Twelve undergraduates will visit start-up firms and established companies on the West Coast in December as part of a new Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network program. DEN, which will finance the program, released applications earlier this week.
Three second-year Tuck School of Business students will mentor participants for the program’s duration, which includes a month-long training period and two-week trip, Innovation Center director Jamie Coughlin said.
During the first month, the mentors will oversee undergraduates’ work researching specific problems faced by the start-up companies they will later visit, Coughlin said. Based on their work on campus, students will then present their findings to the firms during their visits to companies in Seattle, San Francisco and Palo Alto.
Matt McIlwain ’87, who has helped develop activities for the program, said that many new firms lack the capacity to collect enough data and thoroughly analyze options they might pursue, so students’ input will be more than an academic exercise.
In addition to developing solutions for younger firms, Coughlin said, participants will visit companies in different stages of growth, including social ventures, technology start-ups and major companies like Amazon and Microsoft.
Company founders, employees or alumni will host talks and workshops at several of the firms, addressing topics like generating ideas and growing them through funding, Coughlin said.
Program organizers aim to teach students who and what is involved in every stage of a company’s growth — the investors, developers, attorneys and others who comprise the “entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Coughlin said. The experience will teach students problem-solving and analytical skills that are easily applicable to problems faced by many early-stage start-up companies.
“We believe that there is great value for students to actually touch and feel the types of environments and worlds,” he said. “What does an early stage start-up venture look like? What do they do throughout the course of the day?”
By participating in workshops, meeting entrepreneurs and presenting their findings, students will engage in the unique West Coast start-up culture, Coughlin said.
McIlwain said students will benefit from experiencing this atmosphere.
“The West Coast of the United States is really the center of technology-driven innovation,” McIlwain said. “There’s really no other place in the world that has the breadth and depth.”
Organizers envision expanding the program to other entrepreneurial markets like Boston, New York and the Upper Valley, Coughlin said.
Coughlin said he hopes the program will strengthen the bond between the undergraduate College and Tuck, in addition to strengthening alumni connections.
McIlwain, a partner at Madrona Venture Group, which students will visit, said his experience learning about entrepreneurship at Dartmouth led him to get involved with the DEN program.
DEN student associate Adam Grounds ’16 said he is eager to apply for the trip.
“I think the best part is the fact that you’re going out to talk to these companies in person,” Grounds said.
He added that he looks forward to working closely with a small group to develop practical skills.
“Having the ability to be an effective problem solver is incredibly valuable,” Grounds said. “I think a lot of students at Dartmouth have that, but applying it in this very real-world situation will add a new element.”
The trip will run from Dec. 9 to Dec. 19.
