Case Study
Problem
In three years, the alumni group of the Surge Fellowship grew to more than 50. While many individuals were growing within their organizations, others felt the itch to create their own thing. A contribution from a visionary funder enabled the Surge team to build a community of entrepreneurs with an end goal of launching new business with investment funding. To develop the program and give it lift, Surge turned to Blue Seats Consulting.
Action
Connie facilitated the Surge Angels program, a four-month entrepreneurs’ boot camp incorporating business speakers, market research, and coaching from experienced entrepreneurs. The boot camp culminated with a pitch night where $65,000 was awarded to eight teams presenting their ideas.
Connie led the development of the program including program promotion and alumni recruiting, speaker coordination, pitch night planning, and creating the investment evaluation tool.
Outcomes
Eight alums presented their proposals. One received a start-up grant to launch her college counseling consultancy. One team accelerated investment toward their software launch, and six others received boosts to turn their dreams into businesses through the Surge Angels.
The Best Part
Entrepreneurship has been a liberating path for me, and facilitating people to turn their idea into their day job brings me energy and joy!