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Spelpreneur

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Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Spelman 

  • Are you curious about entrepreneurship?
  • Do you have a business idea but not sure how to start?
  • Do you want to boost your side hustle or existing business?

What is Spelpreneur?

About Spelpreneur

Spelpreneur, a co-curricular initiative under the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE), introduces Spelman students to entrepreneurship as an alternate career path — one that empowers them to create fulfilling opportunities during or after college. By blending concepts with hands-on practice, Spelpreneur helps students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skillset, understand business model frameworks, and build mentoring relationships. With the right tools, knowledge, and support, students are equipped to launch ventures, pursue innovation, and positively impact their communities.

Email: Spelpreneur@spelman.edu

Program Experience

Spelpreneur offers multiple opportunities each year for students to begin their entrepreneurial journey:
  • Fall Cohort: Focuses on idea validation, helping students assess the feasibility and potential of their business concepts.
  • Spring Cohort: Focuses on business execution, equipping students with the skills to bring validated ideas to life.
  • Jane E. Smith 10-Day Startup Competition: Open to all Spelman students, this pitch competition provides a fast-paced opportunity to put entrepreneurial skills into action.

Through these experiences, students learn, collaborate, and grow in a supportive entrepreneurial community.

Spelpreneur Core Focus Areas

EDUCATE

糖心传媒 Spelpreneur Program Goal to Educate

With the Spelpreneur Fundamental Series, students learn about the entrepreneurial mindset as well as key concepts of starting, running and growing a business.

INSPIRE

Spelpreneur Goal to Inspire

Entrepreneur Chats where students engage with successful entrepreneurs and our Speed Mentoring where students meet 1-on-1 with entrepreneurs.

EMPOWER

Spelpreneur Core Area to Empower

With our Jane E. Smith 10-Day Start-up Competition, students identify a unique problem and pitch at a “Shark Tank” style event, competing for financial prize packages. 

HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI) Pre-Accelerator

The HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI) Pre-Accelerator program, a partnership with HBCU Founders Initiative, is an eight-week empowering program that focuses on student entrepreneurs with early-stage companies and are ready to validate a problem and build a minimum viable product (MVP).

  • Various topics will be covered weekly during virtual sessions

  • Occasional on-campus activities are also planned

  • Advisers and mentors will provide guidance

  • The program will be offered during the Fall and Spring semesters

  • Teams will be eligible to receive funding in support of MVP development from

  • Teams will also be eligible to receive financial stipends for completion of this program from Spelpreneur

  • Student teams of 1 to 4 members may

Spelpreneur Spotlight: Lauren Thompson, C'2027

A Passion for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Lauren Thompson is a documentary filmmaking major and entrepreneurship minor from Silver Spring, Maryland, with a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation. Thompson says entrepreneurship allows her to have a creative outlet to express herself and give back to her community. 
 

As a Spelpreneur participant, she has learned the important lessons and problem-solving skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. She plans to create a networking site that further connects college students and high school seniors in an effort to aid in their college selection process and increase college preparedness. Through Spelpreneur, she gained access to a web of entrepreneurs who she could rely on for support and guidance, and she developed the confidence and reassurance she needed to continue with her entrepreneurship journey. 

As a result of participating in Spelpreneur, Thompson says her next steps toward entrepreneurship are to begin the market research for her business, which includes reaching out to college and career readiness resources to confirm demand for her proposed product.