The Showcase has begun! The University of the Pacific and Velocity Venture Capital launched a revolutionary educational experience for rising entrepreneurs in the Central Valley on Tuesday, March 17th. The new course of study will combine an MBA curriculum with hands-on mentorship from working venture capitalists. The core goal of the program is to equip and train aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to take an idea on paper into a functioning reality Jack Crawford, CEO of Velocity Venture Capital, hosted the evening at their Folsom campus with startup power company Jadoo. The night was electric with the student to entrepreneur ratio at nearly 1-to-1. Jack Crawford interviewed John Stone of Freepath and Yatish Mishra of Raging Wire to share the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur. The lows reflected difficult times of near bankruptcy, with the highs mounting at selling the firm to Steve Jobs and company at Apple.
In addition, Jack Crawford elaborated on Social Venture Philanthropy (SVP), which is Velocity's social entrepreneur arm that empowers non-profit companies to work towards sustainable operations. Velocity's commitment to the region not only looks to develop the brightest minds and best ideas, but to change the community for the better.
Specifically, the Entrepreneur Showcase will engage students in a formal application and interviewing process to ensure talents and interest are matched with the relevant needs of Velocity's companies. The portfolio of companies participating in the showcase include:
On the venture philanthropy side, participating companies include:
The evening finished with a mix of networking opportunities and further details on the new MBA track. The program launch was a success, creating sustained momentum and excitement amongst students and entrepreneurs. The mutual feeling shared by all was that we are the cusps of something big!
