate jobs, and start companies of their own. Today, entrepreneurship is a big piece of business education,” he adds. Great Lakes’ mission is to develop future-ready business leaders as well as entrepreneurs. “We want to participate in the start-up ecosystem. Entrepreneurship is a core part of our curriculum,” says Suresh Ramanathan, Dean of Chennai-based Great Lakes Institute of Management.

    Also Read: Most start-ups are founded by engineers. What about MBA graduates? Are they only good for working for others?

    The way they look at it, it’s not necessarily about producing start-up founders and certainly not right after B-school. But it’s about creating a problem-solving mindset among students and showing them that they do not have to limit themselves to working for large corporates. And the institutes are stepping up their efforts to inspire entrepreneurial thinking. For instance, The IIMAvericks Fellowship Program, launched by IIMA in 2012-13, pays final-year students deciding to become entrepreneurs a salary for two years. If their start-up doesn’t work out, they can come back and sit for placements again. ISB has launched a similar one-year scholarship for students interested in entrepreneurship from the class of 2023. IIMB—which is located in India’s start-up capital of Bengaluru—introduced a compulsory course on entrepreneurship a few years ago, has an active entrepreneurship club, gets students to work with the companies incubated on campus, and offers deferred placements. Great Lakes—which has seen healthy enrolments for the entrepreneurship courses introduced last year—is also exploring start-up scholarships. But the professors admit that adoption is very low. “I won’t say that there’s a large number of current students who are interested [in the scholarship programme]. But there are many others in whom we are planting the seeds, because we know they will be back in this game five years from now,” says Chowdhry.

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  • This millennial took a gamble during the pandemic. Now her startup has raised over $225 million

    This millennial took a gamble during the pandemic. Now her startup has raised over $225 million

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    When the Covid pandemic was raging in 2020, much of the world was in lockdown and more turned to online shopping.

    But Chrisanti Indiana did the unexpected: she expanded her e-commerce business — offline.

    Her beauty and personal care e-commerce startup, Sociolla, had just two brick-and-mortar stores in Indonesia in 2019. By the end of 2021, that number grew “10 times” more, she said.

    “A lot of people actually told us that it’s a very bold move to actually open an offline presence, while everybody was closing their offline stores [during the pandemic],” she added. 

    But that was a “well-calculated” move for Social Bella, which operates Sociolla. 

    We know that this is the time for us to actually prepare … to make sure that after the pandemic, we can serve more and more consumers.

    Chrisanti Indiana

    Co-founder and CMO, Sociolla

    “We know that this is the time for us to actually prepare … to make sure that after the pandemic, we can serve more and more consumers,” she added. 

    Looking far ahead turned out to be the right move for the 31-year-old. Her online and offline approach transformed her e-commerce startup into a multimillion-dollar beauty conglomerate.  

    Since 2018, it has raised around $225 million, and drawn an impressive list of investors that include East Ventures, Jungle Ventures, Temasek and Pavilion Capital.  

    Indiana, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Social Bella, tells CNBC Make It how she took her Jakarta-based startup to the next level.

    Tackling counterfeits  

    The idea for Sociolla came about in 2015, when Indiana returned home to Jakarta, after studying in Australia.  

    The makeup junkie realized that in Australia, she had easy access to a wide range of beauty products from international brands. That was a stark contrast to Indonesia.

    “There was lot of options for me, but then I came back and there’s basically none,” said Indiana. 

    “There wasn’t a platform that had it all — I had to find specific sellers on social media, ask friends who can help purchase the product for you [when they are] overseas.”

    What made matters worse for her was the online proliferation of counterfeit makeup products that were sometimes selling at “a fraction” of the original’s price. 

    I still remember vividly in my mind that there’s a lot of like sellers online, especially on social media, that claim their products are 99% authentic. What does that mean, 99% authentic?

    Chrisanti Indiana

    Co-founder and CMO, Sociolla

    “I still remember vividly in my mind that there’s a lot of like sellers online, especially on social media, that claim their products are 99% authentic. What does that mean, 99% authentic?” 

    Indeed, locally made counterfeits in Indonesia are rife, thanks to cheap labor costs and materials. According to a local report, Indonesian authorities seized illegal cosmetic products worth $9 million in 2018 — twice the previous year’s amount. 

    Seeing friends buying these products left Indiana perplexed. 

    “It’s skincare, it’s makeup. It’s something that you put on your skin. It’s just bizarre for me,” she said. 

    Sociolla has expanded into brick-and-mortar shops. It now has 47 stores in Indonesia and 16 in Vietnam.

    Social Bella

    Determined to build a space where consumers can get products that are safe and authentic, Indiana teamed up with her brother and friend to launch Social Bella, with a starting capital of $13,000.

    “Since we started, we ensure that we only work with authorized distributors or brand owners,” Indiana said. 

    Building an ‘ecosystem’

    Sociolla may have started off as an e-commerce platform, but the trio had bigger dreams. 

    Social Bella has since gone beyond offline shops — it’s also a distributor for beauty and personal care manufacturers worldwide.  

    “We become an associate partner for a lot of global brands in Indonesia. We help them not only to distribute their products to Indonesia, but we also help them understand the market,” said Indiana.

    On top of that, the business also operates Soco, which Social Bella says is Indonesia’s largest online review service for beauty products. Soco has amassed more than 2.5 million reviews for around 36,000 products, the company added. 

    Social Bella was founded in 2015 by Chrisanti Indiana, her brother and president Christopher Madiam (left) and CEO John Rasjid (right).

    Social Bella

    The “beauty journey” for customers goes beyond putting something in their shopping carts and checking out, said Indiana. 

    “We realized that there’s a lot of touch points that are really important … finding the right products for yourself is not just about going to the store and picking it up. You will make sure that you read the reviews, talk to your friends, or Google first,” she added. 

    “Soco makes sure that they can access tons of product reviews before they purchase products.”

    On top of that, Social Bella also runs Beauty Journal — a lifestyle website, and Lilla, an online retailer for mothers and babies.

    That’s all part of building the business “ecosystem,” as Indiana calls it.

    We want to make sure that we are scaling up and reaching more and more consumers. If Social Bella becomes a unicorn, it’s a bonus.

    “We want to … to serve more and more women, not only in beauty and personal care, but also in other industries.”

    The startup appears to be on the right track — it now boasts more than 30 million users across all its business units, said Social Bella, selling an inventory of 12,000 products from 400 brands worldwide.

    Indonesia’s next unicorn? 

    Over the last two years, Social Bella expanded aggressively, growing from just three Sociolla stores in Indonesia in 2020, to 47 stores there and 16 stores in Vietnam today.

    While much of the expansion took place during the pandemic, Indiana said that had always been part of the plan for the e-commerce platform, lockdowns or not.

    “It’s actually to create a seamless omnichannel experience … because we believe that we are serving the same customer whether she shops offline or online,” the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia honoree said.

    “They can choose to do click-and-collect or … she can also deliver the purchases to her home. It’s making sure that she can shop the way she likes.” 

    Social Bella aims to serve more female customers.

    Social Bella

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  • An Apple and Tesla exec who quit to build his own startup now has a star-studded list of investors

    An Apple and Tesla exec who quit to build his own startup now has a star-studded list of investors

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    The opportunity to work for not just one but two tech giants was “very rewarding” for Sukemasa Kabayama. 

    After a seven-year stint at Lego Japan, he became Apple‘s director of education and launched the use of the iPad in Japanese schools. 

    Then came an opportunity Kabayama said he “couldn’t pass up” — to be Tesla‘s first president in Japan, where he directly reported to Elon Musk. 

    Helming the launch of the electric vehicle maker’s Model S was no small feat, but Kabayama was hungry for more. 

    He wanted to be an entrepreneur.

    I was thinking, it would be much more exciting to really build something from scratch, from the ground up.

    Sukemasa Kabayama

    Co-founder and CEO, Uplift Labs

    “[I was] really in charge of sales and marketing, versus having very little effectiveness on the product,” the 53-year-old told CNBC Make It. 

    “I was thinking, it would be much more exciting to really build something from scratch, from the ground up.”

    In 2016, he moved to Silicon Valley, in the hopes of building “category-defining” products like Steve Jobs and Musk did. 

    Six years on, Kabayama may be one step closer to that goal. His health startup Uplift Labs, which was founded in 2017, is a platform powered by artificial intelligence that tracks and analyzes movement in 3D.

    According to the company, it has since been adopted by some MLB teams and the NBA to improve movement performance of athletes, while minimizing injuries. 

    Uplift Labs also provides auto-generated reports to allow coaches and physical therapists to track an athlete’s or patient’s progress over time, said Sukemasa Kabayama.

    Uplift Labs

    “A lot of professional sports teams have these indoor multi-camera labs that allow accurate motion capture,” said the co-founder and CEO of Uplift. 

    “But, [with Uplift Labs] … all you need at the moment is only two iPhones or two iPads. It’s portable and we can capture the action whether it’s on the field, on the court, or in the batting cage.” 

    The startup says it has raised $8.5 million, with a star-studded list of investors including NBA star Seth Curry, NFL player David DeCastro and Deepcore, a SoftBank subsidiary.

    With more than 17 years of experience under his belt, Kabayama has three tips for running a company. CNBC Make It finds out what they are.

    1. Attention to detail  

    Working for Apple and Tesla has given Kabayama an inside look into what it takes to build successful products.

    “While the culture at Apple and Tesla was not exactly the same, [there’s a] commonality, which is the need to really understand your business at a detailed level,” he said. 

    Kabayama cited one example: the attention to detail in the user experience, which is “exceptional and second to none” for both companies.

    “For example, if you buy a new iPhone, the lid of the box is designed for a ‘slow release’ to build the anticipation of the unboxing moment of your new phone,” he said.

    “The cellophane wrap is designed to easily use your finger to remove unlike many other products where you struggle with scissors or your nails. That’s just the unboxing.”

    2. Relentless focus 

     For early-stage startups, the key to success is all about product market fit, said Kabayama. 

    That trusty litmus test is something that he falls back on: “If you were to suddenly take your product or your solution away from them, can they live without it?”

    “Relentless focus is so important … really understand which customer segment you’re going after, what are their pain points, and do you really have an effective solution to help address that?” 

    Being vision-driven really rallies the troops. All that hard work that you do is going towards a common greater good.

    Sukemasa Kabayama

    Co-founder and CEO, Uplift Labs

    Kabayama added that while companies like Apple and Tesla already have “significant market share impact,” it’s having a “big vision” that will push the envelope.

    “They’re all very purpose-driven … or better yet, vision-driven. Just take Tesla for example, the company’s vision is to accelerate the world to more sustainable transport.” 

    “Being vision-driven really rallies the troops. All that hard work that you do is going towards a common greater good.” 

    3. Accept feedback

    Something that Kabayama loves doing for his company? Getting on as many client calls as possible, he said.  

    “What makes my heart sing is really hearing what they love about the product, but also hearing what we can do better.” 

    He added, quoting LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman: “There’s nothing like tough love … you’d rather have 10, or even 100 passionate users than 100,000 users that are like, ‘The product’s okay.’”

    What keeps Kabayama going is providing “a critical missing piece” in understanding how athletes at all levels move naturally.

    Uplift Labs was founded by Sukemasa Kabayama, Jonathan Wills (left) and Rahul Rajan (right).

    Uplift Labs

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  • 10 Horror Movie Characters That Teach Entrepreneurship Skills

    10 Horror Movie Characters That Teach Entrepreneurship Skills

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The name of my business is Hollywood Sensation Jewelry, which means I don’t just love glamour, I love movies too! Now it’s Halloween season, putting many of us in the mood for a spine-chilling movie starring a hero we can cheer for or a villain to hate as they demonstrate valuable skills in entrepreneurship! Yes, there are many lessons we can learn from some of our favorite horror movie characters. So, kick back with your favorite movie-time snack (make mine chocolate-covered raisins, please), and grab a pillow to hide behind. Prepare yourself to be scared successful!

    Here’s how these famous movie icons get the job done:

    Sticking to it and making it work

    Jason Vorhees (Friday the 13th Part 2, 1981, etc.) and Michael Meyers (Halloween, 1979, etc.).

    Mr. Vorhees and Mr. Meyers have two important traits to teach us: persistence and flexibility. These two goal-oriented, do-it-yourselfers won’t be stopped from achieving their aims, regardless of what obstacles are put in their path. If anything, they seem to enjoy challenges, preferring to see them as learning experiences. When they start a project, they don’t stop until the work is done, no matter how often they are delayed. And their flexibility is unparalleled! Both self-employed gents work effectively in any environment (small towns, campgrounds, outer space, the underworld) because they know their craft so well that they can switch mediums easily while still producing reliable results.

    Related: 5 Ways to Master the Persistence That Makes a Great Entrepreneur

    Carving out a new niche

    Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1985, etc.)

    Back in the 1980s, in a full industry that didn’t seem to have room for yet another artiste of his flavor, Freddy carved a new niche by dealing with his clientele in their sleep. This move made meetings easier for him and set him apart as the “one guy” who could take care of business during the wee hours. That’s a real time-saver, and people noticed. By taking this step, Mr. Krueger broke new ground and ensured he had repeat business for decades.

    Related: Your Halloween Candy Will Be Smaller This Year (And Not Just Because of Inflation)

    Being the best at what you do

    Father Merrin (The Exorcist, 1973).

    Father Merrin sets the standard by being an established expert in his field. A position he has attained by becoming a vetted, certified thought leader whose opinion and skills are highly sought by people — including celebrity clientele. When a devilish problem requires only the most qualified professional, he’s the one to contact. Nobody is better at handling demanding clients. He even makes house calls.

    Making a career switch when the time is right

    Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs, 1991).

    After his lucrative career as a medical professional, Dr. Lecter becomes a part-time consultant for the FBI from a small, underground office. He is a prime example of a midlife career change, moving from a rewarding but stressful and time-consuming career in medical psychiatry to a freelancing job where he can relax and pursue his interests. Now he takes only the cases he chooses to work on while enjoying hobbies like cooking and travel.

    Balancing life when working from home

    Jack Torrance (The Shining, 1980).

    Jack agrees to spend the winter as the caretaker for an isolated hotel, a job he takes pretty seriously. However, when working from home, it’s essential for your health and happiness to have downtime. Without the traditional job “markers” of a commute, or an office, at-home workers can feel they never get a break. Jack knows that when your home is also your office, it is important to spend time with the family, enjoy the outdoors, and make new friends. Remember Jack’s motto, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

    Pivoting business when times get tough

    Norman Bates (Psycho, 1960).

    Norman runs his family’s motel, but business hasn’t been so great since the highway moved. How does Norman deal with being “off the beaten path?” By introducing specialized services that guests can find nowhere else, ensuring that clients are well looked after. Norman makes his motel so unusual that soon, people are actively seeking him out and can’t stop asking questions!

    Breaking away from the pack

    Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein, 1931).

    There’s much to admire in an inventor who chooses their own path, saying, “maybe we can do better than the way it’s ‘always been done before.’” When Dr. Frankenstein’s colleagues refuse to think outside the box, misunderstanding his project, they discourage him from venturing into promising new territory. Never mind; this brave doctor takes matters into his own hands. He opens a private laboratory, does his own research and development, and gets results that have crowds raving.

    Making your customer experience unforgettable

    Annie Wilkes (Misery, 1990).

    The name of the game for Ms. Wilkes is customer service. As one of the first to discover the passive income boom of the Airbnb industry, she has only one guest at a time in her spare bedroom. Still, she devotes all of her attention to him, ensuring that his stay will be long and memorable. In an era where customer reviews and word-of-mouth mean everything, her name and reputation precede her.

    Working with the environment in mind

    Leatherface (and family) (the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974).

    Let’s hear it for farm-to-table, family-run businesses! The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in this crafting family, with several generations working together on their sustainable homesteading project. They were downsizing before it was cool and barely leaving a carbon footprint, except for a little bit of chainsaw gasoline.

    Now take a page from their scripts

    As you move forward with your entrepreneurial plans, remember that many of your favorite movie characters can inspire you through even the tough times. There are plenty more great entrepreneurial examples in horror cinema: the alien (Alien, 1979) who learns to grow, adapt, and take charge in a foreign setting; Chucky (Child’s Play, 1988), who didn’t let his small start-up size discourage him; or Jigsaw (Saw, 2004), who has an incredible grasp on branding. Follow the example of these go-getters, and I’m sure you’ll be ready to take on the most difficult challenges!

    Related: Jeffrey Dahmer-Inspired Halloween Costumes Banned at eBay Amid Netflix Series Backlash

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    Mary Hood

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  • Insider Q&A: GoodTime CEO Ahryun Moon on automation

    Insider Q&A: GoodTime CEO Ahryun Moon on automation

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    Ahryun Moon got into programming because she wanted to automate the tedious parts of her job as a financial analyst. She did, becoming an engineer first, then founding GoodTime, a startup that helps businesses schedule job interviews and more, in 2016. Moon spoke with The Associated Press about automation, diversity among startup founders and how the pandemic changed job interviews. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

    Q: How did you start GoodTime?

    A: I decided to throw accounting and finance behind me and really pursue engineering. For about three years in San Francisco I just decided to create a bunch of websites, web apps, mobile apps and so on. The other founders of GoodTime are engineers too and we decided to go to a bunch of hackathons. The last one we went to, we won and the person giving out the awards was a recruiter. She said in passing that she spends most of her day scheduling interviews, rescheduling interviews, tracking people down when they don’t show up and so on. And I was thinking, “Oh, what if I can automate that for her?” That’s how GoodTime was born.

    Q: What kinds of companies use GoodTime and who would you like to see as your audience as you expand?

    A: Brand names like Airbnb, Dropbox, Sparks, Shopify, Snap, Salesforce and so on. Right now, I would say early adopter technology companies are using GoodTime but we really want to expand to the rest of the market.

    Q: Is there anything you took away from how our use of technology changed or accelerated during the pandemic and how it applies to GoodTime?

    A: At the beginning, it was kind of chaotic. No one knew what was going on. But quickly, people, the industry, really adapted to the new mode of working, which is remote interviews — which actually at that time was a foreign concept.

    “How can you hire someone that you’ve never met in person?” was typically how people thought. Then that quickly changed. People adapted and GoodTime was really crucial in that a lot of our customers said “Now that interviews are over Zoom and you are not coming into the office, candidates actually want to do the interviews over multiple days instead of all on one day.” So GoodTime can support breaking that down to multiple dates so that it’s catering to the candidates’ needs.

    Q: What can you tell us about your experience starting a company as a woman, since women still make up a small fraction of founders? In 2021, companies founded solely by women garnered just 2.4% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups in the U.S. according to PitchBook.

    A: While I was fundraising, I realized there’s a trend that female founders don’t get the same valuation that a male counterpart may get. And it may be because of the way we pitch, the way male founders pitch and so on. The impact of not getting the valuation that you deserve is that if you raise a small amount of money at a lower valuation, then it’s harder to grow at the same rate as male founders can grow their company.

    You know, female founders help out other female founders. But if you get the valuation that’s lower than what you really deserve and you still have to raise a certain amount of money to grow the company, then you end up actually selling a lot of your shares. So your portion of the company shrinks really dramatically after each fundraising event. What that means is you cannot do a secondary round, meaning you don’t have any money to actually invest back into the female entrepreneurial community, which creates a negative cycle.

    So a lot of male founders actually end up becoming investors, angel investors, because they can get a really high valuation. For female founders I think it’s harder. An investor I know told me that while no one talks about it, there is a female founder discount. If we can fix that, that could really generate a new, larger community of female entrepreneurs.

    Q: There’s a lot of talk about automation replacing people’s jobs. Has that been your experience? Do you feel that there are jobs that are in danger because of products that you build?

    A: Recently I met with one of our users and she said, “Hey, I was hired as a recruiting coordinator, but I was able to do my job in two hours every day instead of taking the full eight hours. Within two months, they actually promoted me into a recruiter position because I got my job done so fast.” So we see people getting promoted because of the time, and what we automate is the portion that really humans shouldn’t be doing.

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  • Go Beyond Number Crunching and Use Intuition Instead

    Go Beyond Number Crunching and Use Intuition Instead

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    We all have intuition, but few know how to use it effectively. Intuition is your ability to understand something without thinking about it logically. It’s a knowing that comes from the heart rather than the head.

    Unfortunately, many ignore their intuition in favor of more rational thinking. You may not even be aware that you have this inner guidance system. But when you learn to trust your intuition, you can tap into a powerful source of wisdom and insight.

    Intuition can be a valuable tool in your decision-making process. By learning to trust and follow it, you can access a deeper level of wisdom and insight. It’s essential to listen to your intuition, but not necessarily all of the time. Intuition should be used as a supplement to logic and reason, not as a replacement. There will be times when intuition conflicts with rational thought; in these cases, it’s essential to use your discernment to determine which is more accurate.

    Related: Is There Room for Intuition in Business?

    How can intuition help you with decision-making?

    When you trust your intuition, you’re more likely to take risks and follow your dreams. Intuition can help you:

    • See beyond the facts and figures to make choices based on our deepest values and desires.
    • Make better decisions by providing information that logic and reasoning may not be able to access.
    • Trust your gut feelings even when it goes against what you think you should do.
    • Connect with your higher self and receive guidance from the beyond
    • Tap into your creative side and develop new ideas.
    • Sense things that have not yet materialized. Things might make sense today, but intuition gives you the window to see if an opportunity is right for you in the long run.

    Related: The Scientific Reason You Should Trust Your Gut

    How to sharpen your intuition

    Although we all have access to intuition, not all of us can access it readily. Therefore, you must regularly sharpen your intuition to know how to access it when you need it. Here are some of the things you can start practicing to sharpen your intuition:

    • Spend time in nature: Connecting with nature can help you to clear your mind and connect with your intuition.
    • Spend time in silence and allow yourself to be.
    • Listen to your body: Our bodies can be powerful guides. If you feel called to do something but are unsure why… trust your gut and go for it.
    • Follow your heart: When you’re in touch with your heart, you’re more likely to have intuition. So follow your heart and let it lead you to your truth.
    • Pay attention to your dreams: Dreams can be a powerful source of intuition. So keep a dream journal and pay attention to any messages that come through.
    • Trust your intuition: This is the most crucial step. Once you’ve connected with your intuition, it’s important to trust what it’s telling you. Go with your gut, and don’t second-guess yourself.
    • Tapping into intuition requires stilling the mind — spending time in nature, meditating, praying, or journaling can create space for intuition to flow.

    When you’re tuned to your intuition, you may notice synchronicities and “gut feelings.” Many people express their encounter with intuition as “I just got lucky” or “I was at the right place at the right time.” These are all signs that your intuition is trying to communicate with you.

    How to use intuition in decision-making

    When making a decision, using intuition as a guide can be helpful. Here are some tips for using intuition in decision-making:

    1. Get clear on what you want. The first step is to get clear on what you want. What is your goal? What are your values? When you know what you want, it’s easier to trust your intuition.
    2. Listen to your heart. Follow your heart, and intuition will lead you to your truth.
    3. Go with your gut. Our gut feelings are often based on intuition. So if you have a strong sense about something, it’s worth listening to.
    4. Take Risks. Intuition lives in the unknown, not the known. This is why it can be a potent tool in addition to your logic and analytical brain. Intuition nudges you towards growth so you can reach your highest potential. And that means you will have to do things you are not usually accustomed to.
    5. Follow your dreams. Dreams can be a powerful source of intuition. If you’re struggling to make a decision, pay attention to your dreams and see if they offer any guidance.
    6. Be open to guidance. Intuition often comes in the form of guidance from others. So if you’re seeking advice, be open to what people tell you.
    7. Trust yourself. The most crucial step is to trust yourself. You are intimately connected to your intuition. Your intuition is not outside of you. It is a part of you. It would help if you learned to trust yourself, which means you can’t engage in negative self-talk, constantly criticize yourself, or have self-doubt. You must learn to love yourself to start accessing this powerful tool in decision-making that can make or break your life or business.

    Intuition is a powerful tool that can help us to make better decisions. By getting clear on what we want and listening to our intuition, we can tap into a deeper level of wisdom and guidance. Follow these tips to start using intuition in your decision-making process.

    Related: 7 Tips for Making Quality Business Decisions

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    Gurpreet Kaur

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  • 4 Ways To Create and Sustain A Recession-Proof Business

    4 Ways To Create and Sustain A Recession-Proof Business

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Being a boss is hard, and it can elicit overwhelm and stress daily. This overwhelm is exacerbated when economic instability is looming. If you are an entrepreneur (in good times), you understand the map to success is stitched together with rejection, innovation and inspiration. My tenure as a business consultant and coach has given me an eagle-eye view of the fumbles and missteps of emerging talent. Let’s peek behind the curtain, which offers a glimpse into entrepreneurs‘ biggest enemies.

    The enemies of entrepreneurship are aligning energies with promises of instant gratification, the inability to build relationships, and a hyper-focus on the bottom line. The words “easy” and “instant” are nowhere in the definition of entrepreneurship. Most importantly, in times of flux, the foundation of business building is consistency.

    I see entrepreneurs who are brainwashed by the glorious algorithms of social media. Many entrepreneurs believe that TikTok and Instagram are their paths to riches and fame. I have walked with brilliant small business owners who focus on the bottom line and fail to understand the power of relationships. And I have been privy to the wave of overwhelm when business owners are faced with rejection. The energy that we align ourselves with is a make-or-break deal. And when we attempt to elevate our business to the next level alone, we are often banished to an island of stagnancy.

    Related: How to Recession-Proof Your Business

    Flexibility is the key to being recession-proof

    Experiencing fluctuations as a business is a norm. Adaptability is the cornerstone of an agile company that can withstand blips on the radar and experience steady growth. With the recession looming and the stock market volatility on the tips of everyone’s tongues, it is time to think outside the box and become recession-proof.

    When challenges are lobbed at us, it is often an innate response to turn inward, spend less money, and recoil from opportunity. Many entrepreneurs hunker down and wait for the juicy markets of yesteryear. I learned the lesson of reacting to spikes in global instability the hard way. When the pandemic ebbed its way into global consciousness, my immediate response was to go into overdrive. I amped up marketing strategies with phronetic energy. I did this because I connected with the news media’s deafening cadence, which proclaimed imminent economic doom. I attached my energy to the panic — and went into overdrive. This frantic attempt at trying to stay relevant led to burnout.

    When I took a step back to analyze my value proposition during an economic downturn, I recognized that my services could align in a new way with the new needs of potential clients. It is imperative to understand the needs of potential clients, no matter the economic or social climate. For example, if you are a coach or consultant, you must have your finger on the pulse of what your people need from you now.

    Staying stagnant in your brand messaging is perhaps the worst path for any entrepreneur. Being relevant, flexible and understanding your value in times of calamity can be your biggest strength. To become recession-proof, you must audit the fluctuations of your clients’ most significant needs. A savvy entrepreneur will adjust and fulfill their client’s new needs.

    Asking for help is a strength

    One of my most successful clients, who has withstood the fluctuations of an ever-changing market, recognized that she must be proactive in her success. Mika Altidor, the founder of the acclaimed vegan bakery, V&M Bakery, knew instinctively that the pandemic could be the downfall of her restaurant business. With a fail rate of 80%, many restaurants folded under pandemic pressure. Altidor knew she could not transition this wave by herself. The pandemic forced a significant shift in the restauranteur paradigm, and Altidor reached out to a coach and the expertise of mentors on Score.Org.

    Altidor firmly grasped the guidance and mentorship of her team and recalibrated her approach to serving delicious food to the masses. She wrote a cookbook, teamed up with local restaurants, and commanded a collective powerhouse in her local area.

    Related: 6 Proven Business Marketing Strategies to Grow During a Recession

    Join a community

    To be a recession-proof business, you must lock arms with individuals navigating the same space. Joining a networking community or mastermind group that is adequately moderated can groom your business’ growth. Professional communities are incubators for innovation, fresh ideas and new connections. There is an abundance of communities on LinkedIn that offer advice and networking that can change the trajectory of your business.

    Often entrepreneurs are offered the illusion that working harder will increase their returns. Yet, the truth is that working smarter and surrounding yourself with people who have traversed your journey successfully is the most ingenious way to elevate your business plan.

    Take a glance at your original business plan and make modifications. Modifying your original game plan is the only way to survive the turbulence.

    Related: 9 Smart Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business (Fast)

    Stop chasing shiny objects

    To be a victor in the recession, you must stop chasing shiny objects. Shiny object syndrome is defined as the insatiable desire to follow the newest trends in the hopes of attracting undue attention. Chasing fads and trends is only a temporary band-aid on entrepreneurs’ wounds. All businesses’ tried and true foundations are built on creating sustainable relationships that stand the test of time.

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    Julie Lokun, JD

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  • Recent research shows when the interests of firms and employees might diverge

    Recent research shows when the interests of firms and employees might diverge

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    Newswise — Recent research by Thorstein Grohsjean (Bocconi University, Milan) and Henning Piezunka (INSEAD) showed that some collaborations can hurt firm performance but help employees’ career.

    Firms collaborating with the same partner often compete for its resources, in a condition called peer competition. Peer competition reduces their access to the partner’s resources and hurts their performance. Employees, though, may favor this kind of collaboration, as it helps them develop social capital to advance their careers, as Grohsjean and Piezunka suggested in an article forthcoming in Strategic Management Journal.

    Peer competition among firms collaborating with the same partner brings about negative outcomes for several reasons. First, firms may find it difficult to access their partner’s resources, especially when they compete with superior peer firms. “The number of peer firms is inversely proportional to the attention they can have because a partner’s attention is limited,” Professor Grohsjean explained.

    In addition, there is a risk of harmful information leakage. Granting the partner access to proprietary information is necessary for firms to get feedback from their partners. While firms may control how much information they share with the partner, they cannot control the leakage to peer firms to which the partner indirectly connects them. More fundamentally, peer firms are structurally equivalent as they compete for the partner’s resources and potentially for the same consumers. Fierce competition and conflict are thus particularly likely in this situation.

    Given the negative consequences of such peer competition for firms, Grohsjean and Piezunka conducted several interviews with employees in the video game industry where video game developers, who conceive and develop games, collaborate with video game publishers, who finance and market the games. They were surprised to learn that employees were well aware of the peer competition but were not bothered by it. “In fact, the employees often spoke enthusiastically about their peers,” Grohsjean said. “That’s why we decided to examine a seemingly counterintuitive hypothesis: peer competition may hurt the company but may benefit employees.”

    The authors examined their hypothesis in the global video game industry. The empirical analysis supports the hypothesized divergent effects: sharing a partner with peer firms hinders the success of firms but benefits their employees.

    “The collaboration with a shared partner gave employees the chance to overcome time, distance and social obstacles to connect with a potential employer,” Grohsjean explained. “Such interactions also provide employees with cover for forming otherwise frowned-upon relationships. For example, employees may claim—perhaps truly—to be on LinkedIn for their work, but they also make themselves known to headhunters and alternative employers.”

    Specifically, the authors proposed two reasons why connections that employees develop with employees of peer firms can benefit them personally: job opportunities and skill development. “When an employer and potential employee already know each other, there is a greater likelihood of a match, and the match is likely to be of higher quality. In the meantime, the social connections formed with employees at other firms can help focal employees develop their skills,” Grohsjean comments. “This flexibility in employee career development may not be a bad thing for managers if we think about the flow of talent between firms. A better match between firm and employee is beneficial to firm performance in the long run.”

    Henning Piezunka, Thorstein Grohsjean. “Collaborations That Hurt Firm Performance but Help Employees’ Careers.” In Strategic Management Journal, online before inclusion in an issue. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3447.

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    Bocconi University

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  • 5 Key Tips to Successfully Ride the Rollercoaster of Being an Entrepreneur

    5 Key Tips to Successfully Ride the Rollercoaster of Being an Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The life of an entrepreneur can be a rollercoaster. After closing my first 7-figure business during the 2007–2008 Global Financial Crisis, I made sure that my future businesses were resilient. As much as this “crash” was a crisis, it was also the opportunity to create the life I really wanted. I had let my business take over for my needs. I am thankful for the lessons learned, and I use that experience not only in my own businesses but also as a business mentor when I am helping clients create resilient businesses that support their needs and desires.

    To be successful, you need grit, passion and faith in the value of what you are doing. People think that going into business will give them the freedom to do whatever they want, but if you’re not careful, the business can take over your life. There is always a lot of testing and measuring, and not everything turns to gold straight away. Consistent and persistent action to keep going, even when things haven’t gone to plan, is needed.

    Being persistent is different from just working hard. Take time to get clear, get in alignment and follow the path from a place of clarity. When things don’t go to plan, you need to be agile and open to change to suit the current operating environment. Celebrate the highs, and enjoy the journey — that is the sweet spot, even more than the end goal. In all my businesses, I align to follow the joy. When you enjoy what you do every day and are bringing value to others, that is when you are living the dream! Here are five key tips to successfully ride the rollercoaster of being an entrepreneur:

    Related: What I’ve Learned in 20 Years of Being an Entrepreneur

    1. Good foundations

    This is systems and structures, but more importantly, this includes knowing how to support yourself, building a good support team around you and utilizing them by asking for help when you need it.

    This was a big lesson for me in my first business. The African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” comes to mind. You might be able to do all of the things in your business, but if you want to scale, you need to bring in team members. In order to bring in a team, you need systems and procedures. I remember returning from a business trip when I was about 6 months pregnant, and I was chatting with the person sitting next to me on the flight. We were talking about my travel business and how I would manage once I had the baby. She encouraged me to read The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber, which emphasizes that if you want a successful business, rather than just creating a job, you need the business to work without you. If you want to grow and scale, just like any building, you need strong foundations.

    2. Emotional intelligence

    Emotional intelligence is being able to be an observer of your emotions and understand why you might be experiencing them, and use them to guide you to what you need to do next. Knowing how to support your own emotional needs is one of the keys to a happy life.

    People think that “business” and “personal’ are separate aspects of our career paths, and yes, sometimes they are — but a “light-bulb” moment for me was realizing that this is never entirely true. Everything is personal because we are human beings. It was a big shake-up during my business closure (I was also going through a divorce at the time). I realized that there is strength within vulnerability. It’s okay to admit that you are not okay, and it’s okay to ask for help. It’s also okay to say “I need time away” or to say “no” to things that drain your energy. The realization was that I needed to trust myself and let go of fears around emotions, make decisions with an open heart, be guided by my intuition and prioritize my own needs.

    Related: Entrepreneurship Is All About Overcoming Obstacles

    3. Empathy

    Empathy is being able to consider someone else’s perspective, how they are feeling and why they may be acting a certain way. Understanding this will be a great tool for you in resolving issues and in any negotiations.

    Developing a greater understanding of the role empathy plays in your working life will help with managing teams and growing your business. As a negotiating tool, I always look for what’s in it for the other side as well as how and why they may have formed their point of view. It will help you determine what their expectations are and help you curate an offer that will be acceptable. It helps to establish long-term mutually beneficial relationships. It’s not always about an immediate win or two opposing sides. It can be how you work through challenges and support each other in a common goal.

    Here’s an example from one of my own businesses, The Bubbles Review, which publishes articles and creates events and tours on champagne and sparkling wine. When we went into lockdown for the pandemic, the events and sparkling wine industries were severely affected. Restaurants were closed, and wineries needed to close their cellar doors. I had to postpone our series of The Bubbles Festivals indefinitely. Understanding how difficult this was, I wanted to do something to help.

    We host a section on our website where we feature reviews on Sparkling Cellar Doors, so I decided to create a Virtual Sparkling Cellar Doors listing to feature wineries and wine importers who had suddenly lost their usual distribution channels. I made it free for them to participate because it was more about giving back and helping. We promoted it to our database and social media, and I showcased virtual tastings, interviewed some of the winemakers and shared them on our Facebook page. The relationships that were formed during this time have been long-lasting. When it was time to invite wineries and wine importers to be exhibitors for our events in 2021, it was an easy “yes” for them to sign up, as we had already negotiated to a point of trust in our shared goal of promoting these lovely sparkling wines to our audience.

    4. Manage your energy

    One of the most important resources is your own energy. Knowing how to read your own energy, and that of others is crucial. Failure to do so will lead to burnout. If you are experiencing resistance, reset and restore your energy until you can move forward from a place of inspiration.

    I didn’t always get this right, and once I had reached burnout, it was very hard to restore my energy from there. In some cases, it can take years. I now protect my energy daily. I listen to my body. I schedule regular wellness activities and take time out when I need to. I choose what and who I spend time with based on what brings me joy. I don’t take on projects or clients that do not align with who I am or what I want to do.

    Related: Welcome to the Entrepreneur Roller Coaster. Here’s How to Ride It Forever

    5. Know your value

    This can be achieved by aligning to your value set and operating from there. When you operate from a place of value, you eliminate self-doubt and align with your sense of purpose — and you’re less likely to be affected by any negativity.

    Aligning with your values is also a useful way to restore energy. In my first business, it was a big transition from simply managing myself to needing to motivate my entire team. This topic is now one of the most popular workshops that I deliver for small and large organizations, as it allows you to create a company culture that all of your staff will engage with. You will find all of your team on the same page instead of top-down instructing, and you will have all of your staff working as a team to achieve your shared goals.

    Customers will align with businesses that have similar values to them. For you, personally, when you are working on things and working with people who align with your values, this is when it feels like you are following your joy. Our businesses should work for us, not the other way around. My biggest takeaway is to not put off living your dream life and wait for something to happen in the future. It really is about enjoying each of the steps along the way. When the business becomes stressful, remind yourself that business and life are supposed to be fun.

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    Natalie Pickett

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  • Sorenson Impact Center Launches Video Course Series to Change the Status Quo in Entrepreneurship and Investing

    Sorenson Impact Center Launches Video Course Series to Change the Status Quo in Entrepreneurship and Investing

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    Newswise — SALT LAKE CITY – The Sorenson Impact Center today announced the launch of Project DEEP (Developing Equitable Economies Program)  – a multi-pronged initiative including a new series of free video courses designed to accelerate the growth of underrepresented entrepreneurs. Course facilitators include an impressive array of world-class experts, including Beta Boom Managing Partner Kimmy Paluch, national economic development expert Dell Gines, and Womenpreneurs Co-founder and investor Rose Maizner.

    Three courses focus on tactical topics for entrepreneurs, and three focus on shifts for stakeholders who can influence entrepreneurs’ success, including investors, economic developers, and entrepreneur support organizations. Course facilitators were chosen for not only their extensive professional expertise but also their lived personal experience overcoming the systemic barriers Project DEEP seeks to eliminate.

    “Too many resources focus on “fixing” entrepreneurs without recognizing it’s the system that needs to change – our aim with Project DEEP is to both directly support overlooked entrepreneurs and more broadly shift the burden of change to the ecosystem decision makers who can influence entrepreneur success,” said Megan Brewster, Senior Manager at Sorenson Impact Center and co-director of the series. “Too much in our current entrepreneurial ecosystem isn’t working for the increasingly diverse modern entrepreneur, and there is a significant opportunity cost in not remedying this.”

    In the U.S.’s current entrepreneurial ecosystem, inequities persist across investment, lending, network access, technical assistance, and more. Take funding, for example: On the debt side, the average loan amount in 2020 was 33% lower for women-owned businesses, while on the equity side, less than 2% of venture capital goes to female-founded firms and less than 3% goes to Black or Latinx founders.

    The slow change in these systemic barriers contrasts with the opportunity inherent in supporting women and entrepreneurs of color. According to the American Express Women-Owned Businesses report, women of color are starting businesses at more than 4x the rate of all businesses and generate $422.5 billion in revenue. Women are starting more than 1,800 businesses per day on average, and women-owned firms are increasing employment at more than 4x the rate of all businesses.  

    “Research shows that entrepreneurs of color have a net worth 10-12x greater than their non-entrepreneurial peers – entrepreneurship is key to building lasting wealth and creating a sense of place in communities” said Dell Gines, entrepreneurial ecosystem expert and course facilitator for the initiative. “Project DEEP will help provide the resource and knowledge sharing to generate more of that in communities that have been left behind for too long.”

    Project DEEP is funded by the Economic Development Administration, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and the Sorenson Impact Foundation. The project also included additional components, such as a community partnerships program funding Utah-based entrepreneur support organizations Women’s Business Center of Utah and New Pattern and an impact measurement component.

    The initiative builds on the Center’s prior work around equitable entrepreneurship locally and nationally, including its 2018 landscape analysis report that reviewed challenges and opportunities for small businesses owned by women and people of color in Utah. This pioneering report provided concrete recommendations for better supporting historically marginalized entrepreneurs.

    About the Sorenson Impact Center

    The Sorenson Impact Center helps organizations achieve their impact vision by connecting capital to social and environmental solutions, helping organizations measure, report, and improve impact, and integrating data science and people-centered storytelling into all that we do. Along with our clients and partners, we share a vision of an equitable and thriving world where everyone is valued, communities prosper, and the measured impact of our actions guides decision-making. As part of our mission to train future impact leaders, the Center integrates academic programming and experiential learning into each of its practice areas. The Center is proudly housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Learn more at http://www.sorensonimpactcenter.com

     

    About the Economic Development Administration

    As the only federal government agency focused exclusively on economic development, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) plays a critical role in fostering regional economic development efforts in communities across the nation. Through strategic investments that foster job creation and attract private investment, EDA supports development in economically distressed areas of the United States. Learn more at https://www.eda.gov/

     

    About JPMorgan Chase

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America (“U.S.”), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $3.7 trillion in assets and $294.1 billion in stockholders’ equity as of December 31, 2021. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S. and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

     

    About the Sorenson Impact Foundation

    The Sorenson Impact Foundation invests in innovative social entrepreneurs who look to solve the world’s most pressing needs. We invest around the world in companies that have developed scalable, innovative and potentially disruptive solutions to the world’s most pressing needs including access to quality healthcare and education, workforce development, sanitation, water, and clean energy. Learn more at https://sorensonimpactfoundation.org/

     

     

    -30-

     

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    University of Utah

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  • Tim Cook says there are 4 traits he looks for in Apple employees: ‘It’s been a very good formula for us’

    Tim Cook says there are 4 traits he looks for in Apple employees: ‘It’s been a very good formula for us’

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    Tim Cook doesn’t spend his days reviewing resumes — but in his 11-year stint as Apple’s CEO, he’s determined what it takes to thrive at the company.  

    At University of Naples Federico II’s commencement ceremony this week, Cook told graduates from the Naples, Italy, university that he noticed Apple’s success depends on its culture and who it hires. For instance, the company typically seeks out employees with four shared skills: the ability to collaborate, creativity, curiosity and expertise.  

    “It’s been a very good formula for us,” he said, noting those traits also contribute to an ambitious, yet supportive workplace culture. “It’s not like somebody goes in a corner or closet and figures out [how to build technology] by themselves.”

    As he spoke, he appeared to rank the skill sets in that order. He said the reason collaboration is so important is because it combines all three of the other skills.

    “We look for… the fundamental feeling that if I share my idea with you, that that idea will grow and get bigger and get better,” Cook said. “And that [collaborative] process is how Apple creates products.”

    That sense of teamwork lends itself to creativity and curiosity, as all three are needed to launch new or improve old ideas, he said.

    “We look for people that think different — that can look at a problem and not be caught up in the dogma of how that problem has always been [solved],” he said. “It’s a cliché, but there are no dumb questions. It’s amazing when somebody starts to ask questions as a kid would do.”

    But whether Apple’s hiring tactics consistently ensure a positive working environment is up for debate. This year, the company dropped off Comparably’s annual list of global companies with the best workplace culture. It also received a “C” rating for office culture, despite ranking at No. 14 last year.

    It also dropped more than 20 spots on Glassdoor’s yearly ranking of best places to work in the U.S., plummeting from No. 31 to No. 56. Employee reviews on both sites cited poor work-life balance, erratic schedules and high stress from a competitive working environment.

    “We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace,” Apple said in a statement to the New York Times, responding to employee complaints about a “toxic” culture that surfaced in September. “We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved we do not discuss specific employee matters.”

    Apple’s hiring tactic has been in place for at least six years, according to Cook. At the Utah Tech Tour in October 2016, Cook said Apple looked for brilliance, determination, obsessive curiosity, team focus and agitated idealism in its employees.

    “We look for wicked smart people … [but] there are a lot of wicked smart people,” he said at the conference. “We look for people that are very collaborative because nobody — even somebody who has … a cape on their back — can do everything alone.”

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    Don’t miss:

    Tim Cook became CEO of Apple 10 years ago. Here’s how much money you’d have if you invested $1,000 in the tech giant the day he took over

    The best way to ‘instantly impress’ any hiring manager, according to an HR exec who’s hired thousands over 21 years at IBM

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  • Marvel, ‘Halloween’, ‘Big Mouth’: 8 new movies and shows streaming on Disney+, Peacock and Netflix this October

    Marvel, ‘Halloween’, ‘Big Mouth’: 8 new movies and shows streaming on Disney+, Peacock and Netflix this October

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    Movie theaters are exiting their late-summer doldrums and ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ are dominating the pop culture landscape, but there’s still plenty of great new content coming to streaming this October.

    Netflix, HBO and other streamers have lined up a diverse slate of movies and shows for the month, with many saving their spookiest content for the Halloween season.

    If you’re looking to fill up your October viewing schedule or just need a break from Middle-Earth and Westeros, here are 8 new movies and shows coming out this month.

    ‘Interview with the Vampire’ (Oct. 2, AMC+)

    The TV remake of the 1994 Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise vehicle stars “Game of Thrones” actor Jacob Anderson as the titular vampire. The series has already been renewed for a season 2.

    ‘Werewolf By Night’ (Oct. 7, Disney+)

    The latest entry in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is styled like a classic Hollywood monster movie, with Gael Garcia Bernal starring as the werewolf. But this is far from a one-off Halloween special. Marvel boss Kevin Feige said in a featurette that the show “will ultimately become quite important to the future of the MCU.”

    ‘Catherine, Called Birdy’ (Oct. 7, Prime Video)

    Set in medieval England, the Lena Dunham-written-and-directed film follows “Game of Thrones” alumna Bella Ramsey as the daughter of a lord trying to foil his plans to marry her off.

    ‘Avenue 5’ Season 2 (Oct. 10, HBO Max)

    The space-set comedy series from “Veep” creator Armando Iannucci is back for a second season, promising more interstellar hijinks from the passengers of the interplanetary cruise ship that saw its voyage knocked off course and its return to Earth pushed years into the future.

    ‘Halloween Ends’ (Oct. 14, In theaters and on Peacock)

    Jamie Lee Curtis returns for the finale of the rebooted “Halloween” trilogy, which will see Laurie Strode confront the evil Michael Myers once and for all.

    ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (Oct. 28, Netflix)

    Netflix’s remake of the 1930 classic follows a young soldier as he confronts the horrors of battle during World War I.

    ‘Big Mouth’ Season 6 (Oct. 28, Netflix)

    The long-running raunchy animated series returns for its 6th season at the end of the month, with teaser trailers promising to continue storylines first explored in the spinoff series “Human Resources”.

    ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 (Oct. 30, HBO Max)

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  • Innovation DuPage Launches New Program for Neurodivergent Founders in Partnership With the Autism Angels Group

    Innovation DuPage Launches New Program for Neurodivergent Founders in Partnership With the Autism Angels Group

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    Press Release
    –

    Sep 16, 2022


    GLEN ELLYN, Ill., September 16, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Business incubator and accelerator Innovation DuPage (ID) has partnered with Autism Angels Group (AAG) to provide ongoing support to neurodivergent entrepreneurs. 

    The mission of the Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Program (NDEP) is to increase business leadership opportunities for people with developmental and/or cognitive differences such as autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, and other related diagnoses. Companies with neurodivergent leaders serve as role models for future entrepreneurs while illustrating that neurodiversity can be a strength. NDEP celebrates and invests in the success of startups and small companies that have neurodivergent leaders in C-Suite roles (e.g., CEO, CFO, Directors, founders, or cofounders).

    Innovation DuPage, a nonprofit venture and business startup incubator affiliated with College of DuPage, has partnered with Autism Angels Group, the world’s first neurodiversity social impact investment association, and the Transition2Success Project, creator of a proprietary evidenced-based wrap-around support model and inclusion training program that has been shown to help neurodivergent individuals thrive at key life transition points. The three organizations have come together to fund, offer, and host NDEP to drive success among neurodivergent entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders.

    “NDEP is about showing how cognitive differences can drive organizational success in new business ventures,” stated Joe Cassidy, Innovation DuPage President and Chair. “Along with our partners, we are committed to powering innovation and expanding the frontiers of emerging industries. This program is a perfect example of that commitment as well as our commitment to embracing diversity and inclusion in all its forms.” 

    After a competitive selection process, Wove LLC and DaniMation Entertainment were chosen as the first two companies to participate in the Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Program: 

    • DaniMation Educates, Elevates, and Empowers transitioning youth on the autism spectrum by providing animation programs to turn their animation passion into a career. (https://danimationentertainment.com)
    • Wove LLC manufactures premium bicycle parts with a focus on innovation and performance. (https://wovebike.com/ )

    Companies selected to be a part of NDEP received:

    • A $4,000 microgrant from Autism Angels Group
    • Access to Transition2Success Project’s T2S-Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Support Model™ ($5,000 value)
    • Innovation DuPage MVP Membership ($2,700 value)

    “NDEP is a first-of-its-kind incubator partnership model that is paving new opportunity pathways to support neurodivergent leaders through entrepreneurship,” remarked Dr. Maureen Dunne, Chair of College of DuPage Board of Trustees. “Throughout history, many of our most iconic entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, and innovators were neurodivergent thinkers. Initiatives like the Neurodiverse Entrepreneur Program are essential to the task of weeding out unproductive biases so we can all benefit from the talents and creativity of different kinds of minds.”

    Dr. Dunne will be a Keynote Speaker at the 2022 Stanford Neurodiversity Summit and will be highlighting the importance of investing in neurodiversity innovation and inclusion. This year’s NDEP-selected companies, DaniMation and Wove LLC, will present on a separate panel on Entrepreneurship, moderated by Dr. Dunne. The Stanford Neurodiversity Summit will take place virtually from Oct. 23-25, 2022. Over 5,000 global attendees were registered at last year’s Summit, where the Neurodiversity Entrepreneur Program was first announced. 

    About Innovation DuPage
    Innovation DuPage (ID) is a nonprofit venture that unites startup founders and small business owners with the people, resources and programs that support their growth. Members collaborate across an extensive network of enterprise, academic, economic development and research partners. Through its four primary development programs, ID supports the startup community, enhances regional prosperity, attracts world-class talent, and drives sustainable economic growth. 

    Since its founding, ID has served hundreds of entrepreneurs residing in DuPage County. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) recently awarded Innovation DuPage the 2021 Award of Excellence for Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership for its demonstrated success in advancing economic prosperity in the greater community. For the past three consecutive years, members of Innovation DuPage have won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from The Daily Herald. 

    About Autism Angels Group
    The mission of the Autism Angels Group is to bring together capital and talent to aggressively drive economic opportunities and technology-driven solutions that create a positive social impact for the autism community. AAG welcomes partnerships with individuals, organizations and institutions that wish to join in investing in people, private markets and for-profit enterprises that seek to include and empower those on the autism spectrum. AAG’s nonprofit arm awards microgrants to entrepreneurs with fiscal sponsorship under the Organization for Autism Research (OAR).

    Contacts:               

    Dan Facchini, Managing Director, Innovation DuPage
    idfacchinid@innovationdupage.org

    Elyse Benjamin, Autism Angels Group

     info@autismangelsgroup.com

    Source: Autism Angels Group

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  • Mentoring Organization, Minority-Owned Coffee Start-Up Join Forces to Empower DC Youth Through Social Entrepreneurship Competition

    Mentoring Organization, Minority-Owned Coffee Start-Up Join Forces to Empower DC Youth Through Social Entrepreneurship Competition

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    DC-based organizations lead mentorship and entrepreneurship program to empower underserved youth to rise to success through educational opportunities.

    Press Release
    –

    Jan 31, 2022


    WASHINGTON, January 31, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Youth Leadership Foundation, a leading Washington, D.C., non-profit organization that provides mentorship and extracurricular programming for students, announced today that Black & Brown Coffee House will lead its 2022 high school business plan competition, the Spirit of Service Challenge.

    The Spirit of Service Challenge is a month-long mentorship and entrepreneurship program that provides an opportunity for both organizations to expose students to lessons about marketing, labor, production, and other aspects of business development. During the program, students will gain the business acumen to develop their own business plans and solve issues surrounding the start-up of any business enterprise.

    The Youth Leadership Foundation and Black & Brown Coffee House seek to promote the development of young future leaders. In doing this, they hope to spark change by empowering underserved communities to rise to success through education.

    “As an organization whose founders also come from humble beginnings, we are excited to be able to create programs that will help District youth reach their full potential,” said Karel Leon, founder of Black & Brown Coffee House. “We’ve seen firsthand how being equipped with the right tools and mentorship can change the trajectory of someone’s life towards a better future.”

    The Spirit of Service Challenge will run from July 5 through July 29, with the judging to take place on July 26.

    Key highlights:

    – Black & Brown Coffee House donates 5% of its sales to underserved communities. From this community fund, a portion will be donated to the Youth Leadership Foundation.
    – Customers ordering coffee from Black & Brown Coffee House will be presented with an option to donate to the Youth Leadership Foundation.
    – At the sixth annual Spirit of Service Challenge held by the Youth Leadership Foundation, Black & Brown Coffee House will provide workshops and presentations on production, labor, and marketing to youth leaders.

    About YLF – Founded in 1997, the Youth Leadership Foundation serves 350 students annually with its quality mentoring programs in seven school partners across the city. No matter the format, YLF programs feature one-on-one mentoring, formative talks about character, intentional engagement of parents, and dedicated time for community-making.

    About Black & Brown Coffee House – Based in Washington, D.C., Black & Brown Coffee House is a Black & Latino-owned coffee roaster. The roastery was created as an answer to the lack of coffee options that prioritize health, sustainability, and fair treatment of coffee farmers. By working directly with producers to create naturally-sweet blends that are full of antioxidants, the roastery serves coffee that tastes good, does good, and feels good too.

    Media Contact:
    Marissa Strang
    marissa@blackbrowncoffeehouse.com
    571-292-7600

    Source: Black & Brown Coffee House

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  • Black Entrepreneurs Day Presented by Chase for Business

    Black Entrepreneurs Day Presented by Chase for Business

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    A Celebration of Black Business Curated by Daymond John Live From The Apollo and Streaming Exclusively on Facebook ● Kevin Hart, Shaquille O’Neal, Tyra Banks, Khalid, Michael Strahan, Marcus Samuelsson, Rev Run, and More to Participate on Oct. 14, 2021 ● ‘NAACP Powershift Grant’ Submissions are Now Open to Black Entrepreneurs — Awarding $250,000+ in Business Grants During the Show


    NEW YORK, September 23, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Daymond John, the founder and CEO of FUBU and co-star of ABC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning show “Shark Tank,” has announced the second annual Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business. In conjunction with Medium Rare and The Shark Group, Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business is a primetime special at the intersection of business and entertainment. The inaugural event in 2020 attracted over seven million viewers and won two Webby Awards for the best Remote Business & Finance event on the internet. This year’s free global live-stream celebrating Black business & entrepreneurship will air on Oct. 14 beginning at 7 p.m. ET exclusively on Facebook via Daymond John’s Page and across Facebook channels.

    Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business will be highlighted by Game Changer Conversations presented by The General Insurance®, showcasing Daymond John in one-on-one discussions with Black businesses leaders and cultural icons including Shaquille O’Neal, Tyra Banks, Michael Strahan, Marcus Samuelsson, Rev Run, and Janice Bryant Howroyd. Plus, the legendary Kevin Hart will lead a “Hart Felt Conversation” sponsored by J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. 

    Musical superstar Khalid will join Black Entrepreneurs Day to perform live from The Apollo Theater. At just 23 years old, platinum recording artist Khalid has received accolades including six Grammy Award nominations, six Billboard Music Awards, three American Music Awards, an MTV VMA, and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019. 

    Black Entrepreneurs Day is excited to welcome its A-List guests and business leaders to The World Famous Apollo Theater in Harlem in front of a live studio audience. The legendary Apollo Theater plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding in 1934, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.

    The event will provide guidance and inspiration to the next generation of rising entrepreneurs, as well as $250,000+ in bottom-line financial support via its “NAACP Powershift Grant.” Black Entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country can apply now for a $25,000 NAACP Powershift grant on the event website through Sept. 28. The 10 grants have been generously funded by the event’s sponsors: Chase for Business, JP Morgan Wealth Management, The General, T-Mobile for Business, Salesforce, Johnson & Johnson, Shopify, Quickbooks, Klaviyo, and Logitech. Everyone who applies for the grant will receive free access to Hello Alice, including step-by-step business guides, thousands of industry-specific business resources, and a peer-to-peer community of nearly a half-million small business owners ready to help you succeed.

    “In the wake of the pandemic unfolding last year, we launched Black Entrepreneurs Day as a way to support Black business owners and budding entrepreneurs through an exceptionally uncertain time. Here we are just one year later, able to celebrate the hustle and grit of so many in the community; those who are pushing forward, pursuing their dreams and, in some cases, thriving. With that in mind, we are excited to introduce the second annual Black Entrepreneurs Day presented by Chase for Business. This year’s event, taking place live from Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater, will stream to millions of homes across the globe. With the help of many great companies such as JPMorgan Chase, The General, T-Mobile for Business, Salesforce, Shopify, and others, which are doing great work with their own diversity and inclusion efforts, we’re hosting the brightest, most exceptional stars and business leaders to inspire and inform,” said Daymond John.

    “The continued need to support Black entrepreneurs during this period of recovery cannot be overstated. Black Entrepreneurs Day provides an invaluable resource to a community that is historically overlooked when it comes to resources and funding. Ensuring economic growth and sustainability is a mainstay for Black business owners is crucial. The NAACP is eager to lend our time and effort to ensure we reach as many Black communities as possible with assistance,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP.

    Black Entrepreneurs Day Presented by Chase Show Program:

    • Game Changer Conversations presented by The General featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Tyra Banks, Michael Strahan, Marcus Samuelsson, Rev Run, and Janice Bryant Howroyd
    • Live Musical Performance by Khalid
    • A Hart Felt Conversation Featuring Kevin Hart presented by J.P. Morgan Wealth Management 
    • “NAACP Powershift Entrepreneur Grant” Celebration & Showcase  
    • Magenta Edge Roundtable presented by T-Mobile for Business 
    • Exclusive Conversation with Minea Moore presented by Salesforce
    • Health Equity Innovation Roundtable presented by Johnson & Johnson
    • Black LeadHERship: A Black Women’s Roundtable presented by The General
    • Build Black with Shopify Roundtable
    • From Startups to Stars presented by Klaviyo
    • Empowering Entrepreneurs presented by Chase for Business
    • Giving Power presented by Facebook
    • Yappa Live Q+A Featuring Daymond John 

    For the second year in a row, Daymond is honored to partner with JPMorgan Chase to power the Black Entrepreneurs Day broadcast, host a conversation with the firm’s executives, and highlight small businesses overcoming adversity throughout the show. The firm offers financial tools, resources and advice to help Black business owners start, run and grow their businesses. In 2021 alone, JPMorgan Chase committed $350 million to grow Black, Latin and Hispanic, and women-owned small businesses and recently launched a new mentorship program designed to accelerate Black small business growth in 13 U.S. cities, including New York.

    JPMorgan Chase is also committed to growing wealth for Black entrepreneurs by offering the tools to invest digitally, remotely or in person with an advisor. The firm launched this year the J.P. Morgan Wealth Management Scholarship Program for HBCUs and announced that it is committed to hiring 300 Black and Latin/Hispanic advisors by 2025. During a Hart Felt Conversation, Kevin Hart and Daymond will speak to the many ways J.P. Morgan Wealth Management helps clients become financially savvy through financial resources, demystifying the topic of wealth management. They will also discuss how J.P. Morgan helps clients make the most of their money so they can make the most of their lives. Separately, Daymond will join Brian Lamb, JPMorgan Chase’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Byna Elliott, Head of Advancing Black Pathways, at the firm’s Empowering Entrepreneurs Forum to discuss JPMorgan Chase’s $30 billion racial equity commitment to support Black-owned businesses and communities. “When small businesses succeed, our communities are stronger. As a firm, we’re committed to supporting Black entrepreneurs by helping them get access to the critical resources they need to start, grow and scale their businesses. We’re proud to be a part of Black Entrepreneurs Day and celebrate Black business owners who have faced extraordinary challenges yet continue to inspire us all,“ said Brian Lamb, global head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase.

    For the second year running, The General will power the event’s “Game Changer Conversations,” which features Daymond in inspirational one-on-one conversations with Black business leaders and cultural icons. Prepare for Game Changing Conversations featuring Shaquille O’Neal, Tyra Banks, Michael Strahan, Rev Run, Marcus Samuelsson and the first female Black billionaire Janice Bryant Howroyd. In honor of National Women’s Small Business Month, The General will present: Black LeadHERship — A Black Women’s Roundtable Presented by The General featuring business leaders from the American Family Insurance Enterprise: Elicia Azali, Telisa Yancy, Sherina Smith, and Lauren Powell, alongside Daymond John. “The General is excited to once again partner with Black Entrepreneurs Day to celebrate Black businesses, and I’m thrilled to have three of my  fellow colleagues at American Family Insurance join me this year for the Black LeadHERship Roundtable discussion,” said American Family Insurance Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer Elicia Azali. “We all want to do more by sharing our stories of success, failures, and passion from learning our mistakes in hopes it will inspire others.”

    Black Entrepreneurs Day has partnered with T-Mobile for Business and its small business content destination Magenta Edge to present an exclusive Magenta Edge roundtable discussion about building, running, and growing a small business today. Magenta Edge will also screen a documentary from its recent series featuring small business owners who have thrived despite a COVID-stricken economy. Magenta Edge and its growing library of content and support have a foundational focus on Black-owned small businesses, which have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, while offering educational programming, original stories, and insights for all entrepreneurs. More information about the company’s corporate responsibility efforts, including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, can be found in T-Mobile’s annual report.

    Salesforce is dedicated to driving systemic change in communities through its racial equality and justice commitments across people, philanthropy, purchasing, and policy. Salesforce is advancing these efforts with the purchasing goal of investing $100 million to Black-owned businesses and $100 million to underrepresented minority founders through Salesforce Ventures over the next three years. In addition to this financial investment, Salesforce is inspiring and connecting Black-owned businesses of all sizes by hosting events such as the Black Business Month Block Party, a virtual summit that elevated Black entrepreneurs, creatives, and business leaders and led important conversations about building Black wealth and investing in the future. A new study from IDC finds that Salesforce and its partner ecosystem will create 9.3 million new jobs by 2026, illustrating expansive opportunities for Black talent and entrepreneurship. At this year’s Black Entrepreneurs Day, Salesforce’s Ecosystem Equality Director Minea Moore will sit down with Daymond John for an exclusive conversation to discuss Salesforce’s Partner Ecosystem and the Salesforce Talent Alliance program designed to help Salesforce partners and customers build a more diverse workforce of Salesforce-certified and credentialed talent. 

    Late last year, Johnson & Johnson announced its Our Race to Health Equity initiative, a bold aspiration to help eradicate racial and social injustice within public health by eliminating health inequities for people of color. During the Johnson & Johnson Health Equity & Innovation Roundtable, Daymond will connect with Seema Kumar, Global Head, Office of Innovation, Global Health & Scientific Engagement, Johnson & Johnson; Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity; and Del Smith, CEO, Acclinate, to discuss the racial and social injustices and inequities that have long plagued society and the health of communities of color across the United States. The panel will also address the critical need for diversity in science and the company’s upcoming Health Equity Innovation Challenge, an initiative that aims to empower communities and accelerate solutions by stimulating innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic impact by the community for the community. The Challenge will call on entrepreneurs, innovators, start-ups, and community-based organizations to submit ideas for transformational innovation to advance health equity in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia. Johnson & Johnson will start accepting applications on Sept. 28, 2021.

    The future is now with Shopify. Through initiatives such as Build Black and its support of the 1MBB movement, Shopify has continued to reshape the ways in which minorities are supported and businesses, especially Black-owned businesses, are given a platform to be seen. Together with Daymond John and Black Entrepreneurs Day, Shopify will present not only a Build Black Roundtable, but also showcase Shopfiy success stories focused on Black-owned businesses that have leveraged Shopfiy’s platform and tools to catapult themselves to success. Focused on Black business, yet inclusive to all, the Build Black with Shopify Roundtable will not only showcase entrepreneurs who have built their businesses thanks to Shopify, but inspire viewers and future entrepreneurs to build their own brands. 

    Klaviyo is committed to helping Black-owned businesses own their data, their customer relationships and the experiences they deliver. A leading customer data and marketing automation platform, Klaviyo is proud to partner with Black Entrepreneurs Day to host the From Startups to Stars Roundtable with Daymond John and Klaviyo users. With Klaviyo, it doesn’t matter if you’re a startup or a star, your business is important and Klaviyo has the tools needed to build your brand.

    Black Entrepreneurs Day has partnered with Intuit Quickbooks to present an informative panel about what small businesses need to do from Day One to best position themselves to address common challenges and access capital that can open up new opportunities for growth. The panel will be moderated by Daymond and feature expert commentary from QuickBooks’ Sheldon Cummings and small business owners. For more than 25 years, QuickBooks has been the trusted partner of small businesses, helping customers simplify the financial complexities of managing their business and achieve success. QuickBooks saves entrepreneurs and small businesses time and money by helping them manage their books, get paid fast, access capital, and pay employees with confidence.

    Logitech, the video conferencing leader and proud advocate for minority-owned businesses, creates the possibility of remote collaboration through cutting-edge products and technology. Black Entrepreneurs Day has joined forces with Logitech as the event’s technology partner to power all remote conversations and NAACP grant-winning moments. Alongside Logitech’s generous donation to the NAACP Powershift Grant, the renowned technology brand will be providing Logitech equipment to all grant winners to help them grow their businesses.

    Facebook has remained committed to supporting Black-owned businesses and organizations through ongoing programming, grant and loan opportunities, and innovative resources and digital skills training. For Black Entrepreneurs Day, Alvin Bowles, Facebook’s Vice President of Business Ecosystem Partnerships, will join Daymond John on stage to discuss Facebook’s support of Black-owned small businesses, creators and nonprofits in the U.S. Facebook is continuing to iterate on ways to support businesses that have been the most adversely impacted by the pandemic, including the recent launch of the Facebook Invoice Fast Track program which gives minority-owned small businesses the ability to access the liquidity that they need right now through a $100 million program.

    Yappa, the audio and visual commenting tool established by Black founders Jennifer Dyer and Kiaran Sim, will be returning to Black Entrepreneurs Day this year for the Live Q+A with Daymond John. The social media tool which affords empathy and encourages community in the comments sections, will allow viewers around the world to submit questions to Daymond and the show’s celebrity guests. The questions will be submitted exclusively on the Black Entrepreneurs Day website via audio or video Yaps for the opportunity to have their questions answered live on air. A Black business supporting Black business, Yappa is offering business owners and entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with their customers more authentically though an exclusive free trial of its platform with code YAPBED2021, which can be used at yappaapp.com/pricing.

    The one-of-a-kind historic live-stream will take place on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, at 7 p.m. ET, live from Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater. All in attendance will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the venue and ensure a mask is worn at all times. The studio audience will be made up of NAACP groups, HBCU students, and those lucky enough to get a free ticket to the event taping on BlackEntrepreneursDay.com — Apply Now. For the millions of viewers watching at home, Black Entrepreneurs Day will be completely free and available worldwide beginning at 7 p.m. ET exclusively on Facebook via Daymond John’s Page and across Facebook channels. 

    Event Flyer – CLICK HERE 

    ABOUT DAYMOND JOHN 

    Daymond John is CEO and founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with over $6 billion in product sales. John’s marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. John is also an author of four best-selling books including his New York Times best-selling books The Power of Broke (2016), Rise and Grind (2018) and Powershift (2020). A Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship under the Obama Administration, John is celebrating his 13th season on ABC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning show “Shark Tank” where, as one of the original Sharks, he demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights. 

    ABOUT MEDIUM RARE 

    Focused at the intersection of Sports & Entertainment, Medium Rare partners with athletes, celebrities, and brands to build iconic media properties. Medium Rare is the creator and producer of Webby Award-winning brands including The SHAQ Bowl, Shaq’s Fun House, Daymond John’s Black Entrepreneurs Day, Guy Fieri’s Restaurant Reboot, The Sports Illustrated Awards, Rob Gronkowski’s Gronk Beach, SHAQ vs GRONK, and more. Medium Rare was founded by Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman, who were recently honored with 4X Webby Awards, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Pollstar’s Next Gen Impact. Learn more at www.Medium-Rare.com.

    ABOUT SHARK GROUP 

    The Shark Group’s team of expert communicators, strategic analysts, and creative heavyweights excels in propelling brands into the fabric of pop culture. Founded by award-winning entrepreneur Daymond John, the agency’s culture is deeply rooted in thinking like entrepreneurs to create value for its partners and clients. Some of its clients include Chase, Shopify, T-Mobile, AARP, Daymond John, Carlos Santana, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and many others. Learn more at www.TheSharkGroup.com.

    Media Contact: 
    RMG
    Zachary Rosenfield, Zach@RMG-PR.com, 310.429.3659
    Amanda Brocato, Amanda@RMG-PR.com, 512.743.3941

    Source: Black Entrepreneurs Day

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  • 2021 TYE Global Final Competition Hosted by TIE Carolinas Concludes Successfully With 4,800 Attendees Worldwide

    2021 TYE Global Final Competition Hosted by TIE Carolinas Concludes Successfully With 4,800 Attendees Worldwide

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    Cybersecurity Startup by High schoolers, Asteria From Washington DC, Wins First Prize

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jul 8, 2021


    SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 8, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The 12th annual TYE Global Final Competition 2021 was hosted by TIE Carolinas on June 18-19. It was the grand finale event for the 2021 TYE (TIE Young Entrepreneurs) Program, a global initiative where high school students are taught how to build real-world startups over a 6-month period.

    First prize honors went to TIE DC’s Asteria, a machine-learning-based, predictive cybersecurity services startup. Second place went to TIE Boston’s Scollab, a collaboration platform for students, outside the classroom setting. The third-place winner was Intern-net from TIE Rajasthan, a platform for matching high school students to company internships. Total cash prizes worth USD 12,500 were awarded to student teams. Young startup teams pitched disruptive ideas ranging from tackling water contamination issues in the fracking industry to injury-reducing socks to a farmers’ marketplace to rent out expensive machinery.

    The virtual event saw 105 students participating, representing 20 TIE chapters. It was judged by 23 esteemed international jury members and attended by 4,800 viewers, over the two-day period. Several TIE Carolinas leaders and TYE program leaders organized the event. For the 2020-2021 cohort, the TYE program enrolled 1,400 students worldwide and assisted them in building their first startups. Since its origin in 2005, TYE has impacted over 20,000 students. TiE Carolinas President Simmi Prasad underscored the global connectivity and participation that this event provided across several continents and geographies.

    Tim Humphrey, Vice President of IBM’s Chief Data Office, was invited as the Chief Guest of the event. Mr. Humphrey is also the senior location executive for IBM’s largest site in North America, at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Guest speakers, Pree Walia, founder of Preemadonna and Sajan Pillai, former CEO of UST Global, encouraged the young students with their personal startup stories and to go forth and affect positive change for the future.

    Praveen Tailam, chairman of TIE Global, was pleased to see six all-girls teams who made it to the TYE Global Final Competition. An innovative new category introduced this year was the People’s Choice award, where attendees could vote for their favorite startups.TIE Kerala’s Kaapiphile, an all-girl team selling premium filter coffee sachets took home the prize this year. Many cash prizes and sponsor awards were given out at the event. 

    The winning team’s captain said, Alisha Luthra, said, “Our application has drawn immense interest from local businesses … after winning the global competition, we are excited to develop our business further and launch our startup soon.” Addressing the students, one of the judges, Magda Sanchez said, “The ideas presented today were solid. My hope is that the kids realize how talented they are, and there’s nothing stopping them from moving forward and seeking funding.”

    Source: TIE Global

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  • Announcing the Student Energy Solutions Movement – $150 Million Youth-Led United Nations Energy Compact

    Announcing the Student Energy Solutions Movement – $150 Million Youth-Led United Nations Energy Compact

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    Press Release
    –


    updated: Jun 25, 2021


    NEW YORK, June 25, 2021 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Today, Student Energy, New Energy Nexus, and the Government of Denmark announced the launch of the Student Energy Solutions Movement to world leaders and governments at the United Nations High-level dialogue on Energy, Ministerial Thematic Forums. This new, youth-led, global Energy Compact bridges the gap between motivation and action by directly funding and actively supporting the deployment of 10,000 youth-led clean energy projects by 2030.

    As one of the first governments to champion the initiative, the Government of Denmark announced their commitment as the first confirmed funder of the Student Energy Solutions Movement:

    “Tackling climate change is the biggest challenge of our time and it will not be easy, but seeing the motivation, innovation, creativity, and drive that young people around the world today are showing gives me hope that we will achieve our goals. The kind of ambition demonstrated by Student Energy to support 10,000 youth-led clean energy projects by 2030 is precisely what we need in order to accelerate the energy transition and achieve SDG7. Denmark is proud to be a funding partner of this initiative,” says Asser Rasmussen Berling, Head of Department at the Centre for Global Climate Action at The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, Denmark.

    Announcing the Solutions Movement Energy Compact

    Student Energy’s Solutions Movement Energy Compact aims to resource and deploy 10,000 youth-led clean energy projects by 2030, creating structural change by putting real financial resources in the hands of the world’s most passionate youth. Funding required to meet this objective is $10 million by December 2021, and $150 million by 2030. The Compact will scale tangible action by young people 18-30 years old through a unique combination of project funding and education, training, and mentorship within Student Energy’s programs ecosystem. 

    Ambitions by 2030:

    • Launch 10,000 youth-led sustainable energy projects or businesses
    • Train 50,000 agile and employable youth workers, with a particular focus on reducing the energy skills gap in developing nations, and for women
    • Deploy $150 million toward upskilling, mentoring, and directly financing early- and mid-stage youth-led clean energy initiatives

    Quotes: 

    Meredith Adler, Executive Director, Student Energy —
    “For decades, youth ambition and motivation have existed to transition our world to a more sustainable and equitable energy system, there just simply hadn’t been the resourcing to bridge that motivation into action. In launching the solutions movement, we’re shifting gears into taking action and deploying the energy and technology solutions we already have at our fingertips. I want to commend the High-level Dialogue on Energy for putting youth front and center, and for moving so quickly to get our global network engaged. It’s refreshing to see other organizations move with the same hustle and pace as the world’s young people!”

    Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus —
    “This is the decade to deploy the solutions we have at hand to address the climate crisis, and many of these solutions need to be youth-led. If these businesses are going to last decades, they are going to need the motivation and energy of young people to really disrupt the markets and overcome the incumbents that they’re going to challenge. We at New Energy Nexus are really excited to partner with Student Energy to develop this movement of guided entrepreneurship.”

    Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) —
    “Every stakeholder has a key role to play as we aim to meet the SDG7 and Paris Agreement targets, including youth, and I am pleased to see the leadership being demonstrated by Student Energy with this Energy Compact commitment. SEforALL’s first ever Youth Summit, held in February 2020, demonstrated our renewed commitment to bringing youth to the fore in this critical year, and it is great to see one of our organizing partners for the Summit come full circle by setting the pace for other young people to follow. This shows that beyond bringing their voices to the table, young people can design and fund the innovations required to achieve our energy and climate goals.”

    Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator —
    “I warmly welcome the launch of the Student Energy Compact. It is a strong symbol of the profound shifts taking place in the development sphere where young people are no longer waiting for others to act. They are taking up the baton, driving forward transformation in critical areas, including when it comes to how our world is powered. With more and more groups joining by the day, the United Nations is building a broad coalition of action to spark a clean energy revolution that will improve the lives of millions of people.”

    About the UNHigh Level Dialogue on Energy:

    The UN Secretary-General will convene a High-level Dialogue on Energy during the 76th UN General Assembly on September 20, 2021 in New York, to accelerate progress towards achieving SDG7 by 2030. It presents a historic opportunity to provide transformational action in the first years of the Decade of Action. Ministerial-level Thematic Forums are bringing together key stakeholders virtually over five days to mobilize actions on the road to the High-level Dialogue on Energy. Ministers from national governments and leaders from business, civil society, and youth organizations showcased solutions on each priority theme and presented their Energy Compacts, outlining voluntary commitments and actions.

    About Student Energy:

    Student Energy is the world’s largest youth-led organization empowering young people to accelerate the sustainable energy transition. Since founding in 2009, Student Energy has worked with thousands of youth from over 120 countries, to build the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to take action on energy. Student Energy operates on a unique youth empowerment model, which means that initiatives are co-created with youth, for youth.

    Student Energy also works with governments, the UN, and other decision makers to facilitate meaningful youth engagement and mobilize resources, coaching, and mentorship to support youth-led work. Student Energy has built coalitions with over 100 diverse partners, such as Indigenous Clean Energy, Sustainable Energy for All, HSBC Global, the Stockholm Environment Institute, DNV, WSP, and national governments like Canada, Denmark, and Sweden. Student Energy has stewarded CAD$10 million+ in funding to date, supported the development of over 280 youth energy projects, held 6 international Student Energy Summits, and attracted over 12.5 million people to its digital energy education platforms.

    Media Contacts:

    Shakti Ramkumar, Director of Communications and Policy
    shakti@studentenergy.org
    +1 (604) 445 4306

    Meredith Adler, Executive Director
    meredith@studentenergy.org
    +1 (604) 354 2930

    Sean Collins, Co-Founder
    scollins@studentenergy.org
    +1 (780) 232 0339

    Source: Student Energy

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  • One of Asia’s top female entrepreneurs is stepping down at Grab, the ride-hailing company she helped found | CNN Business

    One of Asia’s top female entrepreneurs is stepping down at Grab, the ride-hailing company she helped found | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN
     — 

    One of Southeast Asia’s most well-known female entrepreneurs is to step down from her operational roles at Grab, the ride-hailing giant she helped found more than a decade ago.

    Tan Hooi Ling, a former chief operating officer who currently leads the firm’s technology and corporate strategy teams, will move to an advisory role by the end of the year, the company said Thursday. She will also give up her seat on the board.

    Her exit leaves Grab’s Chief Executive Officer Anthony Tan the tough task of reversing years of losses amid increasingly fierce competition in the ride-hailing and food delivery markets, all without the help of the woman who helped him co-found the company in 2012.

    “Grab has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. The impact we create is a reflection of who we are as a team, and I am humbled to have been able to walk alongside Anthony and the many amazing Grabbers who share the same values and work ethic to build something that improves lives in Southeast Asia,” a statement from the company quoted Tan Hooi Ling as saying.

    After being founded as a ride-hailing company by the two Tans – who are both from Malaysia but are unrelated – Grab quickly soared to become Southeast Asia’s most valuable private company. It acquired Uber’s Southeast Asia business in 2018, and has since expanded into a variety of other services, including food delivery, digital payments and even financial services.

    But Grab has faced intensifying competition from Southeast Asia rivals, including Singapore’s Sea Ltd, Indonesia’s GoTo Group, and Berlin-based Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda.

    Grab, which unlike some of its competitors avoided mass layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic, posted an annual loss of $1.74 billion in 2022. That was a 51% improvement on the year before, according to its annual report.

    In 2021, the company merged with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, backed by Altimeter Capital in a deal that would pave the way for a New York listing and value Grab at nearly $40 billion.

    Before that, Grab had heavyweight backers including Japan’s SoftBank

    (SFTBF)     and China’s ride-hailing startup, Didi Chuxing.

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  • The Entrepreneurial Story Behind ‘The Elf Games’: Creator Chad Scott and Family Talk Publishing, ‘The Poster Boy’ and Building a Family Business

    The Entrepreneurial Story Behind ‘The Elf Games’: Creator Chad Scott and Family Talk Publishing, ‘The Poster Boy’ and Building a Family Business

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    The entrepreneurial spirit is a common thread that’s pulled Chad Scott and his family closer with the release of their new book ‘The Elf Games’

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Nov 5, 2020


    CHICAGO, November 5, 2020 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​Author and entrepreneur Chad Scott continues to build on the strong business foundation he’s created with the release of this year’s hottest holiday children’s book: The Elf Games. 

    But, to get to this point in his book-publishing career, Chad started with the release of The Poster Boy: Small Towns, Big Ideas, and the Reality of Becoming an Entrepreneur. 

    “I wrote, ‘The Poster Boy’ to give entrepreneurs a head start in business and learn how to create an organization that gives as good as it gets,” said Scott, “Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart and in this book, readers have the opportunity to learn from my stupid mistakes, ridiculous problems, and innovative solutions to come away with real-world hiring and funding advice and the motivation to start their business, today.”

    This solo venture ultimately moved him to build something with his family and, from there, they embarked on their book-writing adventure. 

    “My experience writing The Poster Boy helped me recognize the opportunity to talk about the lessons and value of hard work and determination that were instilled in me as a kid,” noted Scott. “This time around, I wanted to work on a book with my wife and kids that highlighted the importance of sports in children’s lives and bring those lessons to life with a holiday theme.”

    The Elf Games is a story that emphasizes teamwork and Chad, along with his wife and kids, exemplified this lesson as they worked together to write this book for families all over the country. 

    From The Poster Boy to The Elf Games, Chad’s ultimate goal is to build a family business with the ones he loves while covering the topics that share fundamental lessons and values that are necessary to build a strong and empathetic society moving forward. 

    Enjoy some quality family bonding over the heartwarming tale of The Elf Games this holiday season.

    About ‘The Elf Games’

    From sportsmanship to empathy and everything in between, “The Elf Games” shares valuable and inspiring lessons within this beautifully written and illustrated holiday title. In fact, Peter Foyo has said “The Elf Games” is “The most beautifully illustrated and unique Christmas story for kids in 2020!” The holidays are around the corner and “The Elf Games,” which combines education with entertainment, is the perfect story that young readers are sure to enjoy. 

    CONTACT INFORMATION:
    Tiffany Kayar
    tiffanyPR@newswirecontact.com

    Source: Chad and Mary Scott

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  • Agency Guacamole Wins Community Service Award From PRSA-LA for B.L.N.D., Its Diversity & Inclusion Initiative in Los Angeles and New York

    Agency Guacamole Wins Community Service Award From PRSA-LA for B.L.N.D., Its Diversity & Inclusion Initiative in Los Angeles and New York

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    Bilal Kaiser, Founder and Principal at Agency Guacamole, is recognized for paving the way for more voices in the beauty/lifestyle industry and awarded the Joseph Roos Community Service Award at PRSA-LA’s Annual PRism Awards

    Press Release
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    updated: Oct 22, 2019


    LOS ANGELES, October 22, 2019 (Newswire.com)
    –
    ​​​​​​The Los Angeles Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA-LA) has selected Agency Guacamole and its Founder and Principal, Bilal Kaiser, to receive the 2019 Joseph Roos Community Service Award for launching the B.L.N.D.: Beauty, Lifestyle and Nurturing Diversity initiative in Los Angeles and New York, as well as for incredible achievements and contributions to the community through teaching at UCLA Extension and USC Annenberg’s Digital Lounge, providing pro bono strategy hours to the Motor Avenue Improvement Association and committing time to industry organizations like Social Media Club Los Angeles and the American Marketing Association. 

    Named in honor of publicist Joseph Roos for his work as a community activist fighting discrimination, this prestigious accolade was awarded at the 55th Annual PRSA Los Angeles PRism Awards in Hollywood on October 15. 

    “I am deeply humbled and grateful for this incredible honor,” said Bilal Kaiser, Founder and Principal of Agency Guacamole. “When we started B.L.N.D., our vision was to build a space for anyone interested in broadening our industry and making it more inclusive to join and help shape the future. We’ve now produced the event on both coasts and helped develop actionable insights that anyone—including allies who themselves might not be from a marginalized background—can take and apply to their organizations.”

    “That vision hasn’t changed as we’ve grown, and I’m super excited to take B.L.N.D. to the next level in 2020,” he added.

    Bilal’s win adds him to the impressive list of past honorees recognized for their entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to diversity and inclusion and dedication to community-based initiatives. Past Joseph Roos Award recipients include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Steve Vanderpool (Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles; Make-a-Wish Foundation) and more. 

    The PRism Awards honor the best PR campaigns introduced in the region, and this year’s ceremony was attended by more than 200 of LA’s top communications professionals.

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    ABOUT AGENCY GUACAMOLE​: 
    Agency Guacamole is an award-winning events, social media and PR agency, dedicated to exceptional service and developing innovative, cross-platform experiences for leading beauty and lifestyle brands. From experiential activations, product launch campaigns, content initiatives and influencer partnerships, Team AG thrives on bringing each client’s vision to life in ways that are unique yet fun.

    Just as a delicious guacamole recipe brings together various ingredients to produce a wonderful final product, so does Agency Guacamole’s approach to experiential, social and PR: connecting the dots, sharing meaningful stories and inspiring all stakeholders to deliver impactful, impressive and—of course—flavorful results.

    Join us as we change the world—one chip at a time. Find out more at agencyguacamole.com or follow us @AgencyGuacamole.

    MEDIA INQUIRIES: 
    Natalie Garcia
    natalie@agencyguacamole.com
    310-878-2560

    Source: Agency Guacamole

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