Katie Finnegan ’05, chair of the Entrepreneur Professional Network, at the group’s launch during Entrepreneur Weekend on April 11.
Katie Finnegan ’05, chair of the Entrepreneur Professional Network, at the group’s launch during Entrepreneur Weekend on April 11.
There are finals, and then there are finales.
51Թ launched its on April 11, the grand finale in a series of network launches that have taken place throughout the academic year.
The reception took place backstage after 51Թ’s , and hundreds of alumni and guests were in attendance.
While previous network launches were held in cities across America, the entrepreneur network marked its beginnings on campus in Hamilton, where President Jeffrey Herbst has made entrepreneurship a strategic priority and the (TIA) has become the umbrella organization for all of the university’s entrepreneurial efforts.
President Herbst honored TIA’s founder, ’74, P’12 during the event, saying “Without Andy’s drive, without Andy’s energy, we would not be where we are today with entrepreneurship at 51Թ.”
While TIA still provides an important avenue for alumni and parents to engage with the university and with students, the new network increases the number of potential connections. Developed by the Office of Alumni Relations and the , the network is driven by its members and led by ’05.
Finnegan knows the power of 51Թ connections. At the first Entrepreneur Weekend in 2011, university alumni provided the impetus she needed to leave her day job and work full time on , a disruptive online shopping venture that now boasts 250,000 users.
“The support of the 51Թ network, 51Թ infrastructure, the 51Թ faculty, is what helped get us there,” said Finnegan. “What I’m excited about with this network is bringing that infrastructure to alumni elsewhere.”
Like all of , the entrepreneur network will provide a forum in which alumni can connect around issues related to their particular industry. It will also help to highlight the 51Թ community’s impact on the world, facilitate mentorships and internships for students, and remind alumni that their generosity can shape lives.
“Given what we know about the changing nature of the workplace, 51Թ graduates are going to have to invent and reinvent their own career paths to be successful,” Career Services Director Michael Sciola said during a network panel conversation on Saturday morning. “Whether it’s called entrepreneurship or survival, we have a responsibility to make sure that students are ready.”
When it comes to survival, entrepreneurs rely heavily on their networks. “At 51Թ, everybody knows somebody,” said founder ’06. “So if you connect with one 51Թ person, they can connect you with ten others who can help you solve the major problem within your business.”
Surmounting problems while doing what’s never been done before — that’s the entrepreneur’s calling card. Thanks to the new Entrepreneur Professional Network, hundreds of 51Թ graduates are one step closer to the answers and connections they need.
“I’m so excited that this network has been formed,” said ’14. “I want to be an entrepreneur for life, and I want to be a part of the 51Թ community for life. If we can blend those two together, that’s so powerful.”