Registration Open for 2015 Entrepreneurship Summit
Registration is now open for Washington and Lee University’s 2015 Entrepreneurship Summit, hosted by the Williams School’s Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship. The Summit will take place Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26 and is open to all alumni, students and friends of the university. Attending the Summit is free but all attendees must register by Friday, Sept. 18.
Last year, close to 100 alumni attended W&L’s Entrepreneurship Summit. Registration includes breakfast and lunch on both Friday and Saturday and two full days of programming. A full schedule of events is available online, with more details to be released throughout the summer months. On Friday night, registrants attend a cocktail party before eating dinner in town; on Saturday night, the Summit concludes with a formal dinner program.
One of the most popular portions of the program has become the alumni pitch session. Alumni entrepreneurs who are looking for investors and other forms of support pitch their start-ups and business ideas to their classmates and current students. A separate application to participate in the alumni pitch session is required.
Washington and Lee students attend the majority of the Entrepreneurship Summit’s programming. In 2015, more than 300 students participated in some portion of the Summit. Both students and alumni benefit from listening to alumni entrepreneurs describe their setbacks as well as their successes. While on campus, alumni with interest in recruiting or mentoring W&L students are invited to conduct mock interviews as well as regular internship and job interviews.
Alumni who choose to stay in town through Sunday can register to play an early morning round of golf at the Lexington Country Club on Sunday. Golf registration costs $50 and includes green fees and cart rental. Contact Kerri Ritter to reserve a spot.
The Williams School has secured blocks of hotel rooms at two hotels in the area. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Express are $119 per night plus tax. Call (540) 463-7351 by August 25 to book using the code ENT. Rooms at the R. E. Lee Hotel are $175 per night plus tax. Call (540) 461-8484 by August 25 to make your reservation. In addition, there are a limited number of rooms available at the Morris House, on campus. Those rooms should be booked directly through Kerri Ritter. Contact Kerri at (540) 458-8932 or e-mail ritterk@wlu.edu.
Washington and Lee’s Entrepreneurship Summit was launched in 2012 by Jeffrey Shay, the Johnson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Associate Professor of Business Administration Drew Hess also serves on the faculty of the entrepreneurship program. For more information about the Summit, please contact Jeff Shay at shayj@wlu.edu.
