Networking

Networking

Coleman Entrepreneurship Center
The CEC delivers and co-sponsors a variety of educational programs for entrepreneurs, investors, and students. Covering a range of topics, these programs are designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners access knowledge, capital, expertise, and contacts.

The Center takes advantage of the brain-power within DePaul University and collaborates with other entrepreneurship support organizations to deliver quality, relevant, and practical programs.

Please check out the CEC on a regular basis for networking and events showcasing entrepreneurship.
Contact the CEC for answers to any of your questions at 312.362.8625 or cec@depaul.edu.

Private Enterprise Network (PEN)
The Private Enterprise Network (PEN) Symposium was created to assist entrepreneurial firms in the Chicagoland area in their growth processes. PEN is a formal symposium where an emerging entrepreneurial business is chosen to present its business plan and gain feedback from a panel of selected business experts and an audience of professionals.

Its goal is to highlight growing businesses seeking second round financing, assisting entrepreneurial firms in the Chicago area in their growth processes. Each time, DePaul's faculty chooses an outstanding entrepreneurial business. A format of formal symposium is chosen where emerging entrepreneurial businesses present their business plans and gain feedback from a panel of selected business experts and a professional audience.

Samples of Recent PEN Events
At a PEN symposium graduate Michael Stadnicki presented his business plan for ISOLINK. ISOLINK is designed to improve taxi and other commercial livery services for consumers through a method of combining wireless technologies, card payment processing, automated payroll as well as human behavioral support systems. This new process is designed to reform existing delivery performance while producing prompter, safer, and more secure ground transportation services for vendors and consumers alike.

A-ha!Interactive, founded by Todd Carter and Rob Schneiders, is an educational technology company that creates engaging learning experiences for high school students (a $100 billion market). Todd and Rob were residents of DePaul's Technology Incubator, DeTech, which provided technical and business assistance to nascent start-up companies.

Riding the wave of the future, A-ha!'s solution maximizes the significant investment schools have made in technology to improve students learning and achievements. A-ha!'s products combine the latest research in cognitive science, problem-based learning techniques and technology to empower teachers and students. The company is utilizing leading edge technology to improve student learning and shows great business potential.

goReader This PEN symposium featured goReader, Inc., founded by Richard Katzmann (DePaul MBA '94). This e-commerce/consumer electronic device company will offer electronic books and readers, targeting the college textbook market by offering a large, full-color screen that will allow students to read, annotate, and highlight directly on-screen. Additional learning advantages over traditional books are provided by advanced searching, as well as the ability to create homemade study guides by copying and pasting. goReader's customers purchase the electronic book readers directly from goReader, and then purchase and download electronic content (e-books) from the company's website. goReader is an internet start-up company that has joined DePaul University's Technology Incubator.

For more information, or to participate in a PEN symposium, contact Dr. Harold Welsch.