Early Risers Academy launching this fall
July 30, 2019
Are you a college student with a business idea who wants to win $1K to launch it? Then we’re looking for you to join our first Early Risers Academy cohort!
We’re seeking 10 student venture teams from Dayton-area colleges including Wright State University, University of Dayton, Central State University, Sinclair College, Wilberforce University, Cedarville University & Wittenberg University.
The fall cohort will kick off Tuesday, Sept. 17. Teams will meet for 10 weeks, with in-person meetings on Tuesday evenings from 5-8p in the Kuhns Building, 15 W. 4th St, Dayton.
“Our ideal applicants are students with solid ideas that they have given some real thought to and have begun to asks themselves the hard questions regarding its feasibility,” program manager KeAnna Daniels said. “We particularly want to know that they have skin in the game and are committed to making their idea work, even if they have to pivot. We are looking for students who are looking to take action.”
Teams will spend those 10 weeks moving from idea to founding a business through coursework from the Kauffman Foundation, the country’s preeminent entrepreneurship-building organization. Student founders will receive pitch coaching and hands-on mentoring, weekly discussions with successful entrepreneurs and experts, access to Dayton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, & alumni support after graduating the academy.
Participants should be able to commit at least 4-6 hours per week to coursework for the duration of the academy.
“I’m excited about creating a space for students to grow, to create, to learn, and to get them connected to resources that will support their entrepreneurial endeavors,” KeAnna said. “Currently, we don’t have a ton of resources to support college students outside of their respective colleges and universities. During the process of launching The Early Risers Academy, we have begun to build those relationships and pipelines into the broader Dayton entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Student teams who complete this pre-accelerator program will pitch their idea to the community at our November edition of Early Risers. One startup will be awarded $1,000.
Apply here to be part of the inaugural cohort!
Have a business idea, but not a student? Stay tuned! We’ll be launching additional Early Risers Academy cohorts through 2019 & 2020 that will not be limited to students. For more information, contact KeAnna.
