Hundreds Gather at UMass Lowell to Share Expertise on Supporting Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

desh
Entrepreneur Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande is a co-founder of the Deshpande Symposium for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education.

06/10/2019

Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Media Advisory

When: Monday, June 10 through Wednesday, June 12

Where: UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell, Mass. Contact UMass Lowell media relations for directions and parking information.

What: Hundreds of people from across North America representing education, industry, investors and economic developers are gathered at UMass Lowell to share expertise on educating the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The eighth annual Deshpande Symposium for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education is presented by UMass Lowell and the Deshpande Foundation, which supports entrepreneurship efforts around the world, including in Massachusetts. 

The event features nearly 30 sessions over three days and awards to universities and individuals leading the way in the field will be presented Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

The keynote address will be presented by Amy Nelson, CEO of Venture For America, who will discuss trends in entrepreneurship and the landscape for young entrepreneurs. VFA, a highly selective fellowship program for recent college graduates, has helped more than 1,000 launch startups since 2012. (Wednesday, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.) 

Other programs are scheduled to include:

  • “Hacking the Mentorship Model,” which will look at how universities – including Ashland, North Carolina State and MIT – are changing approaches to mentoring to advance tech commercialization, strengthen partnerships and achieve other goals. (Tuesday, 1:45 p.m.)
  • “New, Emerging Roles of Universities: Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems,” featuring representatives of Queen’s University of Canada and the University of North Alabama discussing their role in their regions (Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.)
  • “Awakening the Innovators: Expanding Entrepreneurial Opportunities Across Campus and in the Community” will feature panelists from Virginia Tech, Oregon State and West Virginia University. (Wednesday, 11:15 a.m.)

All symposium sessions are open to the media. For a full list of events and presenters, see www.deshpandesymposium.org.

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