The Launch ’09 South Dakota Entrepreneurship Conference was held February 26th on the Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) campus in Mitchell, South Dakota. Despite much
of South Dakota dealing with winter storms the Launch Conference attracted over 160 students and educators from accross the state.The event serves to advance entrepreneurship education throughout South Dakota.
This year’s conference featured the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour (EET), the first ever national
collegiate entrepreneurship tour. The tour is comprised of many of America’s top young entrepreneurs who’ve made, earned, or sold a company for millions and/or made
a huge impact before the age of 30. Michael Simmons, Co-Founder of EET was the keynote speaker for Launch ’09. Simmons was named one of BusinessWeek’s Best Entrepreneurs Under 25. At the age of 16, he launched his first business, a web-development company for which he
won numerous awards.
“The excitement and enthusiasm that the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour brought to the Launch ’09 conference was absolutely electrifying!” said Rhonda Pole, the Associate Director of the Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship at DWU. "The event was a great success. The opportunity to learn from some of the country’s top young entrepreneurs was truly remarkable and
inspirational for our South Dakota students. We are excited to build upon Launch ’09 and begin to plan for Launch ’10."
Simmons was joined by speakers Arel Moodie and AJ Yager. Moodie, America’s Top Young Speaker”, started his own successful internet company, placefinder.com, while still in college. Yager hit the entrepreneurial scene at age 10 and his adventures have included launching a variety of businesses by the age of 27, including a successful city lifestyle magazine in
Long Beach, California.
The eent also featured a panel of experts, break-out sessions, and numerous networking opportunities. Break-out sessions highlighted resources for the entrepreneur, steps to start, idea creation, and strategies for student engagement in entrepreneurship.
To learn more about the event and view pictures click here
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