{"id":9471,"date":"2021-07-22T16:14:31","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T20:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/29\/new-program-to-spark-greenvilles-next-high-impact-ventures\/"},"modified":"2024-07-26T08:45:22","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T12:45:22","slug":"new-program-to-spark-greenvilles-next-high-impact-ventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/new-program-to-spark-greenvilles-next-high-impact-ventures\/","title":{"rendered":"New program to spark Greenville\u2019s next high-impact ventures"},"content":{"rendered":"

In partnership with the city of Greenville, the Greenville Local Development Corporation (GLDC) and the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Furman University\u2019s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship<\/a> is launching a new program this fall called GVL STARTS<\/strong><\/a>. The program is designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs move from idea to action by connecting them with a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and teaching them the skills they need to fund and grow their ventures.<\/p>\n

GVL STARTS builds on the success of a \u201cbusiness and innovation boot camp\u201d that the institute launched for Furman students in 2018. After the students completed the boot camp, a select number received internship placements, funded by GLDC, with early-stage NEXT member companies.<\/p>\n

Engaging with the Greenville community is nothing new to Furman. GVL STARTS is one of the many new ways we are collaborating with community partners to grow a culture of innovation and position Greenville as a national hub for entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

Startups and small businesses are critical to a vibrant economy, but more than 70% of new businesses fail within five years due to problems that can be addressed with the right foundation, according to Bryan Davis, managing director of the Furman Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the program director for GVL STARTS.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, a community like Greenville, which is fueled by collaboration and driven by a can-do spirit, has the opportunity to flip the script in an inclusive and equitable fashion,\u201d said Davis. \u201cThere is a critical mass of collaboration partners around the table supporting the GVL STARTS program and, ultimately, the aspiring entrepreneur or founder. To me, that is the magical element of this. It\u2019s not just about the great training, it\u2019s about the connections and experience you\u2019ll have that will absolutely give you a leg up to be successful in Greenville, regardless of your background, race, gender, age, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

The eight-week program, which will be offered twice a year, begins Aug. 17 and is limited to 25 participants. Sessions will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to pitch their idea or new venture during the final week for a chance to win $5,000 to assist with initial startup costs and free desk space for one year in the heart of downtown, surrounded by other entrepreneurs, investors and support organizations.<\/p>\n

According to Greenville City Manager John McDonough, GVL STARTS helps address the challenges facing every aspiring entrepreneur \u2013 the accessibility of training, connections and resources \u2013 and exemplifies the type of partnerships that Greenville is known for.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreenville is more than a vibrant place to visit and an affordable place to live. It\u2019s a thriving community for entrepreneurs,\u201d said McDonough. \u201cWe welcome, support and collaborate with innovators, and the GVL STARTS program powered by Furman will provide the educational workshops, coaching and networking they need to build confidence and ensure success.\u201d<\/p>\n

GVL STARTS is open to aspiring entrepreneurs from all demographics and business categories.<\/p>\n

The deadline to\u00a0apply<\/a> is Friday, Aug. 6, and the cost is $299. Need-based scholarships are available. Applications will be reviewed by an outside committee, and the first group of participants will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 11.<\/p>\n

The institute offers a 30-minute virtual information session on GVL STARTS on Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Those interested can register<\/a> for an information session.<\/p>\n

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In partnership with the city of Greenville, the Greenville Local Development Corporation (GLDC) and the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Furman University\u2019s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is launching a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":6449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,81,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative","category-innovation-and-entrepreneurship","category-top-four-news-4th-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9471"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33384,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9471\/revisions\/33384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}