The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) encourages creativity and collaboration by inviting students of all majors to participate in their fall events.
The lineup includes the popular business-pitching event, Trojan Arena; field trips to Shipshewana and Chicago; luncheons with entrepreneurs and more.
As of this fall, the CIE operates from the Vandermeulen Innovation Hub in the new Horne Academic Center. This fall marks the start of the center’s physical establishment on Taylor University’s campus, as it previously operated mostly virtually. In addition to serving as a collaborative space for students, the hub will also be the location of multiple fall events.
The CIE hosted their first event, Innovibe, in the hub on Sept. 17.
Innovibe is a promotional event where students are simply invited to have a good time and become familiar with the CIE, Mick Bates, director of innovation and entrepreneurship and professor of entrepreneurship, said. It involves food, games and prizes.
“My hope is that when people leave [Innovibe], they go ‘Wow, this is the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This is fun. It’s exciting,’” Bates said.
Their upcoming event is Trojan Blitz on Sept. 27-28. Student teams will be given a problem on Friday evening, and they have until Saturday afternoon to come up with a solution which they will then pitch to judges for the chance to win cash prizes.
Another kind of event the center is known for are Innotreks. These are typically overnight field trips that allow students to connect with entrepreneurs outside of campus, Bates said.
This fall the CIE will be taking Innotreks to Shipshewana and Chicago.
On the trip to Shipshewana, students will be staying at the Blue Gate Inn and visiting the Blue Gate restaurant and theater, which are all owned by a family with connections to Taylor. They will also have the chance to engage with Amish entrepreneurs. On the trip to Chicago, students will get to connect with approximately five to eight entrepreneurs in the area, Bates said.
The CIE also organizes Innochats, which are opportunities for a group of around 12 students to have lunch with a guest entrepreneur and learn from him or her. The CIE’s Pink Punch event also connects students with guest speakers but is an entrepreneurial event specifically for women.
Lextin Willis, junior sports management major, said his favorite event is Trojan Arena, which is modeled after the ABC series, “Shark Tank,” and was previously known by the same name.
In this event, students are invited to present their own business concepts to a panel of judges in hopes of winning a cash prize. Willis competed and won his freshman year and now helps plan the event.
“A lot of people come out to watch and participate,” Willis said. “I think it’s just the fact that it’s our landmark event, and it’s so big within the campus.”
Willis is an example of how the CIE has benefited business and non-business majors alike. He said the center has provided him with many experiences that have allowed him to grow professionally, spiritually and academically.
Kyra Zylstra, IMPACT innovation and entrepreneurship director, said she wants to see students participate in the CIE’s events and gain a broader understanding of what innovation and entrepreneurship is.
“Innovation is for everyone,” Zylstra said. “We all want to have a positive impact on the world. We can all be world changers in different ways.”
For more information, visit the CIE’s page on Taylor University’s website or contact Mick Bates at mcbates@taylor.edu.
