DEADLINE 15 June - Summer Entrepreneurship Academy, Venice, 10 - 23 July 2011

Summer Entrepreneurship Academy
Venice, Italy
10 - 23 July 2011

Program Start Date
July 10 to July 16, 2011 Session 1
July 17 to July 23, 2011 Session 2

The Summer Entrepreneurship Academy offers university students the unique opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and to work in teams to design innovative business plans that have the potential to become new ventures.

Students will be taught by professors and entrepreneurs who have expertise in starting new ventures. With respect to the learning process, we believe in a creative approach to learning characterized by much interaction between the instructors and the students. This process will include small team work, creative approaches to learning, and a focus on individualized education. As a student, you will be exposed to the field of entrepreneurship with real-life examples of entrepreneurs who created start-up companies that blossomed into global companies. As preparation for your entrepreneurial journey, you will learn about entrepreneurship history, leadership, marketing, finance and economics. In addition, you will work in a small team to develop an idea into a business plan for a new venture.

Networks
Another advantage of this program is that it provides an opportunity for like minded students to meet each other, and to develop relationships with entrepreneurs, executives, and business angels. The program highlights the economic diversity of the region and gives students a chance to explore different industries ranging from start-ups to medium sized and larger firms. Guest speakers from companies are invited to the program and often become mentors and valuable resources for participants.

In addition to the personalized level of interaction in each seminar, students work together on team business plans and listen to one another which contributes to developing positive relationships. Learning to work together toward a common vision builds self-confidence and leadership skills.

New Ventures
As part of the program, diverse teams of students will develop a business plan for a new business venture. Some ideas may involve designing educational games, creating business plans for social entrepreneurship, web based businesses and so on. It all depends upon the imagination of the individuals in the team. Teams will receive guidance from mentors whose expertise and interest aligns with the team’s project. The final business plans will be presented to and evaluated by faculty, entrepreneurs, business executives, and angel investors.

Who should attend?
This program is designed for university students in any academic discipline. This unique program will benefit students who have an interest in learning about the entrepreneurship process for starting a business as well as for students who are going to enter traditional companies. The reason is that the number one attribute sought after by companies globally is creativity combined with innovative thinking and leadership abilities.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available for all deserving students from the Balkans and developing countries. It covers most of the fee for the program. Students will only pay 100 EURO. To apply, students must send a statement about his/her interest in participating in the program. It is not necessary to have an idea since we have plenty of ideas that students can use to work on their projects. Also, please include a PDF file of resume. For EU students, the scholarship covers 300 EUR0. The students are responsible for 300 EUR0. For students who cannot afford this fee, we will consider dropping this fee to an affordable amount for these students.

The deadline date for application is June 15, 2011.

For further information and registrations, visit Summer Academy's website here