Four members of the student organization Student Entrepreneurial Enterprise Development (SEED) served as student ambassadors at the inaugural D.C. Entrepreneurship Week.
Seniors Katie Malkin, Tyler Dornenburg, Taylor “T.K.” Kane, and freshman Alexa Carlin, served as ambassadors on Nov. 15-16. The students attended two venture capital pitch sessions, allowing the students an opportunity to observe a key aspect of venture funding. The experience also allowed the students to better understand what is needed to gain funding from a venture fund.
The students heard from several speakers including Kenneth Langone, the founder of Home Depot, and took part in an event discussing how to obtain venture financing in today’s market. Students were thrilled with their chance to be involved, said Malkin, who serves as vice president for SEED at Elon.
“The week was a great learning experience,” Malkin said. “It was really wonderful to see everything we’ve learned about entrepreneurship and pitching business plans in class come together in a real life setting. I’m looking forward to attending next year as an Elon alumni, and hope that more SEED members can attend in the future.”
Another SEED member, senior Jon Leonardo, is a co-founder of the event and served as registration director for the week’s events. Professor David Jackson accompanied the students at the event.
D.C. Entrepreneurship Week was created from a desire to bolster the thriving business community in the Washington, D.C., area, a region that boasts the 5th highest concentration of entrepreneurs in the country.
Designed for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs, the multi-faceted symposium aims to answer pressing ‘real-world’ questions in an intimate setting from business leaders who have paved the way.
– Story written by Brian Serow ’12