This post originally appeared on the Louisiana Technology Park blog.
Nexus LA kicked off its Biz-Tech Fellows program Tuesday with quite the ice breaker— a rock-paper scissors tournament.
Participants paired off with others whom they had not met to play rock-paper-scissors. Losers were recruited to be cheerleaders for their opponents, who then went on to play against other winners. Before long, the room was divided in two. Cheers filled the air as a final winner was decided.
Andy Maas, who led the day’s discussions, said the exercise was intended to show that, although the majority of startups fail, everyone involved in the process is an important participant. Despite poor statistics for startup success, I was overwhelmed by the passion and drive of these young entrepreneurs.
Learning the Ropes
Attendees introduced themselves and some shared details of their business plans. Their ideas ranged from hair-care products to an app that helps high school students apply to HBCU’s. It was truly inspiring to see such dedicated and gifted individuals already working on concrete business plans.
Participants learned what would be expected of them as a part of the program, as well as tips on how to solidify their business ideas and market them. Maas talked about value propositions, interview techniques and other basics of entrepreneurship, as well as things like intellectual property. Students listened intently.