Kiran Pandey
Staff Writer
When Kaushal Wagle, a sophomore student majoring in business informatics, first went to the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) in 2016 with his light switch idea, director Dr. Jeff Street believed in him and started supporting him with mentorship and financial assistance.
According to Street, CEED also informs faculty members across all colleges about the services and opportunities before the start of the academic year. Faculty members then communicate with interested students in their departments in order to establish a connection with the CEED program. With the help of faculty members and CEED’s services, many students have achieved success and are on their way to fulfilling their dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Wagle will be heading to Dallas to represent ISU in EarthxHack 2018, the largest Environmental Forum in the world.
“Dr. Street saw potential in me and has supported me in my entrepreneurial journey since then,” Wagle said. “I have attended two TechCrunch Sessions, one in New York and one at MIT in Boston, both were only possible with the help of CEED.”
CEED was established a few years ago to serve as a one-stop shop for university inventors and business startups as well as providing students with mentorship and assistance to turn ideas into products.
Besides the mentorship for potential entrepreneurs, CEED also provides different kinds of internship opportunities for enthusiastic minds. Kishor Simkhada is doing his internship with the CEED program, where he is working on his project of frozen momo, a dumpling popular in south Asia. Simkhada is aiming to share its taste with people across the globe.
Many students mistakenly think the CEED program is only for business students, but Rituraj Yadav is a student studying environmental science who has taken advantage of the facilities provided by the CEED program.
He has participated and pitched his ideas in local, state and regional level conferences and competitions several times
“CEED is not only about business, but about how one can succeed on their own and turn their idea into a product,” Yadav said. “I encourage every student who wants to be an entrepreneur in the future to stop by in the BA’s third floor and talk to Dr. Jeff.”
Wagle, Simkhada, and Yadav are thankful the CEED program has been actively helping international students to engage in the entrepreneurship environment.
“There is very limited opportunity for international students in the U.S. to make a connection with stakeholders and businessmen,” Dr. Street said. “CEED acts as a bridge to connect the potential entrepreneurs with the people they need to talk.”
Interested students can visit the CEED program’s office on the third floor at the Business Administration Building.
“Any idea is not small,” said Asim Dhakal, a student graduating this semester with a double major in business informatics and international studies, said. “CEED always pushes students and lets them work with wonderful mentors and advisors to turn the small idea into a product that the market is looking for.”
