5:00-6:30 in C-113. As always, Free Pizza & Drinks!
THE NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE IS COMING. . .
What鈥檚 the New Venture Challenge, you ask? It鈥檚 the campus-wide business plan competition! But it鈥檚 also more than that: it鈥檚 great workshops, mentors with members from Boulder鈥檚 entrepreneurial community, and a chance to flesh out your dreams & ideas into a viable, career-sustaining venture. There鈥檚 also some听serious prize money听available (!), including a听$3,000 Music Prize听and up to听$10,000 in other prizes听to be had!
Got an idea? Not sure what to do with it? Think it鈥檚 too crazy? Think it鈥檚 not crazy enough? Come talk to me about it: the New Venture Challenge might be just the way to dig down into the idea further and see if it鈥檚 got potential!
KICK-OFF NIGHT: Tuesday, Oct. 25, 5:30 in the Wolf Law Building Courtroom. Boulder entrepreneur Paul Beberian will be our special guest speaker.听All are welcome; no commitment necessary; just come check it out!
Articles of the Week
鈥⑻� CU students create their own jobs in the down economy听 A nice article about student entrepreneurs in our own听Daily Camera.听
鈥⑻� Online tools help bands do business听 An excellent article in the New York Times on how some folks are beginning to invent new ways for technology to benefit artists hurt by the decline of record sales and the dissolution of the old business models. Check this out 鈥� and if you don鈥檛 have a rock band, ask yourself how these principles might be applied to YOUR situation?听
鈥⑻� Are all arts projects worth funding?听Here鈥檚 a very provocative article about market forces determining what should get funded. Be sure to read the comments for an excellent debate that gets at the issues we鈥檙e all grappling with (or should be), whether we鈥檙e aspiring individual performers or orchestra managers. What do you think?听ttp://
Entrepreneurial Thought of the Week:听What鈥檚 a 鈥渧enture challenge鈥�??!?
As noted above, the CU New Venture Challenge is about to kick off for this year. Perhaps you鈥檙e wondering what that鈥檚 all about, what all that prize money is about (!), and perhaps even what this 鈥渧enture鈥� thing is and why we should be challenged by it.
Don鈥檛 worry: you鈥檙e not alone. So let me try to demystify things a bit for you.
For the last 20 years or so, business schools have held competitions in which their students developed their business ideas and presented them a team of judges. Some of these competitions 鈥� like the one at Rice University in Texas 鈥� have become huge affairs, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in venture capital on the line and investors from all over the country attending and looking for the next Big Thing.
And what鈥檚 a business plan? Simply this: a road map for launching a new business. It has specific components, of course, but it鈥檚 really nothing more than an implementation plan, bolstered with as much research and information as is needed to support its goals and objectives. In recent years folks started to use the term 鈥渧enture鈥� rather than 鈥渂usiness,鈥� because more and more entities were non-profits, social ventures, or educational in nature, and the word 鈥渂usiness鈥� seemed too narrow.
And that鈥檚 it, really. A venture plan competition is to the entrepreneur as the concerto competition is to the musician.
The New Venture Challenge is CU鈥檚 version of this. But it鈥檚 not confined to the business school; it takes place all across campus, with folks from engineering, biotech, computer science, renewable energy, social entrepreneurship, and yes, music and the arts, competing in special tracks (e.g., the music prize) and a general competition (the big kahuna).
Perhaps you鈥檝e got an idea you鈥檝e been kicking around? A music-related website or a piece of music technology. Maybe you鈥檝e dreamed about opening a new kind of music school or a unique performance venue. Maybe you just want to take a business approach to developing that chamber group you and your friends have been talking about getting off the ground. You name it, there鈥檚 nothing that can鈥檛 be turned into a venture if you have the right tools. And unlike a lot of venture competitions out there, the NVC has workshops and entrepreneur-mentors to help you learn how to make a venture plan and pitch your idea to potential investors.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for profiles on some of our past participants, and come to Kick-off Night October 25th!
The Video of the Week!
Quite possibly the greatest embarrassment ever to take to the stage鈥� (Terrible video quality, but it鈥檚 the sound that must be鈥�experienced.)
听
The Entrepreneurship Center for Music 鈥⑻�Jeffrey Nytch, DMA, Director
Email:听jeff.nytch@colorado.edu
Office Hours:
Tues & Thurs: 9-11 a.m.听 Wed: 2-4 p.m.听鈥� or by appointment
Entrepreneurship Wednesdays: 5-6:30 p.m., C-113
Follow us on听Facebook
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR THE SPRING听SEMESTER 听As you start thinking about your spring schedule, consider doing in internship at a local music business or non-profit. We have a wide range of internship opportunities that can be great learning experiences and valuable additions to your resume. Internships can be done for academic or not, and the choice is pretty much up to you. Stop by the ECM Office for more information!
The Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music听is pleased to announce the guidelines for the fifth annual international competition for pianist/composer collaborations, the听Mikhashoff Pianist/Composer Commissioning Project.听The goal of the competition is to encourage the composition and performance of new works for solo piano reflecting and continuing the legacy of the distinguished American pianist, Yvar Mikhashoff (1941-1993). 听The winning composer and pianist, who apply together as a team, will receive $3,000 each. The competition is limited to applicants, both pianists and composers, born on or after January 1, 1977. POSTMARK DEADLINE: November 15, 2011听
Questions by email only to Amy Williams, Competition Coordinator (amy@mikhashofftrust.org).
Polyphonic On Campus 鈥� Fall 2011 Webinar Series听Earlier this year, Polyphonic On Campus began hosting a monthly webinar series featuring engaging 1-hour presentations and discussions on a range of musical topics.听 Attendees from around the country can gather in a virtual space, view a live presentation from your own computer, and listen/talk to the speakers via your phone or computer speakers. These webinars are听free to attend.听 Below is a listing of the fall webinars.听
David Bebe & Sean McClowry, College of Saint Rose, will discuss ways of developing and exploring diverse sets of听musical and non-musical skills to make yourself more eligible for these听 type of teaching positions.听Sign up here!
CREATE DENVER BUSINESS WORKSHOP SERIES听This Saturday morning workshop series is tailored specifically to members of Denver鈥檚 artist community, with valuable resources to de-mystify the business challenges and issues facing creative entrepreneurs. Workshops are $10 each.
acoustic dubstep band forming听Leeds Business School student Colin Bugge is forming an acoustic dubstep band and is interested in performers and/or business-oriented music students to be a part of his venture. Any instrument is welcome. Colin may be interested in entering his venture into the New Venture Challenge 鈥� with a shot at the $3,000 music prize. If you鈥檙e interested, contact Colin Bugge at听colin.bugge@colorado.edu
INTERNSHIP at PARLANDO SCHOOL OF THE ARTS听Parlando is looking for an intern who can work in the Development/Fundraising area of one of Boulder鈥檚 leading community music schools. Hours flexible, but 10 hrs/week is a minimum. Available for academic credit. For more information, contact Travis LaBerge, Executive Director:听labergemusic@gmail.com
COLORADO MUSIC FESTIVAL听is looking for a Developing & Marketing intern for the Spring semester. For more information, contact Brandi Numedahl, Marketing Director:听numedahl@coloradomusicfest.org
