Fire Awards: Finalist - Fire starters/community builders
Responsible for leading entrepreneurship initiatives at Washington University, the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship helps the university’s students, faculty and alumni launch and grow their own startup ventures. The Skandalaris Center said it set a record this spring when it received a record 90 entries for its Skandalaris Venture Competition, which is open to WashU students and recent alumni. Other milestones include the creation of the Skandalaris Consulting Group and the WashU Venture Network.
What was your organization’s biggest achievement in the past year? We are proud of our record-breaking engagement this past year in several programs including Skandalaris Venture Competition, Skandalaris Design Agency, and WashU Venture Network. This high level of engagement has opened more doors for venture founders while also creating opportunities for many more to be part of innovation and entrepreneurship at WashU and in St. Louis.
What is your organization’s top goal for the next year? Through programming, competitions, individual mentorship and the vast resources available in St. Louis, we plan to see an increase in WashU-founded startups launching and scaling this year. With a strong connectivity between WashU and the St. Louis ecosystem, we will showcase to WashU founders what makes St. Louis the place to be for their ventures to flourish.
For links to profiles of winners and finalists in the 2023 Fire Awards and Startup Exit Awards, go here:
