A diverse cohort of speakers in the entrepreneurial ecosystem will come to the South Bend-Elkhart region to share insights and inspiration at a multitude of events open to the public during Idea Week, April 20-23.听From celebrated authors and leaders of "unicorns" to successful University of Notre Dame alumni startup founders to outdoor concerts, there is something for every interest at this year鈥檚 Idea Week innovation festival.
Now in its fourth year, Idea Week is hosted by Notre Dame, the South Bend-Elkhart region and various community organizations and businesses. For the last six months, planners have curated an agenda designed to engage students, businesspeople and locals with an interest in entrepreneurship. Here is just a sampling:
How Inclusive Prosperity Spurs Entrepreneurship,听8:30-9:30 a.m.听April 20 (Wednesday). Entrepreneurship can seem out of reach, especially among those who experience barriers based on race, gender, where they live or lack of access to support. In this session, Philip Gaskin, vice president of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation听and former campaign adviser to Sen. Cory Booker and former President Barack Obama, will share how to create a future in which entrepreneurship and the prosperity that results is more inclusive, widespread and equitable.
The 100K Incubator - Funding Women Entrepreneurs, 9:45-10:45 a.m.听April 20. Arielle Loren Palmer, CEO and founder of 100k Incubator, is on a mission to help 100,000 early-stage women entrepreneurs fund their businesses and scale to $100,000 in annual sales. Palmer is the creator of the first business funding app for women that features a video boot camp, access to consultants who advise on how to access various funding mechanisms including grants and investor capital, and live office hours. Palmer and the 1000K Incubator have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, BET, Essence听and other media outlets.
Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success, 1-2 p.m.听April 21 (Thursday). Like it or not, failure is part of entrepreneurship. In this session, Harvard University鈥檚 Thomas Eisenmann, who teaches classes on entrepreneurial failure, technology venture immersion and the entrepreneurial manager, will share the many reasons startups don鈥檛 succeed. Attendees will receive a free copy of his book, "Why Startups Fail, A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success."
Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups, 8:30-9:30 a.m.听April 22 (Friday). It鈥檚 often said that to be a successful entrepreneur, you have to have industry experience, be first to market and participate in accelerators. In this session, Ali Tamiseb, author of "Super Founders," reveals what really separates billion-dollar startups from the rest. Tamiseb鈥檚 exhaustive research, which includes interviews with founders and investors in companies like Airbnb, Coinbase, Instacart, PayPal and Zoom, revealed counterintuitive insights he will share. Attendees will receive a free copy of his book.
On the Road | Nashville to Notre Dame, 9:30 p.m. April 22, Howard Park. Start the weekend with a concert featuring Tyler听Lance Walker听Gill, Boot Scoot and Notre Dame's own Standard Deviants sponsored by Juke, a Notre Dame startup. Admission is free, but for a small fee, guests can request songs and tip the band using the Juke app.
Registration to attend Idea Week is open. Admission is free. The full slate of events plus details on dates, times and locations are available
For more information on Idea Week, visit the
Originally published by at on April 8.