January 7, 2015

In today’s economy lifelong jobs with single employers hardly exist anymore, and many of our graduates will pursue entrepreneurial careers creating new businesses, products and services. To assist in developing the necessary entrepreneurial skills across a wide range of rapidly changing creative industries, all Westphal students and recent alumni now have access to an array of outstanding programs that provide the resources needed to grow their creative enterprises into realities.

With Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, the URBN-Close Entrepreneurship Co-op and Fellowship Program offers current Westphal undergraduates, graduate students and recent alumni the opportunity to run their own startup enterprises as a funded Co-op or Fellowship experience. Entrepreneurially-minded students can put their Co-ops or Fellowships to use developing businesses and products that have the potential to serve as launchpads for their careers. Both the Startup Co-op and Fellowship will be offered as three to six month experiences, with the choice to work as individuals or teams. Designed as an incubator for new ideas, the program matches participants with a team of Westphal and Close School faculty and Baiada Institute professional mentors who will work with those selected to determine specific deliverables, advise the creation of business and marketing plans, and develop initial prototypes. Participants will receive a $2,000 monthly stipend as well as a budget for project-related costs. At the end of the term, participants will present outcomes that are ready to move into the marketplace. For more information about the program please contact Professor Rob Weitzner at row27@drexel.edu. 

The Westphal-Close-Corzo Entrepreneurial Program is an immersive entrepreneurial boot camp that launched in summer 2014. The program presents students and recent alums with a way to test business ideas and social enterprises that are at a stage of showing promise. The annual 6-week program, through the Westphal College, the Close School, and the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy at the University of the Arts, provides a curriculum on entrepreneurship, business planning, marketing and finance, including weekly lectures and special workshops on a range of topics ranging from branding strategy to growth strategy, partnerships and financial management, as well as one-on-one sessions on revenue and formation strategy, legal considerations, and support for presentation design. Participants receive workspace on Drexel’s campus in addition to access to expert advisors from a broad range of fields, as well as up to $3,000 per participant/team. The projects judged to have the most potential for growth at the end of the boot camp are eligible to receive grants of up to $10,000. For more information, please contact Todd Hestand at chesthand@uarts.edu.

These opportunities are in addition to the Nina Henderson Challenge, a competition through which Westphal student teams from all programs develop viable business plans and compete for cash awards. The Henderson Challenge—which is made possible through the generous support of Drexel trustee Nina Henderson and which will kick off this winter term—follows the guidelines of the University’s Baiada Competition. Last year’s first place award was granted to SURPL, a concert ticket overstock vendor available through both app and web experience which conveniently connects live-music lovers with events in the city. For more information about the competition, please contact Professor Beth Phillips at bp32@drexel.edu.