Eastern Michigan University’s Center for Entrepreneurship will be holding its second Executive Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Venture Challenge program to help those who wish to become entrepreneurs jumpstart their ideas. The deadline to apply is Aug. 15.

The entrepreneurship program is a hybrid program that helps aspiring entrepreneurs learn business skills and offers professional coaching, networking, and mentoring opportunities. 

Over the course of the eight-week program, participants will be given the opportunity to pitch their startup ideas for a chance to win $30,000 for their business expenses. A cohort of 20 emerging entrepreneurs will be selected.

“There were about 30 community leaders involved in the inaugural cohort of this program as instructors, coaches, mentors, and judges,” Sanjib Chowdhury, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, said. "We are proud to offer such a unique program to emerging entrepreneurs in our community.”

Founder of Ann Arbor-based startup Culturewell, Sarah Beatty, was the first winner of the Executive Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Venture Challenge program after its launch in early 2022. She has used her $25,000 prize to help pay for expenses that can become overwhelming for entrepreneurs. 

The program will consist of eight modules with topics including:

• Financial planning

• Customer-driven idea to MVP

• Discovery and acquisition of customers

• Fundraising options and pitching for venture challenge

• Forming a company and legal issues

"The training and experience in this program provided me with the knowledge and skills that I needed to move forward with my startup,” Snehal Patel, founder of HeloGenika and participant in the program’s first cohort, said.

The application deadline for the initial program is August 15. For more information and to apply, visit the Executive Certificate in Entrepreneurship program website.

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