Wayne State students have the opportunity to win up to $300 by entering in a contest during the fifth annual E2 Conference.
There are more than 40 applicants who will be notified if they are selected to present their entrepreneur business plan in a 60 second elevator pitch at the 2009 E2 Detroit “Developing the Right Entrepreneurial Team” event Oct. 15.
Many TechTown employees are excited to have student involvement in the conference.
“Many students that graduate will be worried about where the jobs are in whatever area they study,” Randel Charlton, executive director of TechTown, said. “Options are IBM, Google or whatever, and setting up your own business.”
Charlton said he is looking forward to the student’s pitches because they are the types of people that are going to create jobs that lead to the country’s economic recovery.
Even those students who don’t win first, second, or third prize will still receive a book by Chris Gardner, who’s life story was portrayed in the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
Gardner signed the copies because he is an absolute supporter of helping people help themselves Charlton said.
The conference, organized by Wayne State, was to bring researchers, business and suppliers of finance together.
But with the, changing economy, it was important for the creator of the conference, Judy Johncox, for students to get involved “in hopes the e-bug will bite them.”
“Detroit is in the middle of a transition,” Johncox said. “There is a lot of skill set an entrepreneur can take advantage of.”
After speaking with her supervisor, Johncox was given the green light to host the first conference that brought in a panel and sponsors.
This year panelist include: Thomas Murphy, Pittsburgh’s former mayor; Noah Alper, creator of Noah’s Bagel’s; Rick Inatome, the first IT entrepreneur in the state of Michigan, and many others.
Johncox said it is important for them to share their successes and challenges so that younger generations are aware of the difficulties.
Charlton echoed Johncoxs’ idea when he said they can pass on experience to the next generation and help the younger avoid the mistakes in the past.
“The older generation can go off to Florida, play shuffleboard and go to bed at 9,” Charlton said. “Or they can put right some of the mistakes.”
Charlton said this generation is not responsible for the current state of the economy; it was his generation that had been “sleeping at the switch.”
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