Next Generation Venture Fund Scholars achieve at BizCamp
Contact: Katherine Thomson
Duke University Talent Identification Program
(919) 668-9127
katherine.thomson@duke.edu
Academically talented students from across the United States explore entrepreneurship at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
Updated: August 31, 2009
Durham, N.C. — Fifty-three academically talented students spent a week learning about entrepreneurship and college planning at BizCamp, hosted by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and co-sponsored by the Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), the Center for Bright Kids (CBK), the Northwestern University Center for Talent Development (CTD), and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).
BizCamp is an intensive entrepreneurship program administered by NFTE. The 53 young scholars participated in BizCamp as rising high school sophomores and learned basic entrepreneurial skills, developed business plans, built transferable business and organization skills and enhanced their creativity. Students learned from business leaders who have experience working with academically gifted and underrepresented students.
At the end of the week, student teams presented their business plans in a final competition for cash awards that could be used to help fund their businesses. Guest judges from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and the greater Durham entrepreneurial community helped judge the students’ plans and provided feedback and expertise to the students.
The students, who hailed from 11 states — Georgia, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, South Carolina, North Carolina, Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida and Tennessee — participated in college tours and information sessions at Duke University and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
“Providing these gifted NGVF scholars with the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship and further develop their self-confidence and leadership skills will prove to be invaluable to them as they finish their high school careers and move on to college,” said Martha Putallaz, executive director of Duke TIP, “The tools they learned at BizCamp are part of the building blocks for their futures.”.
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About NGVF: The Next Generation Venture Fund (NGVF) is a collaborative venture of the Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY), the Northwestern University Center for Talent Development (CTD), and the Center for Bright Kids (CBK) with the generous support of the Goldman Sachs Foundation and other donors. NGVF offers financial help and academic resources to qualified eighth grade students, and continues to provide such services through their remaining pre-college years.
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About Duke TIP: The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a non-profit educational organization that is recognized as a leader in identifying and serving the educational needs of academically gifted youth. Through identification, recognition, challenging educational programs, information, advocacy and research, Duke TIP provides resources to gifted students, their parents, educators, and schools for the development of the students’ optimal educational potential.
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