Lehigh's entrepreneurial network (LEN) of alumni: Resources for student entrepreneurs

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education at Lehigh University has been recently enhanced by substantial institutional investments in new academic programs, the development of a campus center for student entrepreneurs and several grants from federal, state and private organizations. One such grant is from the Kauffman Foundation to build a Lehigh Entrepreneurial Network (LEN) of alumni to assist and advise student entrepreneurs. The effort requires the partnership of several academic programs, such as Lehigh's Integrated Product Development, Integrated Business and Engineering and Design Arts along with several internal organizations including Lehigh's Alumni Association, the Development office and the University's new thrust in innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship led by the Vice Provost for Research and the Dean of the College of Business and Economics. The LEN is a critical resource to: 1) help guide successful student e-teams through the product design, development, production ramp-up and market introduction phases of new product development, 2) help the students acquire seed funding, and 3) when appropriate be part of the management team in the startup phase of their businesses. The paper will describe a work in progress including the design and implementation of the Lehigh Entrepreneurial Network, its vision, goals, program components and evaluation mechanisms as part of the development entrepreneurial environment at Lehigh University.