Entrepreneurship Week

CU's first annual Entrepreneurship Week (and

Kick-off: Tuesday 4/7

New Technology Meet-Up

6:00pm, Wittemeyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building

The New Technology Meet-Up, which draws over 300 local entrepreneurs each month to the Law School's Wittemyer Courtroom for presentations and demonstrations by start-up companies, will kickoff CU Entrepreneurship Week. The Meetup now has over 2500 registered members.

Thursday, 4/9

Green Technology Meet-Up

6:00 pm (networking), 7:00pm (event)

The Green Technology Meet-up will include presentations from several front range businesses who share their new Green Tech or inventions focused on sustainable living. The aim of the meet-up is to inspire involvement, share knowledge of Green Tech, and support ecopreneurs getting started. The meet-up provides a Green Tech ecosystem of eco-businesses, eco-Human capital, and eco-investors.

Monday, 4/13

Starting Companies at CU: Technology Entrepreneurship Luncheon

11:30am - 2:00pm, University Memorial Center

CU Tech Transfer and the Boulder Innovation Center celebrate CU-Boulder faculty entrepreneurs and offer an inside 'faculty perspective' at a recent CU spinout. (Reservations required - Invitations offered to the public on and after Wednesday April 1.)

Tuesday, 4/14

Panel Discussion on Social Entrepreneurship

10:00am - 11:30am, University Memorial Center (UMC) Room 247

Please Join SEED@CU for a dynamic and varied discussion on the definitions of social entrepreneurship (SE). Learn more about SE activities in our community!

The University of Colorado at Boulder's Social Entrepreneurship for Economic Development (SEED@CU) is an interdisciplinary research group involved in emerging research on social entrepreneurship and sustainable community development (SCD). As a growing field, social entrepreneurship intersects with multiple disciplines ranging from business and engineering to geography and political science. To respond to student and faculty interest, many CU departments are incorporating SE modules into their programs. SEED@CU provides an outlet for intra-university collaboration by uniting departments to work together on a common set of research interests and goals. The multidisciplinary team includes faculty and students from the Schools of Architecture and Planning, Business, Engineering, Social Sciences, Medicine, and Journalism and Mass Communication.

Silicon Flatirons Center's Entrepreneurial Mash-Up

6:30pm, Dairy Center for the Arts

This social event and fundraiser, connecting the current generation of Entrepreneurs to the next, will honor Brad Feld, David Cohen and three Colorado IT-based start-ups (LeftHand Networks, Rally Software, and Solidware) for their contributions and impact to the Colorado entrepreneurial community and ecosystem. Please reach out to Anna Noschese (Anna.Noschese@Colorado.EDU) for additional details.

Wednesday, 4/15

Feld-Weiser One-on-One: The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

5:00pm, Wittemeyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building

Phil Weiser, Professor of Law and Telecommunications, will interview local venture capitalist Brad Feld on topics ranging from financing strategies for start-ups to the nature of innovation to what makes a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem to managing work-life balance. Readers of Brad's blog already appreciate that his insights and wit are not to be missed.

Entrepreneurs Unplugged

6:00pm at Wittemeyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building

On April 15, 2009, the Silicon Flatirons Center will present Glenn Jones, one of the finest entrepreneurs to come out of CU Law and a cable industry pioneer, as our featured entrepreneur in our Entrepreneurs Unplugged series. Widely viewed as an important developer of the modern cable industry, Mr. Jones is also pioneering the development of distance education opportunities using the Internet.

Entrepreneurs Unplugged is a monthly event that features successful entrepreneurs sharing their experiences with University of Colorado students and faculty. Our series has brought serial entrepreneurs ranging from Paul Berberian to Sue Kunz to Dan Caruso to campus. We are very pleased to present Glenn Jones as our featured speaker during Entrepreneurship Week.

Thursday, 4/16

Putting The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Perspective

3:00pm - 8:00pm, Wittemeyer Courtroom, Wolf Law Building

Commentators, policymakers, and businesses often talk about an "entrepreneurial ecosystem." The conception, however, remains undefined. In this conference, we will take a critical look at the idea of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, examining how it facilitates innovation. In particular, we will evaluate the ingredients that enable a local community to develop an entrepreneurial culture and reach a critical mass of inventive activity. Moreover, we will evaluate how entrepreneurs are able to recognize what inventions truly matter--i.e., are "disruptive" in the sense that they can make a big impact on an established market. In so doing, we will also ask what pitfalls there are along the way where firms seeking to take advantage of such opportunities either make the right or wrong strategic and tactical judgments.

The lineup for the 2009 conference, "Putting The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Perspective," features, among others, Governor Bill Ritter and academic stand-outs Karl Ulrich (Wharton School of Business) and Anno Saxenian (University of California-Berkeley's Information School).

Friday, 4/17

CU New Venture Challenge Semifinals, Finals and Post-Challenge Reception

Join us for our first annual cross campus business plan competition as teams compete for cash and in-kind prizes before a panel of investors, entrepreneurs and professionals who service the entrepreneurship community.

The semifinals will be held from 9 am - noon in various locations throughout the Atlas building. Finals will begin at 2 pm in Room 235 at the University Memorial Center; reception and announcement of awards to follow at the UMC (weather permitting on the balcony of the UMC or in Room 235).