Sierra College Hosts Virtual Mentor Night for Entrepreneurs, Nov. 19
Sierra College Mentor Night will be held virtually on Tuesday, Nov. 17 as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Perry Campbell, CEO of SwissMak, will be the keynote speaker and will share his story from student to founder. Campbell built a new CNC hybrid mill-turn center featuring all the functionality of computer numerical control (CNC) lathes and mills at a fraction of the cost of current CNC offerings.
This free event will be held via Zoom 5:30-7:00 pm PST. Attendees can access the workshop through the Zoom Link.
As a regional innovation center, Sierra College nurtures entrepreneurship and is committed to supporting locally grown businesses and providing employment opportunities. Mentor Nights are offered through the Affiliate Mentor Program (AMP). This dream team of local experts mentor budding entrepreneurs with immediate feedback and access to resources after they listen to student pitches during the Mentor Night event. Business leaders believe that there is untapped potential at Sierra College and are stepping in to mentor the next generation of startups with honest advice and referral to resources at no charge to increase successful company launches in the region.
“Sierra College has many resources to help those who dream of starting their own businesses,” said Amy Schulz, Dean, Business and Technology Division, Sierra College. “We appreciate our industry partners who are mentoring students as they launch startups conceived in a Sierra College business class.”
As part of the program, the mentors provide advice to the students and audience members gain insights into the entrepreneurial mindset, explained Steve Ricketts, Founder, SRickettsConsulting, who developed Startup Pitch Mentor Round/Mentor Night with Sierra College. “Mentors are contributing their time to inspire future entrepreneurs,” said Ricketts. “There is no charge for student entrepreneurs to attend and receive feedback from the mentors. By offering honest advice and referrals to resources, as well as this live feedback in an open forum, we can support entrepreneurship in the community.”
“Startup Pitch Mentor Round/Mentor Night allows students to practice communicating and validating their ideas to potential stakeholders,” said Dennis Wingate, Business faculty member, Sierra College and successful founder. “It also connects them with valuable mentors who can provide guidance, and sometimes support, to help them navigate the pre-launch and launch process.” Wingate indicated that 10 former students have launched businesses or are in pre-launch.
About Sierra College
Sierra College serves 3,200 square miles of Northern California with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra College graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu.