Social entrepreneurs are always looking for new opportunities to make an impact. The NCIIA (National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance) is an invaluable resource for university entrepreneurs (both students and faculty) looking for the training, funding and mentoring needed to build successful, socially beneficial businesses. E-Team grants and Venture Well are two particular initiatives that will help the next generation of social entrepreneurs transform their ideas into solid ventures:
E-Team Grants
E-Team grants - of up to $20,000 - support commercial outcomes by moving innovative products from the idea stage to prototype and eventually to market. The next deadlines for applications are December 4, 2009 and May 7, 2010. All E-Team grantees attend an Advanced Invention to Venture workshop and receive a further eight weeks one-on-one coaching (via phone) to gain more expertise and knowledge in entrepreneurship and venture development. See www.nciia.org/grants/eteam for more information or contact Jennifer Keller Jackson at jkjackson@nciia.org
Venture Well
Venture Well works to accelerate the growth of start-ups emerging from the university environment, by providing intensive mentoring and, in some cases, investment funding. Each year we work with a small number of student ventures that show the potential to have a positive social impact on the world. For more information, visit www.venturewell.org.
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