Washington and Lee to Host Third Annual Entrepreneurship Summit
Washington and Lee University will host its third annual Entrepreneurship Summit on Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27.
The event, which is run by the J. Lawrence Connolly Entrepreneurship Center and student-run Venture Club, is open to students, faculty, and staff as well as alumni and parent entrepreneurs. Last year’s event drew participation from 60 alumni and 200 students.
The summit features two full days of keynotes, panels, roundtables and networking sessions. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required.
Friday begins with an 8:30 a.m. breakfast. Sessions to follow include:
Leveraging Social Media
- Dan Birdwhistell, ’01 – Founder, Studio Publishing
- Kelly Dyer, ’98 – Founder, SourceFuse and Inventory Source
- Al Dominick, ’99 – President, Bank Director
Non-traditional Sources of Capital
- Tom Swenson – Founder, Bank of Montana and Montana Business Capital
- Matt Wallace, ’06 – Co-Founder, ‘Chups
- Kevin Bowles, ’82 – Entrepreneur in Residence, Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network
Attracting, Hiring and Managing an “A” Team
- McGowin Patrick, ’86 – Founder, Tap Resources
- Larry Connolly, ’79 – Retired, Connolly, LLC
- Sean O’Rourke, ’93 – Founder, Syzygy 3
- Chris Williams, ’85 – Founder, Harris Williams
Startup and Intellectual Property Law
- Tom Dunlap, ’99L – Co-Founder, Dunlap/Weaver and Co-Founder, Ceres Nanosciences
- Doug Panzer, ’98 – Founder, Douglas Panzer Law
- Billy Poynter, ’98 – Partner, Kaleo Legal
Raising Capital and Managing Investor Relations
- Doug Burns, ’95 – Partner, Court Square Ventures
- Evan MacQueen – Vice President, Core Capital
- Alex Tarumianz, ’79 – Consultant
A reception and networking event will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday in the Reeves Center.
Saturday’s sessions include:
- Intellectual Property Roundtable Discussion
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Strategic and Analytical Tools for Entrepreneurs
- Women’s Entrepreneurship Panel
- Startup Accounting
On Saturday there will also be two pitch sessions—an alumni new venture pitch session and the Fourth Annual Student Pitch Competition. Alumni participants will be invited to conduct interviews with students for either internships and/or permanent jobs, and will also offer consultations to participants in the student pitch competition. A student showcase will round out the day, with a closing reception and dinner to follow on Saturday night.
To register or for more information about the Entrepreneurship Summit, visit entrepreneurship.wlu.edu/entrepreneurship-summit or contact Jeff Shay, Johnson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Leadership, at (540) 458-8280 or shayj@wlu.edu.
