Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier staff writer
Elizabeth Montiel-Alvarado, Campus Carrier staff writer
Ivana Lajara has been hired as the new director of the Berry College Center for Student Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Development (C-SEED), which houses the student enterprise program as well as initiatives to nurture entrepreneurship among Berry students.
Lajara has previous experience working in both entrepreneurial fields and in higher education. She said that what attracted her to this position was its unique blend of teaching with entrepreneurial development.
“For the last eight years, I’ve been an entrepreneur myself in various industries, and for the last five years, while I completed my PhD, I worked at Western Michigan University at the office of the president and the board of trustees,” Lajara said. “When I saw this position, I realized it has the best of both worlds for me because on one hand I can teach and get to work with students, and on the other hand I get to be in the entrepreneurial system where I can build things and create stuff and help make the vision of why C-SEED was created.”
One of C-SEED’s primary purposes has been to connect student entrepreneurs with the resources and mentorship they need to turn their ideas into feasible businesses. This year, Lajara said that the center will be introducing new events to foster entrepreneurship on campus that reach beyond the Campbell School of Business, beginning with the innovation cup being held next month. Each of Berry’s four schools will compete to create a solution for a problem of regional or global significance.
“What will happen is, an organization from Georgia will bring a regional or even global problem and students, faculty and staff will team up per school to try and solve it,” Lajara said.
Additionally, the center will begin sponsoring monthly trips to the Atlanta Tech Village, which will provide students with the opportunity to meet some of the most prominent business leaders in the country.
“Something that we’re very excited about is monthly visits to Atlanta Tech Village,” Lajara said. “Atlanta Tech Village being one of America’s largest start-up hubs, and being the home of amazing founders and entrepreneurs that can serve as network and mentors, we’re going there for the first time on October 14.”
Lajara also said that next summer, Berry will be hosting the Techstars Start-up Weekend event. For the first time, this event, which combines intensive idea development with networking opportunities, will be open not only to students but also to any member of the local community.
“Techstars is one of the most important operational investors in technology in the U.S., and they’re going to allow us to open the event to students, alumni and the community.” Lajara said. “Participants will be able to come in and for 54 hours, work and develop their ideas and hopefully enter the accelerator program, which provides a very interesting network of support, resources and funding.”
This all comes on top of the numerous events C-SEED has held in the past, such as the Spark conference, which brings business leaders from the Rome area to campus to speak about a particular issue. Other events, such as the social impact challenge, PITCH and the gadget project, allow students to propose business ideas or products and receive funding and support. Lajara gave an example of one student who is receiving resources from the social impact challenge.
“They earn funds through the competition to develop that idea or project. For example, last year, we had one student come up with the ProHug, which was a jacket she developed for people with sensory disorders. She’s now getting support to patent that, trademark that, and be able to develop a business from it,” Lajara said.
In addition to promoting entrepreneurship on campus, C-SEED also facilitates the fifteen Berry student enterprises, including the Shipyard, Berry Bees and Viking Cycle Works. Lajara said working for a student enterprise provides invaluable practical business knowledge.
“Regardless of what your major is or what your passion or your talent is, entrepreneurship can really become a tool for you to generate income, profit, and change lives,” Lajara said. “Whatever your passion is, whatever your talent or idea is, I’m sure we can work with that. There’s people on campus, experts like faculty members, who would love to help craft that into something that can hopefully positively change their community, the world and even themselves.”
Aidan Hackett, chief operations officer of C-SEED, said that he is excited about Lajara’s efforts to grow the program and offer new opportunites for students.
“I’m more proud of what we’re going to be bringing in the future and set up in the coming years. This program’s going to grow a lot from what it has been,” Hackett said.
Hackett said that all future C-SEED events will be listed on the Berry Presence page. He also encouraged students to stop by the C-SEED office in the Green building if they have an idea that could be developed into a business.
“Just come show up in Green 421. If we’re busy, we’ll set up a meeting; if we’re not, we’ll totally take you,” Hackett said. “If there’s anything they’re passionate about and they want to make profit out of it, come visit, have a meeting with [Lajara], and we will work with students to lay out a roadmap of how to take your passion to profit and make it a business.”
Hackett also said that C-SEED will have a booth inside Krannert for interested students next week.