WEST LAFAYETTE – Indiana high school administrators, educators and community leaders have through March 29 to nominate high school sophomores and juniors for the seventh annual Purdue Research Park Entrepreneurship Academy.
For a nomination form, call Juliana Casavan, academy coordinator, at (765) 588-3368, or e-mailjbcasavan@prf.org. There is no fee to nominate a student, nor is there a limit to the number of students who can be nominated from a single school.
Fifty students accepted into the week-long program will work with successful high-tech business entrepreneurs, business experts, industry leaders and Purdue Research Foundation staff. They will learn to develop a business from creating the concept through raising funds and creating prototypes. To conclude the program, 10 teams of five students will deliver a 15-minute investor pitch to a panel of economic development experts to demonstrate how well they developed a commercialization plan, crafted marketing plans and outlined plans to use venture capital.
The three teams with the highest scores will receive college tuition vouchers, which range from $100 to $500. All Purdue University campuses in the state accept the vouchers. All students who complete the academy will have one course requirement waived toward Purdue's Entrepreneurship & Innovation Certificate program.
Sponsors include Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Bill DeFouw Chevrolet-BMW, Coldwell Banker Shook, Duke Energy Foundation, Greater Lafayette Chamber and Purdue Research Foundation.
