Fire Awards: Finalist - Fire starters/community builders
The Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur programming and support arm of Saint Louis University’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, has returned to operations after a 3.5-year hiatus. Its reemergence stems from the hiring of Director Lewis Sheats in 2021. Within the past year, the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship says it has hosted more than 50 events and launched new programming, interacting with more than 150 students at SLU. It plans to boost its programming further, saying it will launch a startup accelerator program in 2024.
What was your organization’s biggest achievement in the past year? Growth. After a 3.5-year dormancy of the center, there was little to no student engagement in entrepreneurial activities across campus. We have launched several student-focused programs to build confidence, create curiosity and aid in the development of their entrepreneurial mindsets. Our class enrollments are growing above 25% per semester and continue to show strong demand for opportunities to launch entrepreneurial ventures. We are also seeing strong engagement within the St. Louis entrepreneurial ecosystem. Among other programs, we have 50-plus community members engaged in our entrepreneurial mentor program providing guidance and advice to our students and alumni in their journeys to success.
What is your organization’s top goal for the next year? We have several programs launching this year. We look forward to launching our SLU Accelerator in May 2024. The SLU Accelerator is designed to accelerate economic development by increasing the propensity of new ventures to survive and grow through equity-free grants. Accelerator grants provide up to $50,000 and pro bono support services to entrepreneurs who complete the SLU Accelerator. The SLU Accelerator is a five-module accelerator program, open to both current students and alumni, with a specialized focus on customer discovery, market research and validation, financial planning, legal planning, pitching and launch strategy. At the conclusion of the SLU Accelerator, student and alumni startups leave better prepared with the resources necessary to launch a successful business.
For links to profiles of winners and finalists in the 2023 Fire Awards and Startup Exit Awards, go here:
