Home » UK, Lexington celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 14-20

UK, Lexington celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 14-20

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2016) — Lexington’s 6th annual Global Entrepreneurship Week will be held Nov. 14-20, with events including an open mic pitch for researchers, a workshop on how to fund your high-tech startup, a session on mobile app marketing and monetization, and much more.

The week of exciting events, many of which are free, is organized and hosted by the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP). BBDP is comprised of the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship and the Lexington Office of the Kentucky Innovation Network within the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, the Bluegrass Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the city of Lexington and Commerce Lexington.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an international initiative that celebrates today’s creative thinkers, who bring ideas to life and foster economic growth and human development. Each November, Lexington’s growing entrepreneurial community joins together with participants in 160 different countries in this effort to inspire people to explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. GEW is the flagship campaign of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

“We are excited about the wide range of events that will be available for the Central Kentucky entrepreneurial community, including opportunities to learn about entrepreneurship, network with fellow entrepreneurs, and compete for prizes,” said Eric Hartman, director of the Lexington Office of the Kentucky Innovation Network.

While the events are open to the public, advance registration is required due to space limitations. More detailed explanations of each event are available on the registration page at http://gewlex.eventbrite.com.

Among the highlights for UK faculty and researchers is a workshop titled, “A New Roadmap: University of Kentucky IP, Technology Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship.” The workshop will kickoff with remarks by UK Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis; include presentations by Ian McClure, the new director of the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), and UK Senior Associate General Counsel Katherine Adams; and will conclude with an “open mic” showcase.

The program, with continental breakfast and lunch provided, will take place from 8:30 a.m.-noon Tuesday, Nov. 15, in Woodward Hall, room 307 of the Gatton College building. Researchers will have the opportunity to deliver their pitches during a 45-minute competition period beginning at 11 a.m. Each competitor will give a 2-minute presentation to a panel of judges on current research or novel work being done in the lab. Pitches will be judged on the following criteria:

· stage of technology and/or idea;
· market potential; and
· clarity of presentation.

“The Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship is very excited to be partnering with OTC to organize and sponsor this event which will provide UK faculty, researchers and students with information on the intellectual property (IP) landscape and processes at UK, as well as an opportunity to present their research and technology,” said Warren Nash, executive director of the Von Allmen Center (VACE). “This workshop also will enable participants to learn more about the resources available to them to potentially assist in their commercialization efforts.”

A $500 cash prize will be awarded by VACE to the winner and all other participants will receive a $25 gift card. Space is limited to the first 10 people that sign up and there are just a few spots remaining. To register email Mariam Gorjian, commercialization specialist and director of the UK Venture Studio at [email protected], with full name and research title on one slide by midnight Wednesday, Nov. 9.