Mark your calendar from April 6-8, 2022! You are invited to the inaugural Winston-Salem State University Innovations Festival. The Innovations Festival is paired with scholarship and research week at the University, and it is powered by Bright Lab Innovations.
Bright Lab is made possible by the generous gift from the Mackenzie Scott Foundation, and it is a catalytic campus lab designed to promote economic mobility, promising businesses, and venture-backed start-ups to establish Winston-Salem as a national entrepreneurship ecosystem. Setser Group is currently providing innovator-in-residence services to Bright Lab.
The Innovations Festival will have in-person and virtual options to attend and support. In the words of Chancellor Robinson, “I want every Winston-Salem State student to graduate with a diploma in one hand, a business plan in the other, and a backpack full of connections to social and economic capital.”
To make Chancellor Robinson’s vision come true, the Brilliance Fund was established with three primary purposes:
- Support the needs of underserved entrepreneurs
- Provide pre-seed or seed funds for venture-backed start-ups that change the world
- Help to launch a fund-of-funds approach to invest in organizations that propel the unleashing of genius
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Why an innovations festival to kick off the work at Winston-Salem State University? FastCompany recently examined the state of inequality in 2021. The pandemic has exasperated the gaps in society, leaving minority groups further behind in terms of health and wealth.
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Bright Lab Innovations at Winston-Salem State University addresses these challenges head-on and seeks to bring together students, staff, alumni, entrepreneurs, funders, investors, and creatives to catalyze the brilliance of black and brown communities and to create the next generation of game-changers.
Expect genius sessions, hack-a-thons, inspiring speakers, virtual events, scholarship and research showcases, investor roundtables, and a host of networking events to launch an annual event and a series of Bright Lab programming throughout the year.
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Ready to participate in the WSSU Innovations Festival?
In the coming days, you will be able to register for events, provide your services as a speaker or presenter, invest, or sponsor key discussions, events, and roundtables.
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Thinking of someone we need to speak to regarding appearing at the festival? Know a sponsor or investor who may want to contribute to the mission? Please reach out to us at info@brightlabinnovations.com so we can hear your stories. We’ll be scheduling interest calls in the coming days and we’d love to get you on the calendar.
Here are a few stories from WSSU to inspire you to join our effort.
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For Desmond Wiggan and Aubrey Yeboah, co-founders of Charlotte-based tech startup BatteryXchange, a recent partnership with Winston-Salem State University was a full-circle moment. Learn more about their work here.
Click the image to the right to launch this Future Focus Now as Chancellor Robinson and the team at BatteryXchange talk about what's next for the award-winning company.
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Winston-Salem State University will receive a $1 million donation from Adobe as a part of their Adobe Anchor School Program. “In order to create products that solve challenging problems for people all over the world, companies need to hire employees who can bring diverse perspectives and life experiences,” Adobe wrote in their announcement. “We’re committed to growing the talent pipeline by providing career opportunities to underrepresented and underserved students.”
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WSSU lands a $28.2 million grant, the largest grant in the history of Winston-Salem State University.
“I am so excited about the announcement of the GEAR UP grant award and look forward to our partnership with WSSU and Forsyth Tech as we develop a college-ready program aimed at guiding students in select middle schools through their on-time graduation, said WS/FCS Chief Academic Officer Nicolette Grant. “Along with our partner universities, we will combine tutoring, academic counseling, mentoring, career exploration, college visits, summer enrichment, and financial literacy instruction for cohorts of these students over a seven-year period of time.”
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Want to share Setser Group on social media?
Use the sample post below to amplify the festival in your networks!
Join Setser Group and Bright Lab Innovations on April 6-8, 2022, at the WSSU Innovations Festival. The event will bring together entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives to create the next generation of game-changers. Learn more here!
#Innovation #WSSU #SetserGroup #Entrepreneurs #HBCU #FutureOfWork #FutureOfLearning
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