BW Blackstone LaunchPad Contest Attracts Big Ideas

BW’s engines of creativity were running in overdrive this spring during StartSomethingBW, the recently completed, second annual Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP) idea contest. This year’s competition attracted 163 entries, a fifty-plus percentage increase over last year. Nine teams received a total of $1,800 in prizes in three categories.

Notable winning ideas in this year’s contest included David and Raquel Milligan’s “Shower Helper” for recuperating patients, in the Business Idea category; Basem Magd’s “Summer Tote Storage,” in the Baldwin Wallace category; and Kimberly Smith-Gerace’s “RFID Officer Safety” system, in the Social Enterprise category. A full list of winners can be found on the Start Something BW webpage.

As conceived by BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad entrepreneurship program, the annual idea contest has three primary goals: increase campus awareness of BLP; spur ideation and creativity throughout the university; and jumpstart the formation of companies and jobs by inspiring students to identify problems -- and devise solutions.

For many BW students, the idea contest is just the first step in the entrepreneurial process, followed by regular meetings with BLP consultants who provide students with the tools and strategies they need to succeed.

“Blackstone LaunchPad is a tremendous resource for aspiring entrepreneurs,” according to Mike Nock, BLP Director at Baldwin Wallace. “As part of the region’s fertile entrepreneurial ecosystem, BLP consultants can advise students and connect them with a variety of services and mentors as they move along the path to business creation. There are few programs like Blackstone LaunchPad, and few regions for startup support like Northeast Ohio.”

In its third year at BW, Blackstone LaunchPad is co-funded by The Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson, and by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation in New York. The 15-school Blackstone LaunchPad national network is modeled after The Launch Pad, which was created at the University of Miami in 2008.

BW CIG Names First Faculty Innovation Fellows

BW's Center for Innovation and Growth

BW's Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) recently appointed two faculty members to serve as the CIG's first Innovation Fellows beginning fall 2015 for two years.

After a rigorous application process and review from the CIG Innovation Fellowship committee, Tony Chen in the Economics department and Sean Gilmore in the Communication Arts and Sciences department were selected for this opportunity.

Through their fellowship, Chen and Gilmore will work on a variety of CIG projects and programs support the CIG's mission of "infusing innovation and entrepreneurship across the BW campus and Northeast Ohio."

BW Alum, Student Capture Top Spots in Pitch Contest

Pitch winners included Tessa Louche (right) and Shanina Knighton (middle)

A BW graduate and current student were holding the "big check" at the end of the night as the first and second place winners of Blackstone LaunchPad and Bad Girl Ventures inaugural Pitch Night for Female Collegiate Entrepreneurs. Tessa Louche ‘17, a marketing major from Parma, finished second, while the contest winner was BW sports medicine alum Shanina Knighton ’06, now a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University and co-founder of healthcare startup RKN.

The evening of female mentoring and networking, and first ever #GirlPower Pitch Night was a collaboration by all four Northeast Ohio Blackstone LaunchPad programs—Baldwin Wallace, Case Western, Kent State and Lorain County Community College—and Bad Girl Ventures (BGV).

"At BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad program, we promote female entrepreneurship because it’s good for our students – both in terms of education and opportunity,’ said Mike Nock, Director of BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad. ‘AND because Northeast Ohio would benefit tremendously from an increase in women in leadership roles, specifically running businesses and non-profits.”

The event took place at TOAST, a local restaurant founded by BGV alum, Jillian Davis, who also served as one of judges, and was one of several BW events marking Global Entrepreneurship Week.

An Innovation Summit at BW's Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) was the highlight of Global Entrepreneurship Week. The event featured five Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners or nominees.

BW Sophomore Helps to "Start Something" with Creative Design

The winning design in BW Blackstone Launchpad's
Fall 2014 "Start Something" Design Contest

Andrew Shackelford '17 was proclaimed the winner of Blackstone LaunchPad's Start Something T-Design Contest for his creative design that "captures the excitement and possibilities of entrepreneurship." Shackelford's winning design earned him a $200 gift card and two limited edition tees featuring his design.

Shackelford, an exercise science major with a nutrition minor, says he has enjoyed learning about entrepreneurship through Blackstone LaunchPad's workshops and thought this contest would be a good opportunity to get more involved with the program.

When he saw the fliers for the contest Shackelford says he knew that with his knack for problem solving and his sister's artistic talents, he could come up with and execute a winning design. Shackelford credits his sister with bringing his idea to life, saying "without her artistic ability, my idea wouldn't have been worth much at all."

Students Tackle Real-World Technology Challenges for OEC

Tyiler George ’15,  DeShawn Franklin ’15 and Cameron Cordes ’16 are ready to take on a project for EOConnection

Three BW students will be developing solutions for real-world technology challenges under an expanded BW partnership with technology employer OEConnection LLC, the parts e-commerce technology leader for OEM distribution networks.

Computer Science majors Cameron Cordes ’16, from Litchfield, Ohio, Tyiler George ’15, from Medina, Ohio and DeShawn Franklin ’15 from Maple Heights, Ohio are the first BW students to take part in the unique collaboration that will bolster OEC’s commitment to the development of technology talent and create an employment pipeline for students in BW's computer science and newly established software engineering major.
   
“OEC has been a tremendous advocate for technology education and has been working closely with BW to identify ways to prepare our students for the growing field of software development,” said Jodi Tims, chair of Math and Computer Science at BW.

Cordes, George and Franklin are taking on the inaugural project this fall, working as paid interns in BW’s Center for Innovation & Growth (CIG), under the supervision of computer science faculty, and in partnership with developers from OEC. Plans are to expand the partnership in 2015, to include semester and full academic year ‘capstone’ projects.

"It is a privilege to work with brilliant students such as DeShawn and Cameron, and gain valuable real-life experience," said George, expressing the students' appreciation for the internship. "We are honored and very thankful for the opportunity to work with OEConnection."

Read more on this technology partnership on the OEConnection website or at PRWeb.

BW Students Win "Bad Girl Ventures" Fellowships

Entrepreneurial-minded BW students and alumni have won fellowships to fund their participation in a series of courses presented by Bad Girl Ventures (BGV), a premier resource for women entrepreneurs in Ohio. This fall, Bad Girl Ventures has teamed up with BW's Center for Innovation & Growth and Blackstone LaunchPad to offer its distinctive training program at BW's Berea campus on Wednesday evenings, and to award fellowships for the first time.

Two student fellowship winners – Casey  Elmore, an MBA in entrepreneurship major (nominated by Mike Nock, BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad director) and Allison Longwell '18, a freshman psychology major (nominated by Dr. Ven Ochaya professor in BW’s School of Business) – attend each weekly class at no charge. Two additional fellowships are shared by BW students, alumni, faculty and staff who rotate in and out of the 10-week program attending such sessions as “Understanding Your Market,” “Pricing Your Product or Service,” and “Legal Structuring.” 

Bad Girl Ventures courses are open to the general public – women and men – at $35/class or $250 for a full pass. It's not too late to register online at their website. BGV is a non-profit educational and micro-finance organization offering education, access to capital and mentorship opportunities to enable women to build and sustain well-managed, profitable businesses.

BW student entrepreneurs meet with Bad Girl Ventures Cleveland selection committee members at BW’s Center for Innovation & Growth. - photo by Brittney Callahan '15

CIG Growth Interns Consult Area Businesses on Innovation

As more businesses turn to innovation to succeed in the marketplace, eight Baldwin Wallace students consulted on real world projects for two Northeast Ohio companies over the summer.

Part of the Center for Innovation & Growth’s Student Fellows program, these students were chosen for as CIG Growth Interns due to their "above and beyond" work as Student Fellows: Daniela Muhaj ‘14, Vince Milner ‘15, John Kuder ‘16, David Shapiro ‘16, Ashley Smith ‘16, Katie Primeau ‘15, Contessa Elliott ‘16, and Judy Mehalic ’16.

The CIG Growth Interns also participated in a summer Entrepreneur Tour, meeting with a variety of successful Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs to discuss the successes and challenges innovators face when starting a business. One visit connected the students with Blake Squires, CEO at MOVABLE (see photo).

Along with adding contacts to their professional networks, the students collaborated with Northeast Ohio professionals to carry out mentored projects for area businesses to “achieve growth through innovation.”

CIG Summer Growth Interns at MOVABLE with CEO Blake Squires
(pictured back row, far right).

Nurturing a New Generation of Innovators

John P. Lanigan, Director of BW's Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) graces the cover of Neoconomist Magazine this month.

In a story titled, "Practical Approach, Lanigan describes how BW is succeeding one student at a time, in moving the region's economy forward.

"I'm high on this generation because of what we are seeing here," Lanigan tells the magazine. "They have a strong work ethic, they care and they are serious about achieving."

Lanigan, who retired in January as Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for BSNF Railway Company, a Berkshire Hathaway company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, took over as Director of the CIG on May 1.
 

CBC Magazine Highlights CIG Effort to Build "Change Agents"

No matter what field they’re studying, the college students of this generation must graduate as innovators and creative thinkers if they want to build their own businesses or climb the ladder of the companies that hire them, John Lanigan, the director of Baldwin Wallace University’s Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG), told Cleveland Business Connects (CBC) magazine in this month's issue.

The center has a mission of sending these “change agents” out into the world, Lanigan says. The multidisciplinary program invites BW students of every major to unlock their innovation skills, passion, and creativity through a variety of projects. Read the entire article at the CBC website.

Immersed in Entrepreneurship

Five Baldwin Wallace University students, with diverse majors, took a deep dive into the world of entrepreneurship at the 2013 Entrepreneurship Immersion Week (EIW) this summer, joining teams from 10 other regional institutions. The intensive academic immersion experience offers students the opportunity to learn and practice the skills needed to develop new business concepts.

BW's 2013 EIW team and supporting faculty/administrators are: Nick Boron ’15, physics major,  Gideon Lorete ’16, theatre major, Gilbert Montague, physics major, Ethan Zoellner ’14, finance major, Sarah M. Brigadier ’14, sustainability major, Business Professor Phil Bessler, Business Division Chair Linda Bluso, Center for Innovation & Growth Director John Lanigan and Business Lecturer Maureen Devito.

Entrepreneur Tour Gives CIG Interns Distinct Insights

Baldwin Wallace CIG (Center for Innovation & Growth) interns gained valuable insights on an entrepreneurship tour of Team Wendy. The leading protective products company was founded in 1997 by Cleveland-based entrepreneur Dan T. Moore as a memorial to his daughter, Wendy, who passed away from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a skiing accident. The interns spent the day with CEO Jose Rizo-Patron, responsible for leading the company’s strategic direction, growth, culture and overall operations.

Leading Religion & Innovation

BW religion professor Alan Kolp, who's also active in the Center for Innovation & Growth "CIG" Faculty Fellows, has been asked to take expert leadership roles in both of these areas this summer. He’s a panel member for a symposium focused on entrepreneurship on liberal arts campuses, leading a session with the International Thomas Merton Society and co-leading a monastic experience.