They鈥檝e been trained to think and act like entrepreneurs. Now, business minor capstone students in the new venture course at Leeds School of Business face their most challenging project yet: Create a business that solves a problem of the coronavirus pandemic.
Problems can range from addressing supply chain challenges, efficient production of masks or delivering essentials to senior citizens and other high-risk populations. Student teams will create business plans and pitch their ideas for additional funding if they wish to launch their ventures post-graduation.
This mid-semester focus shift happened at lightning speed in the last couple weeks. Leeds instructor Visda Carson and coach Scott King, a retired entrepreneur, revamped the curriculum and secured $25,000 of seed funding for teams who create solutions to COVID-19.
"As we thought about how to continue teaching this class during the outbreak, we realized that the pandemic presented a great opportunity to offer our students the ability to pivot their business ideas to something that supports our local community,鈥� says King.
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