March 29, 2022
Shawnee State University’s Kricker Innovation Hub (KIH) will host Startup Weekend starting Apr. 8 and continuing through Apr. 10. The fifty-four hour event allows participants to explore entrepreneurship roles and build their own business skills. David Kilroy, Program Director of the KIH, is organizing the event along with SSU’s AmeriCorps Vista Dane Simpkins and student intern Ghaida Bouchaala.
“The Startup Weekend is a three-day entrepreneurship experience and business pitch competition,” said Kilroy. “This experience will provide students with the knowledge and resources they will need to start their own business.”
The event is entrepreneurship-focused, but is open to all majors. Students have the chance to participate in pre-planned teams for their business pitch, but if signing up as an individual, they can also be paired with a team at the start of the event. Students do not need a full business plan when starting the competition, but can start with an idea and use the resources available at the competition to create their business model.
“Students who participate in teams can benefit by including team members of different majors,” Kilroy said. “Interdisciplinary efforts will only benefit the potential business. It takes a group effort to ensure that the major requirements of the business can be fulfilled.”
Kilroy has participated in two Startup Weekends in the past and helped bring the KIH’s first Startup Weekend to campus in 2019.
“This event is solely for students this year to increase the student involvement around the Kricker Innovation Hub,” said Kilroy. “Ghaida Bouchaala, my student intern, has helped immensely with organizing and recruiting for the event. In the future, I want more students to be involved with campus and Kricker Innovation Hub activities.”
The 2022 Startup Weekend will begin on Friday, Apr. 8 at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place in the Morris University Center’s Ballroom on SSU’s campus. To learn more or register for the event, visit ssuinnovation.com/swportsmouth. For questions, contact Kilroy at dkilroy2@shawnee.edu.
The Kricker Innovation Hub is a regional leader in entrepreneurship and innovation whose mission is to help businesses and entrepreneurs grow and bring their ideas to tomorrow’s market. To learn more about services offered by the Kricker Innovation Hub, visit ssuinnovation.com.