Are you a full-time MBA with an interest in starting a new business now or in the future, or taking an existing business to a new level? If so the Wisconsin Fellowship in Enterprise Development is the program for you! Every year the Fellowship accepts around a dozen entrepreneurial-minded full-time MBA students to take part in a yearlong, experiential training program focused on Enterprise Development.
The main feature of the fellowship is the weekly class session we all attend together. During the semester each student is expected to develop a business idea and present a five minute pitch to the class. After this pitch, the 14-person group will provide feedback, moderated by the Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, Dan Olszewski. This feedback will address any gaps the presenter may have in their plan, as well as provide examples of how to test the business idea or further develop specific aspects of it. This weekly class meeting has provided wonderful actionable suggestions to each of the presenters,and it is also very valuable to have the perspective of the commentator.
The Fellows are also fortunate to be right in the middle of all the entrepreneurship activity occurring around campus and in Madison. Our behind-the-scenes tour at the Wisconsin Discovery Building is one example of the access we are lucky to have. Another example are the mentors we are connected with at the beginning of the program. Many of them are alumni of the program, and many have created successful companies of their own. Having this support is helpful even for students who are only considering entrepreneurship as a career patch. Being in the loop for all of the activities, speakers, events, and competitions has been a great perk as well. No matter how much the various campus events campus are advertised, sometimes when they get lost in all of the noise, it is nice to be at the heart of the action in order to understand which relevant opportunities are out there!
Bringing together a tight knit group of entrepreneurial-minded individuals has also led to the formation of some very promising bonds. We are excited to see what comes from the Fellowship class of 2019!
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