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Creating a community of Kent State makers, innovators, creators, collaborators, and business owners.
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News & Announcements
Coronavirus Updates | Kent State University
Make sure you're up to date on the latest announcements from KSU regarding classes, back to campus plans, and resources to help.
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All the CEO Ladies July meet-up | Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Afraid of running right into failure? Did you know that the number one reason that startups fail is NOT from lack of product development or lack of fundraising? Learn how to avoid unnecessary failure with Akron Entrepreneurial Fellow EbaNee Bond from The University of Akron Research Foundation.

Meet up with the other CEO Ladies and get tips to prevent wasting unnecessary time, money, and effort in your startup and perhaps life from EbaNee!
rsvp today
Watch the winning KSU Biodesign Challenge Team!
CONGRATULATIONS to the BioBlack team:
Janda Van Dyk (Fashion) 
Jordan Smith (Fashion)
Kirsten Thieman (Biology) 
Lizeth Ramirez (Fashion) 

The student team was selected to represent KSU during a fall course taught by Dr. Chris Blackwood of Biological Sciences, Diane Davis-Sikora of CAED and Margarita Benitez in The Fashion School & TechStyle Lab manager.
It focused on the Biodesign Challenge and was supported by Design Innovation, ESDRI (Environmental Science and Design Research Initiative, and the School of Fashion.

Follow their project at https://bioblack2019.squarespace.com/
watch the final awards
University Libraries Begins Curbside Pickup Service on Monday, July 6
Curbside Pickup is Kent State University Libraries’ new contactless service that allows users to check out materials from its collection while libraries on the Kent and Regional campuses remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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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
Competitions, Events, Opportunities
The Black Girl Magic Digital Summit is 2 days of jam-packed content that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home! 

Creating community, sharing resources, and planning for the future is more critical than ever. We want to rally to serve our community in the areas they need most by pivoting to bring tools and resources to all women nationally during our emerging normal.
Apply by July 27, 2020.
Get application and eligibility details on Apple Entrepreneur Camp for app-driven organizations founded and led by women. Selected applicants receive unprecedented access to Apple engineers and leaders at a two-week technology lab, as well as mentorship, inspiration, and more.

The program is completely free and does not take any equity in startups. EFL is ideal for pre-Series A science and technology-based startups from around the world seeking deep connections to the New York startup ecosystem or U.S. markets. 
To be considered for the cohort:
  • Entrepreneurs who live or work in the city of Cleveland and its neighborhoods
  • Entrepreneurs outside of Cleveland who are currently impacting (in a significant way) the citizens of the city of Cleveland or will impact the city of Cleveland via job growth over the next 18-24 months.
  • Must have met with one of our business advisers to be considered; appointments to meet with an advisor must take place by August 3, 2020.
  • Ideal candidates are businesses generating more than $25,000 in annual revenue.
Applications Close – 8/3/2020
 Case Western Reserve University is hosting a variety of free online conversations with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, etc. over the course of the summer. 
Useful Info for Life & Biz
You just graduated college, or are about to. What promise does life after college hold and how will you realize that promise? 

The John Carroll University Entrepreneurship Program can help! This series of tips and tricks will help you discover your purpose, power up your Linkedin impact, and build your credibility in weekly 20-minute sessions.
SBA’s Lender Match is an additional resource for pandemic-affected small businesses who have not applied for or received an approved PPP loan to connect with lenders.  The forgivable PPP loan is emergency relief assistance aimed at sustaining businesses and keeping employees on payroll. 

Identifying your "niche" can be more complicated than it might seem at first. Here are four examples of online businesses that are doing it well.

Now more than ever, it is vital that we come together in support of Black-Owned Small Businesses.…

If you’re interested in testing the entrepreneurial waters, consider the following recession-proof side hustles that you can start today.

Ready to do an original research project? Learn these eight lessons before you start – Content Marketing Institute

 Every Thursday, Small Business Lifeline provides strategies and actionable insights for rebuilding your business and strengthening it for the future.
 Listing of tools for ecommerce entrepreneurs.

A podcast content series to help all entrepreneurs sleep a little better at night. Hosted by #StartinCLE founder, Ed Bucholtz.
Specifically for Black/Brown women professionals, visionaries, creatives, and aspiring business owners, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. Let's be in community while quarantined.
Be healthy. Be better.

The theory of post-traumatic growth suggests people can emerge from trauma even stronger.

Feminist, writer, and civil rights activist Audre Lorde once said that “Revolution is not a one-time event.”

Here are some ways to keep learning and growing!
A powerful audio reading of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from the Birmingham Jail. 

“The government has huge negotiating power. It has the upper hand. It’s being begged to intervene. So this is the moment that really we cannot waste,” says economist Mariana Mazzucato.

If you’re more tired than usual working from home, you’re not alone. Here are six reasons why work-from-home lethargy is real.

In this community spotlight, work-from-home guru, Guin White, shares how you can use Beautiful.ai to pitch yourself in a remote world.

(2020) 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge - YWCA Greater Cleveland

After having to restage her new business because of Covid, a founder carries the emotional weight of being 'always on' while processing her personal feelings.

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