The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center is now accepting applications for the Fall 2022 cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School program.

U of I Venture School is the premier statewide program for entrepreneurs and is built from a streamlined curriculum developed by the National Science Foundation I-Corps at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Venture School emphasizes real-world entrepreneurship and innovation based on a leading-edge curriculum. Participants will encounter the chaos and uncertainty of creating new ventures based on customer discovery.

Fall 2022 Venture School program will be held as a hybrid class. An in-person orientation will be held Thursday, September 29 to explain the course expectations and to meet the Coaches. Following classes will be held via Zoom October 6 – November 10. The Launch Day Pitch Competition will be held in-person on the NIACC campus on Thursday November 17.

Each Venture School team will be assigned a local entrepreneur as their coach. Participating teams will be eligible to compete for cash awards both locally and at the state level during the Venture School launch day at EntreFEST 2023. Last year’s Mason City graduates were awarded $8,000 in prize money during the 2022 EntreFEST pitch competition. The cost for the program is $299.

Contact Candi Karsjens at candi.karsjens@niacc.edu with questions or if you are a local entrepreneur interested in becoming a Venture School coach. To apply for the Fall 2022 cohort, visit http://www.venture-school.com and select the Mason City cohort in the drop-down menu. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2022.

The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center is the expert in rural business innovation and success. In partnership with North Iowa’s Small Business Development Center, together we provide tools, support, and resources to Iowa’s entrepreneurs. We counsel both new and existing local businesses, from Main Street to industry leaders. We’re growing Iowa’s entrepreneurial culture through grade school initiatives, college and community programs, and business training and development. Contact the NIACC Pappajohn and SBDC Center at 641-422-4342 or pappajohn@niacc.edu.

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