Entrepreneurship showcase set for April 9 at DePauw University

The young entrepreneur behind Greencastle's successful Myers' Market venture will be one of the guest speakers when the DePauw University McDermond Center for Management and Entrepreneurship sponsors a free Entrepreneurship Showcase for members of the Greencastle and DePauw communities on Saturday, April 9.

The program at the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics is designed for anyone interested in starting a business or who has already started a business.

Featured speakers will include Greencastle business owner Mitch Myers, founder of Myers' Market and winner of a 2014 EDGE (Economic Development and Growth through Entrepreneurship) Award from the Indiana Small Business Development Center; 2006 DePauw graduate Projjol Banerjea, co-founder and chief product officer of Zeotap; and 2005 DePauw graduate Matthew Lytle, an executive director with JP Morgan.

All speakers will offer advice for both budding entrepreneurs and small business owners and managers, and will be prepared to respond to questions.

Registration, exhibit set-up, and a light breakfast will begin at 10 a.m. at the Prindle Institute. The program will get under way at 10:30 a.m.

Entrepreneurs, small business owners and businesses and agencies that seek to help entrepreneurs and small business owners are invited to attend. Exhibit space will be made available to showcase ideas, businesses and services that attendees provide.

An informal lunch at noon will provide opportunities for networking and for visiting with exhibitors.

The afternoon will give DePauw students an opportunity to "pitch" entrepreneurial ideas and receive immediate feedback on their presentations. A panel of university alumni entrepreneurs will provide students with feedback following each presentation. For especially worthwhile ideas, a limited amount of seed financing will be awarded.

The complete April 9 agenda for the Entrepreneurship Showcase is:

-- 10 a.m.: Registration, exhibit set-up, breakfast available.

-- 10:30 a.m.: Projjol Banerjea, co-founder and chief product officer, Zeotap, Berlin.

-- 11 a.m.: Mitch Myers, local entrepreneur and founder of Myers' Market, Greencastle.

-- 11:30 a.m.: Matthew Lytle, executive director, JP Morgan, San Francisco.

-- Noon: Networking lunch, opportunity to visit exhibits.

-- 1:30-3 p.m.: Business plan presentations by DePauw students.

Exhibit space will allow entrepreneurs and small business owners to showcase their ideas and businesses. Representatives from educational institutions, small business consulting, accounting and legal organizations will have exhibits describing services they offer entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Those wishing to attend the April 9 Entrepreneurship Showcase, and anyone wishing to have an exhibit should RSVP to Ann Risdon in the McDermond Center.

DePauw students, who want to present a pitch on April 9, should contact the McDermond Center via email (mcdermond@depauw.edu) or by phone at658-4858 to register.

Members of the Greencastle community and student entrepreneurs are encouraged to attend a series of U-Push Start events hosted on campus prior to the April 9 Showcase, and attendance at the March 31 event is required for any students who wish to pitch their business ideas at the Entrepreneurship Showcase.

In addition to the Entrepreneurship Showcase, DePauw's McDermond Center will be hosting a full semester of entrepreneurship programming. All events are free and open to the DePauw and Greencastle communities. Events include:

-- March 10: U-Push Start Event: Focusing your idea and analyzing the competitive environment (7 p.m., UB 230A). Session offered by Maggie Musgrave, a 2011 graduate who is an associate investor at the Innovate Indiana Fund, which targets investments in early stage companies across all sectors. She also teaches courses in entrepreneurship and venture capital at the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and consults with angel investors on potential investments through her company, Musgrave Analytics.

-- March 17: U-Push Start Event: Preparing financial forecasts (7 p.m., UB 230A).

-- March 31: U-Push Start Event: Making your pitch (7 p.m., Julian 159) ( Required for all students wanting to make a business plan presentation on April 9) .

-- April 9: Entrepreneurship Showcase (10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics).

Additional McDermond Center entrepreneur speakers during April include:

-- April 14: Chris White '10, co-founder and CEO, Shinesty, (11:30 a.m., location to be determined).

-- April 19: Lee Weingart '88, founder, LNE Group, (11:30 a.m., Watson Forum, Media Center).