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HIGH FIVE! Iowa State University ranked #26 for Entrepreneurship in Princeton Review Rankings
The Princeton Review® and Entrepreneur Magazine announced the results of its 14th annual survey naming the top undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship.
"Iowa State University is excited to be building a vibrant ecosystem where innovation and entrepreneurship are integrated into the curriculum. With the opening of the Student Innovation Center in 2020, Iowa State will have a state-of-the-art, hands-on hub for students of all programs and majors to collaborate, design, create, and bring their ideas to life,” said Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen.
Entrepreneurship has been a theme at Iowa State for more than 20 years thanks to the many successes at the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. Over the last five years, our team has had the opportunity to create and grow a number of quality programs to enhance classroom curriculum and focus on experiential learning (to learn by doing).
Read the full announcement from the Debbie & Jerry Ivy College of Business!
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HIGH FIVE for #1: Grayson Burgess honored as CEO Student Entrepreneur of the Year!
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Grayson Burgess, a senior in mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, received the top honor for CEO Student Entrepreneur of the Year at the National Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) Conference held in Tampa, Florida in October (Grayson pictured in the center with CEO leadership team).
A familiar face at the Pappajohn Center, Burgess is the owner of Comic Sandwiches, which creates authentic, life-size prop replicas and collectibles for cosplay and superhero fans. Burgess was part of the fourth cohort of CYstarters and was the past president of the ISU Entrepreneur Club.
The Entrepreneur Club at ISU has been attending the CEO Conference for more than 20 years. This is the first time an ISU student has been awarded the honor!
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Comic Sandwiches takes 3rd Place in the CEO Global Pitch Competition!
More applause! Grayson Burgess competed in the CEO Global Pitch Competition while attending the conference. He placed third and received a $2,000 cash prize award! Nicholas Hanstad (Lokoly) and Josh Dingle (Big Acai Bowl) also participating in the competition. Want to learn more about Comic Sandwiches, read the CYstarters spotlight story here!
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A familiar face joins our team: Meet Megan Sweere
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With two weeks under her belt on the new job at the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, we want to formally introduce you to Megan Sweere.
In her new role, Megan will help facilitate entrepreneurial programming and provide administrative support for both the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and CyBIZ Lab student consulting.
Meet Megan, click here to continue reading the interview!
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Highlights: Women Entrepreneurship Week October 21-26
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The ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship hosted a full of week events to recognize and support women entrepreneurs in Iowa. The Women Who Create Conference sold out for its second year in a row. The full-day conference featured workshops and panels on business growth, including a lunch keynote from Sarah Grant, founder of Sticks (pictured, bottom left). Unique to this year's event was the Creative Confessional, a pop-up portrait experience with Jami Milne.
The week also included events on campus, including a student entrepreneur panel (pictured, bottom right).
Join the early-bird list for next year's Women Who Create Conference!
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Highlights: ISU INNOVATION PRIZE held November 8-9
The Innovation Weekend kicked off with a talk on campus by Iowa State alumnus, Steve Johanns. With over 25 years of experience in technology, energy, infrastructure, and innovation, Steve Johanns founded Veriown Global Inc., bringing internet-connected solar energy to the 1.2 billion people around the world without access to a power grid. The event was co-sponsored with the Student Innovation Center and Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. To watch the full lecture, click here!
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Great minds can make a difference. The ISU INNOVATION PRIZE is an incentive competition for the Iowa State community to come together to solve bold challenges facing our communities, state, and the world. The weekend event inspired over 75 participants to form small teams to brainstorm and solve one of the three challenge areas:
AgTech: How do we increase productivity of the global agricultural system with less negative impact on land, energy, water, and Mother Earth?
EdTech: How do we design and reinvent learning for a better experience (quality and value) in an age of accelerating technology?
Global Impact: How do we improve the quality of life and continue to help solve urgent issues all around the globe?
Shout-out to the weekend's facilitator and Iowa State alumnus, Brian Hemesath!
The event was sponsored by Principal, Ag Startup Engine, ISU Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative, and the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.
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