Endicott Hosting “SparkU” Startup Bootcamp Weekend
Endicott College is once again a startup bootcamp weekend the weekend of November 2-4 at its Beverly campus. “SparkU” is designed for anyone on the North Shore contemplating launching his or her own startup. Coming off of last year’s highly successful weekend, which was the first of its kind for the region, this year’s workshop has evolved to include curriculum, practical skills workshops, an opportunity to pitch in front of highly-regarded entrepreneurs and ongoing mentorship.
The Center is also pleased to announce a partnership with HigherARC, a certified high performance coaching company, as part of this year’s program. Jim Kawski, CEO of HigherARC, will be leading a session entitled “High Performance Habits for Entrepreneurs” as well as being the event’s introductory speaker.
One of last year’s workshops alumni, Crop Shop, has continued to develop its business and was recently accepted into an on-line cohort at Y-Combinator. Notable alumni from Y-Combinator include Airbnb and Dropbox.
AJ Marcinek, CEO of CropShop notes, "Endicott’s program gave me the opportunity to pitch my idea to an audience for the first time, which as frightening as it sounds was invaluable looking back now, a year later. It also gave me my first glimpse of being engulfed in an entrepreneurial environment. After going through Endicott’s program, I knew I was in the right place, was getting the right startup skills, and was gaining more confidence…all within 48 hours.”
Deirdre Sartorelli, assistant dean for the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship at Endicott College, encourages applications from the greater North Shore community for potential program scholarships. “Our program benefits from having diverse members participate. Last year, we had high school and other area college students, and mid-career professionals join Endicott students for the weekend. They enjoyed working with our mentors and had several chances to get expert feedback from our panel of judges. We see this community-building as an important part of Endicott’s role on the North Shore.”
An application can be found on-line at www.ecfuel.com/about-spark-u. Participants’ tuition is generously funded through a grant by the Cummings Foundation.
If interested, please apply by October 20. For more information, call 978-998-7740 and speak to the Center’s director, Deirdre Sartorelli.