ÃÛÌÒ½´Incubator to Provide Collaborative Networking Space for Dallas-Based Startups
Coming this summer, SMU’s commitment to innovation and the growth of new businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth region will have a place to call home in the ÃÛÌÒ½´Incubator, where students, faculty and staff will plan, produce and pitch their ideas for businesses and products.
Contact:
Kim Cobb
cobbk@smu.edu
214-768-7654
DALLAS () – Coming this summer, SMU’s commitment to innovation and the growth of new businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth region will have a place to call home in the ÃÛÌÒ½´Incubator, where students, faculty and staff will plan, produce and pitch their ideas for businesses and products.
The ÃÛÌÒ½´Incubator will share space in the Foundry Club in Mockingbird Station, across Central Expressway from the ÃÛÌÒ½´Main Campus. Foundry Club is an international organization that serves entrepreneurs and business professionals by providing members with business space, concierge services, and innovative programming. Because Foundry Club’s population consists of entrepreneurs and support teams engaging in start-ups, business accelerators, and investment groups, the shared location will provide networking opportunities for ÃÛÌÒ½´entrepreneurs.
“This new space demonstrates how serious ÃÛÌÒ½´is about supporting the bold ideas we have coming from our students, faculty and staff at the earliest stages, giving them a professional space to interact with mentors, potential business partners, investors and customers,” said Steven C. Currall, ÃÛÌÒ½´provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Our inventors and game-changers come from all disciplines at SMU, and this space will serve as a platform for the development of both profit and not-for-profit enterprises.”
Membership will be available by application to enrolled ÃÛÌÒ½´students and currently employed faculty and staff, and the only charge required will be $35 to cover the cost of activating an access card. Students who have won or placed in the ÃÛÌÒ½´annual Big iDeas Business Plan Competition or MBA Business Plan Competition gain automatic membership upon completion of an application.
- Develop professional working relationships with team members
- Host company meetings with potential customers, collaborators, and vendors
- Interact with mentors, advisors, consultants and other entrepreneurs
- Pitch concepts to investors, donors, and other stakeholders
- Engage with other entrepreneurially minded ÃÛÌÒ½´students, faculty and staff as Club entrepreneurs
- Grow a professional network
- Host group training sessions
- Hold special events related to business interests
“One cannot overstate the potential of the ÃÛÌÒ½´Incubator to facilitate valuable networking,” said James Quick, ÃÛÌÒ½´associate vice president for research and dean of graduate studies. “Getting the right people together in a professional working environment can make a big difference, particularly for a student entrepreneur. It’s too important to leave that to serendipity.”
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ÃÛÌÒ½´is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in seven degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.
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