ASU Targets Student Startups through Edson Program

For those interested in creating the next generation of entrepreneurs, particularly in the youth/student entrepreneurship, you should look at what our friends in Arizona State University (ASU), America’ largest University (70,000 students and counting) are doing in this space, particularly their Edson Student Entrepreneurship Initiative. This student accelerator has been going for a number of years now and is a good example of what can be done while students are still in college.

It provides winning student teams with funding, space in SkySong, and a mentor-led program. Since 2005 they have produced a number of exciting companies.

The Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative harnesses the entrepreneurial energy, excitement and creativity found in ASU’s student body. It provides funding, office space and training for teams of students across the university to explore their innovative ideas for business products and services in partnership with faculty, researchers and successful entrepreneurs from both the academic and private sectors. The program will help students succeed in any enterprise, large or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, domestic or global.

Propeller Seed Accelerator Fund gets ‘Landing’ in SkySong Arizona

Dublin City University’s Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship in Dublin has agreed a deal with Arizona State University’s Venture Catalyst to offer First Destination access for Irish startups into the United States. Startups who will be undergoing development in the Propeller Venture Accelerator in Ireland from February 2011 will be able to establish a presence in the US market through the ASU SkySong facility in Scottsdale Arizona. Arizona State University is the largest University in the US and a leading US Entrepreneurial University.

ASU SkySong in Scottsdale Arizona

“Developing the best venture accelerator for startups is our aim, and the new relationship with ASU’s Venture Catalyst and fantastic SkySong facility is part of the global angle we are taking. At the same time the relationship with an Irish grassroots organisation like Techludd shows the balance between global and local” said Gordon McConnell, Deputy-CEO of the Ryan Academy.

The Venture Catalyst is the next step in Arizona State University’s (ASU) evolution of helping ventures find critical resources to succeed. ASU sits at the center of Arizona’s innovation ecosystem with vast resources, talented faculty and students, and a commitment to accelerating global innovation. With access to the largest market in the world and only 90 minutes from Silicon Valley, with over 170 flights daily, Arizona offers Irish startups a great ‘first landing’ location to operate, with a good climate, low taxes and lower operating costs than California. SkySong already has a variety of established ventures from Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Brazil, Turkey, India, Germany and a growing list of places from around the globe.

“In ASU we understand the need to have an entry point into a larger market” said Julia Rosen, Associate Vice President in Arizona State University “this partnership will not only help the next generation of Irish companies get access to doing business in the US but will also help startups in Arizona to get access to the important European markets through Dublin through our relationship with the Ryan Academy.”

Dublin already has an impressive list of major companies with major operations located there, including IBM, Microsoft, Facebook, Citigroup, Google and Amazon.

Techludd

In the Irish market Propeller has also announced a partnership with Techludd, an Irish based technology media organisation that supports Irish startups through a series of regular open demo events around the Island and a popular blog covering European startups from an Irish perspective. It’s regular event series has partnered with Microsoft, Digiweb, TechCrunch Europe and a host of other local organisations.

A number of Irish-based companies have already signed-up to support the Propeller Accelerator programme including software company Sage Ireland, legal company Arthur Cox, marketing and sales company Publicis D and legal intellectual property company Tomkins IP. National Irish organisations such as the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (ISME) organisation and State agency Enterprise Ireland are also partners.

“We have very much adapted the seed accelerator model to leverage the strengths of the Dublin region, so you will see a greater emphasis on senior executives as mentors on our programme, compared to similar programmes in the US like Techstars” commented McConnell.