Darden Prof To Lead UVA Innovates to Support Entrepreneurs

Charlottesville, VA: “Last fall, the University of Virginia put together a plan to make it easier for potential entrepreneurs to find help, guidance and even funding for their ideas. Now, a year later, that plan has solidified under an initiative, UVA Innovates, to assist students, faculty and staff with moving forward with their big ideas.

The launch of UVA Innovates coincides with the University’s Fall Entrepreneurship Week featuring several events for the innovation-minded, including:

• An “Entrepreneurship Escape Room Tournament,” Saturday at the McIntire School of Commerce
• “The Entrepreneurship Challenge” on Sunday at The Foundry, a new dedicated space at 9 Elliewood Ave. for student entrepreneurs. The Foundry officially opens with a ceremony Oct. 2 from 1:30-7 p.m. featuring UVA President Jim Ryan, former Reddit Chief Technology Officer Marty Weiner, a reception and open house.
• A “Founders Fair” Oct. 1 in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom where budding entrepreneurs can meet with potential funders including investors and local business owners.
• A UVA Alumni Entrepreneurship Mini-Summit Oct. 4 in Arlington for graduates looking to take their ideas or companies to the next level.

To learn more about UVA Innovates and read an interview with Professor Michael Lennox, who’ll be leading the initiative, click here.

DON’T MISS: UVA DARDEN’S NEW $130 MILLION GATHERING SPACE

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Successful MBA Entrepreneurs Share Their Biggest Lessons From Business School

Inc.: “Business school isn’t a prerequisite to starting a successful company, but it can’t hurt. Indeed, many founders who have attended business school say the programs have left them better prepared for the rigors of startup life — from meeting their co-founder to networking with VCs to tapping the wisdom of veteran business-owner professors and alumni.

We polled seven prominent entrepreneurs and alumni from several of the 50 top schools for entrepreneurs, which Inc. and Fast Company are highlighting in their 2024 list of Ignition Schools. Here are the top lessons they learned from their alma maters.

1. Key Lesson: “How to take risks.” — Jose Herrera

Company: Hire Horatio CX
Alma Mater: Columbia Business School (Class of 2019)

Jose Herrera, co-founder of New York-based consumer experience outsourcing firm Hire Horatio CX, met his co-founders, Alex Ross and Jared Karson, on the first day of business school.

“It was just one of those moments when you click instantly with them,” he says. “I think we all wanted to start something together and have a tangible impact on the world.”

At Columbia, he was paired with alum Brian Rich, managing partner and co-founder of New York-based Catalyst Investors, and required to launch a startup within one week of the start of the program. That helped Herrera quickly turn Hire Horatio CX from an idea into a full-fledged company.

Herrera says he took life-changing courses. The personal leadership and success class, for example, was “humbling,” he says, as it taught him how to confront his fears, understand his motivations, and become introspective. “We actually had to bare it all in front of our class,” he says, which included sharing personal stories about difficult life experiences in group discussions. “That really deepened our understanding of what it means to build a company with purpose and integrity.”

He also took a one-week entrepreneurship course in Cape Town, South Africa, where the students were able to meet with entrepreneurs from all over Africa.

Hearing the success story of a female entrepreneur guest speaker during that stint pushed him to realize he already had the resources and ability to take a risk with starting Hire Horatio CX. Above all, he says, he learned how to take calculated risks — this means engaging in extensive research, planning, mentor discussion, and remaining adaptable, but pursuing ventures out of his comfort zone.

“It’s important to understand that risk-reward analysis for each decision you make as you start building on your company,” Herrera says.”

To read additional lessons from graduates of Harvard Business School, the Wharton School, and the Yale School of Management, click here.

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GMAC Announces Winners of 3rd Annual GMAT Talent and Opportunity Scholarship

RESTON, VA: “The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a global association of leading graduate business schools, today announced the winners of the 2024 GMAT Talent and Opportunity Scholarship for the Europe region. Now in its third year, the program is designed to promote inclusivity in graduate management education and reduce barriers for underrepresented groups. Applications are encouraged from women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, socio-economically diverse, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates.

The 10 winners, chosen from over 200 applicants representing diverse backgrounds across 35 countries, will each receive a scholarship package valued at $5,000 (€4,500).

“Inequalities and underrepresentation in business and business schools is a profound challenge that hinders innovation and reinforces systemic inequalities. When diverse voices are excluded, we all lose out on the breadth of ideas and leadership needed to drive progress.”, says Nalisha Patel, Regional Director for Europe at GMAC. “This scholarship is our commitment to changing that—by opening doors for underrepresented talent, we aim to cultivate a more inclusive business landscape that not only reflects the richness of our society but also strengthens it for the better.”

To read the full article, click here.

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