From the eyes of a small business owner: Josh Leider, CEO of TempoRun

We've spoken a lot about competitions, who we are, and what we do here at The Hatch and Spartan Innovations. But what is this experience like for a small business person working with The Hatch and Spartan Innovations? Josh Leider, CEO and Founder of TempoRun speaks his piece: 

Entrepreneurship. A word that our current general society connects with one thing: A brilliant idea. Hey, even I believed that's all you needed to be an entrepreneur…well, up until this past school year. Now, my view point has completely changed. A great idea is a factor in entrepreneurship, but it's only a small factor. The real necessity in entrepreneurship is a strong network of creative and energetic individuals. A great idea can take you a long way, but without proper "friends", you will not know where to turn when lost in that crazy place they call the "startup world". 

I came about this new found mindset of entrepreneurship after joining the Hatch and Spartan Innovations, East Lansing's premier business incubator and student entrepreneurship community. In the fall, I began formulating a new business idea for an app that could help runners improve their fitness abilities using music tempo as a guide for their runs. I had worked on a few ventures in the past, all of which I had taken on by my self. One day, I was speaking with one of my friends about my idea and he recommended me to Paul Jaques, Director of Student & Community Engagement for Spartan Innovations and The Hatch. Immediately after the discussion with my friend, I had absolutely no intention of contacting Paul, but after I really sat on the idea of seeking help from others, I decided to give it a shot. That was the start to one of the biggest journeys of my life. 

After meeting with Paul and learning about the extensive amount of ways Spartan Innovations and The Hatch could bring my business to life, I decided to try it out. Since then, Paul and his organization have helped me bring my project to life as well as brought me into the friendly, warm community of MSU entrepreneurs. Currently, the Hatch provides us with office space on Grand River where my team and I hold meetings and do all our development. Can you believe that, we have an office! I know, crazy right? Spartan Innovations provides us with startup funds as well as interns that have helped us create financial models, formulate our marketing plan, create legal contracts, and even develop our logo which would have cost us big bucks. Everyone who resides in The Hatch is warm hearted and always open to helping my team and I in any way they can. There is something special about MSU's entrepreneurship community, and I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this group of individuals before I graduate in May. 

Our app, TempoRun (www.temporunapp.com), is currently in development and we are looking to launch in April. Through Spartan Innovations, we have made it as a top eight finalist in the country for South by South West's Student Startup Madness national pitch contests where we will be traveling down to Austin in March and pitching our idea at SxSW in hopes of securing more funds for our project. Our team has also made it as a top six finalist for ACE 13's pitch contest on January 31st in Livonia, Michigan. The progress we have made in these last three months after joining Spartan Innovations and The Hatch is something I still have trouble wrapping my head around. We went from an extremely rough sketch in my notebook to a real business that is competing for HUGE funds in national tournaments across the country. None of this would have been possible without Spartan Innovations help. If I could give any advice, if you have any creative ideas you think you would like to pursue, or you are just interested in learning about entrepreneurship in East Lansing, or maybe you just enjoy business but are looking for a unique way to strengthen your abiltiies, CONTACT SPARTAN INNOVATIONS. Trust me, it may be the most important decision you ever make. I know it was for me. 

GreenLight Business Model Competition Press Release

GREENLIGHT BUSINESS MODEL COMPETITION COMING TO EAST LANSING WITH $50,000 IN CASH PRIZES.

The first annual GreenLight  Business Model Competition is starting in Spring’13 and will be the first of it’s kind in the East Lansing area.

This event will bring entrepreneurs from all over the State of Michigan to the East Lansing area to pitch their ideas to an amazing panel of judges with chances of winning a total of $50,000 in cash prizes along with networking with angel and venture capital investors from throughout the state.

Paul Jaques, who is the Director of Student and Community Engagement at Spartan Innovations states “Any and all State of Michigan residents that have a company or idea that has been in existence for one year or less are eligible to apply.” 

“We did not want to take anything away from all of the other great entrepreneurial events that are going on around the state but wanted to make a new event that is more centrally located and easily accessible to all State of Michigan residents.”

This event was put together with great collaboration and sponsorship with MSUFCU, LEAP, Prima Civitas, and Michigan State University.

Greenlight will take place on March 13, 2013 and will be held at The Henry Center in East Lansing from 3pm-8pm.

You can find out more information and apply to the event at www.greenlightmichigan.com

If you would like more information about this event or would like to schedule an interview with Paul Jaques, please feel free to call him at 517-884-4548 or pjaques@spartaninnovations.org

Welcome to Spartan Innovations!

Welcome to the Spartan Innovations Blog!

Here we will be promoting what is going on within Spartan Innovations, and various events and competitions that will be put on in and around East Lansing, Michigan State, and within the State of Michigan.

Spartan Innovations assists entrepreneurs with developing their business to become successful. We provide multiple resources to the development of your company all at an affordable price. Weather you are a student, an alumni, a faculty member or someone who needs direction with further developing your business, we are your company. Ideas are encouraged within our place of business, so if you have one, contact us! If you would like to join us at Spartan Innovations or would like more information please contact Paul at pjaques@spartaninnovations.org.

Gerstacker Entrepreneurial Grant Competition

When you are a student wanting to start a business, often you might have these questions and concerns:

Where do I start?
How do I start it?
What resources do I have and what do I need?
And of course....Do I have enough money to do it?

If you are an MSU undergraduate student, in good academic standing, and are studying or interested in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering or science, you might be eligible for a chance to win The Gerstacker Entrepreneurial Grant. Students will develop a concept, conduct the research, and present their findings with the goal of getting their idea to production and use. Benefits start from the very beginning; By just competing and putting an idea or concept together, your team will receive up to $500 in seed funding to execute your specific plan.  Students who become semi-finalists have the chance of winning up to $5,000, which would be a great opportunity for any small business just trying to start up.

For more information and to apply for the competition, check out the website:

https://gerstacker.msu.edu/application-2009

The Hatch

Often, we think of the work space as a cubicle, a secluded place to study in the library, or somewhere where an individual is to work independently, with little interaction with others.

Not at The Hatch. What exactly is The Hatch?

Imagine a workplace unlike any other. Where creative minds collaborate to work with analytical minds. It is almost like a cafe scene, minus the baristas and expensive drinks: multiple people working on their laptops, drinking coffee or a hot beverage of choice, and relaxed music. Much unlike the usually cafe scene, they all know each other, and usually meet around the same time to work together on one thing: their businesses, or assisting those on their business and how to further improve Spartan Innovations for those entrepreneurs. Ask anyone who works in The Hatch - they love it. Here is what some of our individuals working at the Hatch have to say: 

"It's fun with an Agenda!" - Lorin Whreelright, Graphic Designer 
"The atmosphere is fresh." - David Park, Graphic Designer 
"It's a creative environment as opposed to the traditional office space" - Jerry Wang, Financial Analyst 

The Hatch offers all sorts of resources to bring your business to life.  It's run by Spartan Innovations, a new branch of Michigan State University's Technology Transfer Office that specializes in commercializing ideas that come out of the University.

The Hatch also offers a high-speed internet connection, a big-screen TV, gaming consoles and a mix of comfortable and more work-oriented furniture.  But most importantly it offers the opportunity to work alongside other entrepreneurs.  Other businesses, and their ambitious founders, already make their home at the Hatch.  The open floorplan of the space allows for great networking and idea-sharing opportunities with other newly founded companies in the region.

Usually, you will see the typical college student, anywhere from ages 18-22 working in The Hatch. But their are some exceptions - we have an intern who is currently pursuing his Ph.D, and some business owners who have been graduated for a few years. You'll see ideas anywhere from manufacturing Spartan helmets to the Real Estate industry. The Hatch is a great place to work, to share ideas, and to collaborate as a team and assist each other with anything pertaining to small business. Interns are their to assist you, we have everything from Financial Analysis to Graphic Design.

Just reading the Hatch doesn't truly do it justice though; spend some time there and you'll get a feel for the atmosphere and why everyone that works there seems to enjoy themselves so much.  If you'd like to take a tour of the Hatch or if you'd just like more information about it, contact Paul Jaques at pjaques@spartaninnovations.com.

Innovation