IdeaLabs 2023—a night of intriguing ventures, great pitches, fun networking, grandparents in the audience, and plenty of applause!  ideaLabs, a flagship undergraduate program of Entrepreneurship Education Consortium Ohio, brings together student entrepreneurs from its thirteen member campuses to pitch new venture ideas before a panel of independent judges. ​

Dear Readers:
 
As we enter the last stretch of the academic year, EEC is taking time to reflect and iterate. We have spent this first year serving as the region’s collegiate entrepreneurship hub strengthening organizational capacity and systems, developing programs, building a team and partnerships, sharing information, and raising financial resources.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Connects with Engineering Education 
 
VentureWell and its partner Pennsylvania State University are leading a research study, Building a Framework to Understand the Impact of Entrepreneurship Support Programs on the Formation of Engineers.

Young, eager, and dedicated was my mindset in 2016 when I applied to the EEC Ohio, Entrepreneurship Immersion Week (EIW) program, while entering my final semester of undergrad at Cleveland State University. The EIW program gave me my first real taste of entrepreneurship. It created a space for me to pitch my first venture on a big stage, added practical knowledge to my resume, and connected me with lasting relationships. Most of all, it provided the experience that built my confidence as a young Latina in the City of Cleveland to take on entrepreneurship! It helped ignite a flame that hasn’t gone out since. 
 

​The New York Times recently reported: “When Aaron Levie, the chief executive of Box, tried a new A.I. chatbot called ChatGPT in early December, it didn’t take him long to declare, “We need people on this!” He cleared his calendar and asked employees to figure out how the technology, which instantly provides comprehensive answers to complex questions, could benefit Box.” What does this seismic disruption mean for developing ventures?  

In this issue, we look back on the impact EEC has had on an Immersion Week alumnus and his entrepreneurial idea.  Trevor Clatterbuck was a student at Case Western Reserve University in 2007, when as a rising senior, he signed up for EEC’s very first Immersion Week.   This is his story and reflection on the launch of his business and its growth since those early days.  ​