By D.Thompson
Bowie State’s Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC) has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to develop and teach an entrepreneurial curriculum tailored for student entrepreneurs as part of the new Building Businesses @ BSU project which prioritizes training and business preparation of undergraduates.
Through the EIC, Building Business @ BSU will provide a robust entrepreneurship education and training program for students that will enhance their entrepreneurial mindset and potential for business success. Target participants for the program include undergraduate students enrolled in the biomedical, cyber security, emerging technologies and arts disciplines. Most importantly, the program will increase students’ experiential learning in support of the development of minority businesses and prepare them to gain access to needed capital.
“Our Building Businesses @ BSU project is designed to teach students how to develop businesses and commercialize products and services on a global scale,” said Johnetta Hardy, executive director of Bowie State’s EIC. “We will help build a pipeline for producing high-growth start-ups that will lead to future generations of leaders and innovators. Our program aligns with the MBDA’s mission to build a diverse entrepreneurial pipeline to grow minority businesses while advancing racial equity.”
Building Businesses @ BSU project activities will begin with The Bulldog Startup Weekend, an initiative that will be launched later this month with 40 students selected to receive two days of entrepreneurship training on the fundamentals of starting a business and how to identify new business opportunities, pitch creation and working one-on-one with mentors.
The weekend course will prepare students for the 4-week Venture Boot Camp Accelerator Program to be held in January 2023. Students will be introduced to the Business Model Canvas, a strategic management tool that will permit participants to visualize and assess their business idea or concept. They will also receive additional information on idea generation, value propositions, business and impact models, prototypes and revenue streams.
“This MBDA grant enables us to augment and expand our entrepreneurship education and training for our undergraduate student business owners,” said Hardy. “We believe students will benefit greatly from our Building Businesses @ BSU project now and in future years.”
