Talks with experienced entrepreneurs and interactive workshops are offered throughout the academic year.

Ain Lecture Series

Each semester, the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship hosts the Lecture Series. These events feature an entrepreneur, UR alumni, innovative educator, or other distinguished guest speaker. The lecturer presents a talk free to students, faculty, staff, and the general public. The lecture is followed by time for Q&A, as well as a reception where the speaker can interact with the event attendees.

View past speakers.

Foundry Forums

Designed to supplement existing entrepreneurship classes and programming, these sessions explore the fundamentals of starting your own venture or working with a team to accomplish an innovative goal.

September – Opposites Attract: Turning a Group of Strangers into a Team
October – Product/Market Fit: What It Is. Why You Need It. How You Get It.
November – The Voice of a Customer: Shut Up and Listen
November – Competition & Market Sizing: How Your Venture Fits Into the Bigger Picture
November – Learning from Failure: What to Do When Things Don’t Work

Want to learn more about the Foundry Forums from 2018? Find recaps on our blog for team building and customer discovery tips!

Mark Ain Business Model Competition Workshop Series

Building on the more soft skill-focused Foundry Forum workshops, these sessions are designed to provide training on elements of business planning and presenting.

January – The Genius of a Business Plan: Be Different and Be Better
February – Money Matters: Funding Your Startup
March – Startup Storytelling: Become a Master of Pitching

Interested in learning about the 2019 Mark Ain workshops? Find recaps on our blog for business plan writing, entrepreneurial finance, and storytelling tips!