By Deniece Griffin
LaunchGSU is a university-wide incubator open to all students at Georgia State looking to hustle and build something from the ground up. James Okolo, a student entrepreneur here at Georgia State is a strong supporter and member of the incubator. Okolo is the co-founder of nSpire, a social networking site that he has been working on for several years with partner Tim Sok. He has found that his membership at LaunchGSU is invaluable. This week, during Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization’s (CEO) scheduled meeting, Okolo openly shared his experiences at LaunchGSU with fellow students.
What has been the most rewarding for you as a member?
Having the opportunity to present his business idea to a select group of faculty and staff for a chance to represent Georgia State in the statewide Georgia InVenture Prize competition has been the highlight up to this point. The Georgia InVenture Prize allows undergraduate students to represent their institution in the statewide business pitch competition. Having this experience was one of the most rewarding experiences he has had here at GSU, says Okolo. He then elaborated, “If it was not for LaunchGSU, we would not have known about this opportunity or been able to pitch our idea. As the result, my business will be representing Georgia State in April. What an honor!”
What do you get the most from LaunchGSU?
Okolo revealed that he gets the most from sharing his insights with other students and them sharing their ideas and feedback with him. The fact that you can be free to share is good for all involved. It has been the biggest escalator for his business.
What’s happening at LaunchGSU to keep students engaged?
LaunchGSU offers dozens of workshops for existing and aspiring small business owners each semester including: writing a business plan, legal considerations for start-ups and myths and realities of financing just to name a few. In addition, the members of LaunchGSU are starting a book club next week. Events at LaunchGSU are open to all GSU students with the goal in mind to foster a culture of entrepreneurship across the university.
What does it take to become a LaunchGSU Member?
- Membership requires an application
- Spring 2019 applications will be open thru March 15
- The application can be found at https://launch.gsu.edu/launch-gsu-membership/
- ANYONE can attend events. Membership is not required to attend events.
- Students who have any additional questions can email [email protected]
The best time to ‘pop in’ and talk with someone about what LaunchGSU offers would be while attending an event.
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The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization
CEO’s mission is to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation.
