Venture School turns ideas into reality for burgeoning entrepreneurs
In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week, aspiring business owners and innovators in the Quad Cities have an opportunity to turn their ideas into reality. Tippie College of Business is partnering with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) and the Eastern Iowa Small Business Development Center to bring the University of Iowa Venture School program to Davenport this spring. Registration ends February 28, with cohort beginning March 3. Attendance is limited to 8 teams, so now is the time to sign up.
Like previous versions of the program, the upcoming cohort will be tailored for startups, small businesses, nonprofits and corporate innovation teams. The goal is to gain valuable insight on business growth concepts through hands-on learning and real-world experimentation.
“Venture School is really for anybody interested in solving a business problem,” said Shannon Henderson, Economic Development Manager at the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Iowa. She said the National Science Foundation I-Corps curriculum is a great model for any business. “That’s what makes this program so versatile, a brick and mortar can attend, or someone with a tech or app idea.”
Henderson said the first few weeks of the program are dedicated to participants learning about their potential customers.
“One of the first things that happens during the cohort is asking the question – ‘Is my idea solving a real-world problem?’ This helps to define if the idea is valid from the start,” she said.
“It's important to eliminate as many risks as possible when starting a business,” added Julie Forsythe, Senior Vice President, Business & Economic Growth at the Chamber. “Venture School does that – entrepreneurs spend so much time, money and heart on getting their ideas off the ground. At the end of this program, you can make that go or no-go decision and move forward with the best business model for your type of business,” she said.
Sessions will be held once a week from 5:30-9 p.m. at EICC’s downtown Davenport campus, running from March 3 through April 22. The seven Tuesday class dates are March 4, March 11, March 25, April 1, April 8, April 15 and April 22.
One of the program’s highlights is the chance to win a pitch prize of up to $5,000. “The program costs only $299 per team, with the opportunity to win up to $5,000 in pitch prize money,” noted Henderson. "At the QC cohort held in 2023, Autistic & Loved LLC entrepreneur, Dr. Kit Ford was awarded $2,500 in the program’s pitch competition," she said.
“The program has a heavy focus on pitching – which allows people to get really good at pitching their ideas and talking about their products,” added Henderson.
“Venture School is eight weeks very well spent,” commented Forsythe. “Plus, the connections and mentoring are invaluable,” she said.
