A mechanism to connect people who have deep experience and insights into entrepreneurship has arrived at the Goizueta Business School, another resource for students looking to start companies.
Goizueta has launched Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, one piece of a collection of programs geared toward entrepreneurship, where entrepreneurs will work with faculty and students each semester to speak in a class or meet in informal settings, like lunches, with students. It’s designed to offer students real-life experience with people who have done what they’re studying to do.
The entrepreneurs will advise BBA and MBA students looking to start their own companies and work with faculty on an evidence-based research and course presentation, along with creating connections in the community.
Along with an incubator setting at the Atlanta Tech Village, forums where entrepreneurs are connected with funding, and a detailed process where students pitch ideas to faculty members, the EiR program is one more element directed at supporting student interest in entrepreneurship that is one component of the school’s strategic plan.
Amelia Schaffner, Goizueta’s director of entrepreneurship, said the cohort is made up of entrepreneurs with skill sets and expertise that range from technical to financial, marketing and sales.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to tap into this variety of skill sets,” she said. “But also allow the students an opportunity to interact with the EiR who has the experience that best fits their needs. It might be that they have specific industry knowledge, or experience in an area relevant to the student’s current startup stage, be it ideation, branding, customer discovery, funding, operations, sales and so on.”