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Apr 30 2020

LaunchNET News: Announcing the LaunchNET scholarship recipients!

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.
We are still open and happy to assist you with any advising and business questions you may have.
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Good
News & Announcements
Congratulations to the 2020 Scholarship winners!
We are so very proud to be able to award an additional student scholarship this year, thanks to our donors in honor of our friend Marty Erbaugh!
That means we are able to bring LaunchNET scholarships to TWO deserving students and a faculty mentor.

And the winners are:
Marty Erbaugh Student Entrepreneur Scholarship:
JAVON MILLER

Paul L. Pfeiffer Student Startup Scholarship:
ALEXANDRA REICH

Paul L. Pfeiffer Faculty Mentor Award:
DR JIHYUN  KIM, The Fashion School

Please take a moment to read about these amazing people and their accomplishments.
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All the CEO Ladies virtual happy hour: Tue, May 5, 2020 at 5:00 PM
Celebrate Cinquo de Mayo with the other Kent State CEO Ladies!
Because the Kent campus is closed, near-future ACL meetings will be virtual.
Although we don't usually have meetings during the summer months, because they will be virtual, we decided it would be good to continue our support of one another online!
To kick-off the Summer 2020 meetings, we will be having a virtual "happy hour" to check in and discuss the meeting times for the rest of the summer.
rsvp today
LaunchNET Kent State quarantine activities survey
Let us know what kinds of activities would be helpful for you this summer! 
Take a minute now to tell us
Build your network! Connect with mentors!
Flash Mentors is a new program being piloted by LaunchNET to connect Kent State students with professionals who can help answer questions about careers, ventures, and specific topics.

We now have community boards for All the CEO Ladies, Entrepreneurial Help & Resources, and we are starting one focused on the Arts.

Have an idea for a community? Let us know!
Sign up now
Client Focus
We
CONGRATULATIONS to our Idea Olympics Winners!
After a virtual video competition in lieu of our in-person final, we are proud to announce the winners of the 2020 Idea Olympics! 

  • 1st place - Calitronics - Daniel Issac & Paul Coulter,
  • 2nd place - Trolder - Luke Leyden
  • 3rd place (tie) - Advocates for Autism - Jordan Worrell
  • 3rd place (tie) - Virtue - Heeju Noe
And a huge THANK YOU to all of our virtual judges!
  • Craig Berger, Assistant Director, Community Engaged Learning 
  • Curtis Cofojohn, Managing Partner, All College Rentals 
  • Krittika Grau, Senior Career Advisor, Career Exploration and Development 
  • Michael Hawkins, Data Librarian, University Libraries 
  • Jasmine Jefferson, First-Year Experience Librarian, University Libraries 
  • Hilary Kennedy, Manager, Library Makerspaces, Lecturer, University Libraries 
  • AJ Leu, CCI Diversity Director, College of Communication and Information 
  • Amy Nethken, Administrative Assistant, Design Innovation 
  • Alicia Robinson, Assistant Director, Women’s Center 
  • Jackie Ruller, Assistant Dean, External Affairs, College of Aeronautics and Engineering
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Meet Jada Renee of The INDI Group in The Heights, Montrose - Voyage Houston Magazine | Houston City Guide
So excited to see alum client Jada Renee and her company INDI Media getting some love in Houston! 
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This VC built a virtual version of Silicon Valley in Figma
Kent State alum & LaunchNET friend Brianne Kimmel created the digital environment Stay at Home Valley, which has sprouted versions of tech company headquarters and even an engagement celebration. 
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Entrepreneur Advice and Connections
Questions, advice, trends and more around entrepreneurship

Do you have questions about your new venture? Are you a business owner that wants to share something new and exciting about your industry? Are you looking to connect with other KSU entrepreneurs? This is the place for you!
Check it out & join now!
Sauce the City back in Ohio City Galley
Experience "The Best Chicken Sandwich in Cleveland" at Sauce the City - back for takeout and delivery! 
Get yours now!
Competitions, Events, Opportunities
Sponsored by NASA, the program pairs technology developed in NASA laboratories with business and technical talent who aim to create new businesses around breakthrough NASA technology. You will experience a hands-on approach to business model building through lean startup methods.
Solve issues four Global Challenges each year to find the most promising Solver teams with solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.
Learn how to apply for certification and submit supporting documents.
Government agencies and corporations often set goals for conducting business and buying from certified companies, so become certified to increase your business’ appeal. 
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.
NextView are launching a new program focused on Accelerating the Everyday Economy.  We believe that now is a time to invest in companies which will shape a brighter collective future, as founders combine software & creativity to drive change in the everyday lives of everyday people.
The program will be 100% virtual for now, replacing the diffuse mentorship model of most programs with a focus on few companies that get much more hands-on engagement with the NextView partners and our close knit set of advisors.
Creativity
I don't know about you all, but I'm having days where I'm just tired of being at home. So beyond just the regular "resources," I'm gonna start focusing on inspiration, good news, and sharing some love & kindness! 

Have you heard of the Dracula Sneeze?   It’s one example of social distancing being recommended these days along with conference cancellations, work from home policies, and school closures. In many places it’s all adding up to more home time, family time, kid time, and together time. &am
COVID-19 Emergency Resources for Kent State students!
What holds people back from making a bold choice or following a dream?
Cal Hacks and Postman present a global online hackathon tackling challenges faced around the COVID-19 pandemic
John Krasinski highlights some good news from around the world.
My new personal favorite! 
We might call this look “bank robber chic.” 

As COVID-19 stokes a worldwide need for videoconferencing, Google introduces a freebie tier for the enterprise-strength service once known as Hangouts.

How to spark great ideas.
Join researcher and #1 New York Times best-selling author Brené Brown as she unpacks and explores the ideas, stories, experiences, books, films, and music that reflect the universal experiences of being human, from the bravest moments to the most brokenhearted.

Seth Godin's Blog on marketing, tribes and respect
Business Resources
The Office of Small Business Relief (OSBR) is focused on identifying and providing direct support to the state's nearly 950,000 small businesses to help during the current public health crisis and to position them for a strong rebound.
 Apply today to receive $10,000 for your business; grants will be distributed on a rolling basis. In addition to funding, grant recipients will receive ongoing support from the Hello Alice community.
Keep on Learning
How to Design an Engaging Website - LaunchHouse | CoWorking Cleveland

By Sam Sayer Ideally, when people visit your website, it should only take them a few seconds to understand exactly what you’re selling. It is also crucial to ensure that visitors can easily navigate your web pages and that your pricing structure is simple to understand. If you do not follow these rules, you will … Continued
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