We coach Kent State founders, innovators, dreamers, and doers!
The latest & greatest from LaunchNET Kent State
Creating a community of Kent State makers, innovators, creators, collaborators, and business owners.
*PLEASE NOTE* In accordance with Kent State's current policy, all LaunchNET venture meetings will be virtual and all in-person events are cancelled for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester.

We are still open and happy to assist with you with any advising and business questions you may have.

If you are a current client, visit ksulaunch.net/appointment to schedule with your advisor and an online meeting link will be included in your confirmation email.

We are working some virtual ways to stay in touch and continue to have group meet-ups, like our new book club, The Entrepreneur Life, All the CEO Ladies, and BYOB. Keep watching your email and this newsletter for announcements as we roll them out! 
LaunchNET Scholarships 2020 | DEADLINE EXTENDED
APPLY NOW for one or both of TWO $1000 scholarships available from LaunchNET, for the 2020-21 academic year.

Applications are due Friday, April 10
get that money!
Connect with other CEO Ladies online!
We have created an online home, through the Flash Mentor website, for the ACL Community to continue to connect. This is a place to connect, share information, advice, ask questions, and generally do what we do in person!

ACL members will be receiving an email invitation. You can also join the community through the link below. 
sign up now
Career Exploration Starts Virtual Drop-Ins
For help with:

  • Quick questions about Majors & Careers
  • Resume & Cover Letter Critiques
  • On-Campus Student Employment Search
  • Introduction to Networking Strategies
  • Interview Tips
The Career Exploration and Development staff and Career Peers are available to answer brief questions during drop-in hours. To ensure questions are answered in a timely manner, please join fifteen minutes before the end of the drop-in session.  For questions requiring more than 10-15 minutes, we encourage you to schedule an appointment through KSU Advising.
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Client Focus
We are always looking for ways to feature our clients and the great work they do!

If you are doing something for the current crisis, have been featured recently, or want to share how your venture is getting through this time, send an email to Tabitha [tmessmor-at-kent.edu]
Masks for Hope – Kent State Students (and LaunchNET clients) Take Steps to Help Save Lives
“We have to start knitting masks. My director of health just emailed the entire staff.”

For Irvin Cardenas, a robotics researcher and computer science Ph.D. student in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University, these were the worst words he had ever heard from a close friend working at one of Cleveland’s top hospitals.

Joining Cardenas in these efforts are Yuqiao Xu, a data scientist and alumna of Kent State, and Michelle S. Park Kołacz and Siera Santos Terry, both master’s students at Kent State’s Fashion Industry Studies program.
read more & support their work
CONGRATS to client Anne Cate on Cleveland Magazine coverage!
Behind Anne Cate’s Stark, Stylish Skyline Bags And Pillows
We talk to Mentor designer Anne Skoch about the inspiration behind her products, the irony of her new best-seller and how the purse maker is overcoming coronavirus challenges.
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CONGRATS to client Tiffany Adjei! Part of the inaugural class of Mortar program at Bounce
The Akron accelerator program, which focuses on nontech, minority businesses, will have to postpone the start because of the COVID-19 crisis. The inaugural class includes 15 participants.
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Client Sauce the City keeps feeding Cleveland
Experience "The Best Chicken Sandwich in Cleveland" through takeout at their POP UP LOCATION  INSIDE SAINATOS PIZZERIA
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Experience storytelling and blog posts from client AMI TAMAKLOE
Our stories past and present are the ingredients to creating ourselves. Storytelling is a big part of how our forebears entertained and educated children on life and lessons to learn as they navigated it. StoryTime brings that to you and your family. So sit back, tune up, grab some tea (or hot cocoa) and “edutain” yourself!
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Competitions, Events, Opportunities
Virtual Event for the Knowledgable Network of Women: April 15 at 9am:
"Switching Lanes" ~ Recognizing and Understanding Your Value!

I bet you didn't know that you already have what it takes! Your contributions in and out of the workplace make you inexplicably you, however, we often fail to recognize the difference we make. Join us as we talk about what it means to switch lanes while embracing our value!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, EMAIL TABITHA (tmessmor-at-kent.edu) BY APRIL 12,  SO WE CAN REGISTER AS A GROUP. 
The Collegiate Inventors Competition® (CIC), a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame®, is a national competition that recognizes and rewards innovations, discoveries and research by college and university students and their faculty advisers.
The competition encourages students who actively pursue invention. Students frequently come from science, engineering, mathematics and technology studies, but creative invention can emerge from any course of study.
First in a series about getting your business certified for opportunities with the government.
Pre-Certification Workshop - Wed., April 8, 2020

This course is designed to educate the business owner on the requirements, benefits, and opportunities associated with obtaining the necessary certifications to bid on contracts to grow your business.
Come and learn what is needed to fulfill the necessary certification requirements.

Join Zoom Meeting by Audio and Video
Do you have a business or an idea for a business in Akron? 

Over $100,000 in grants available in Akron’s small business competition! Rubber City Match connects vacant retail spaces with new and expanding small businesses. If you can dream it, we’ll help you build it in Akron!
We’re looking for teams with:
  • Intent to Commercialize: A strong commitment to exploring commercialization of your science or tech innovation.
  • Social/Environmental impact: Inventions that will scale to address a pressing social, health, or environmental need. We fund innovations that can solve challenges including health, food security, energy, and climate change.
  • Student team identified: Teams that include two or more students and a faculty advisor.
Joining a cohort will provide you with the chance to:

  • Connect you with like-minded practitioners working to solve similar problems
  • Establish meaningful & lasting relationships that can help broaden your perspective and increase your knowledge
  • Create your own unique learning environment with access to expert coaching sessions, facilitated group discussions, online training and case study reviews
  • Maintain a steady dialogue and workflow with your peers to solve problems in real time
  • Get a head start toward receiving Lean Startup professional certifications
  • Anyone can apply. Fill out the request form if you are interested in participating or learning more
Distance
Work & Study
Resources for getting the most out of your online classes
Hack from Home is an online Hackathon aiming to improve the lives of everyone affected by COVID-19.
As COVID-19 continues to sweep the globe, it’s hard to know where to turn or what to think. TED Connects features various experts whose ideas can help us reflect and work through this time.

These free tools can help your organization, team and family during this confusing and dangerous time.

The etiquette expert who recently partnered with the likes of Facebook Messenger explains how best to communicate virtually as we all make this transition during the coronavirus crisis.

From organizing digital photos to repurposing old tech, here’s some ideas on how to use your free time during the coronavirus lockdown.

Keep Smiling
welcome to the get down
WE’RE DANCING ON THE INTERNET! GET YOUR SPEAKERS READY

Dorie Clark is a consultant and keynote speaker, and the author of the books Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out.

The current pandemic is unprecedented, but there are some clear economic lessons to be learned from the 2008 financial crisis.

Be Healthy

Calm your inner voice with these 18 daily affirmations. Seriously, print them out. Career advice for women, Best careers for women, Career tips for women

If you are looking for a tool to help you take control of your finances right now, in this time of uncertainty, you can download the budget templates free.

When you’re hunkered down and Amazon is out of stock, you can still stock up on the basics, tackle your to-do list, and even have some fun.

There is a way to overcome the stress and become a more well-balanced entrepreneur. For your brand to thrive, it needs a healthy individual at the helm.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a collective loss of normalcy.

Business Resources
Join creative consultant and co-owner of Akron's AVclub Phil Anderson for a webinar devoted to helping artists learn more about producing, distributing, live streaming, and getting paid for creative work in this time of social distancing and staying at home.
You are eligible for a loan if you are a small business that employs 500 employees or fewer. Sole proprietors, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and self-employed individuals are all eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Keep on Learning
Patenting Your Product: Tips to Go from an Idea to Development – TechOhio

A patent expert shares where entrepreneurs go wrong and what to watch out for You’ve got a big idea! This is the one that’s going to change your life and the lives of others, you’re sure of it. But are you positive it hasn’t been done before? Is it different enough to set it apart…

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