HSN and the University of Tampa’s John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, Sykes College of Business, are hosting the second American Dreams Academy— an interactive, educational and hands-on two-day experience for emerging entrepreneurs.
Randi Zuckerberg, entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author, and founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, will lead an opening conversation for the event.
“Today, more than ever, we believe in the powerful role small businesses play in building communities and local economies. Through our academies we are helping support innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs by giving them the tools and training they need to take a great idea and bring it to life,” said Jill Kermes, head of corporate affairs, HSNi. “Based on the feedback from our first academy, we know there is a real need for practical, hands-on instruction that helps entrepreneurs bring a product to market and ultimately build a great business around it.”
The scholarship-based academy, sponsored by Quirky, will be in Tampa, FL, January 24-25, 2018, and includes an optional opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their product to a live panel of HSN, University of Tampa and Quirky judges on January 26. The first American Dreams Academy was in Washington, D.C., in November and attracted nearly 150 entrepreneurs.
The University of Tampa, in partnership with HSN, has developed courses across categories including: Thinking Like an Entrepreneur: Mindset, Vision and Strategy; Money Matters: Accounting and Financing Your Business; Risk Mitigation: Legal and Tax Issues; Product Issues: Securing a patent, connecting with big brands and licensing options; Manufacturing and distribution; Quality Assurance; Defining and Acquiring Customers; Customer Discovery: Branding, Marketing, Research; and Perfecting Your Pitch.
All applicants must have a product or business concept in development or established in order to participate. Enrollment for the American Dreams Academy closes on December 30.