VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

Graduation was fast approaching for Aaron Ware and Nick Green in December 2015 and the VCU School of Business students were trying to figure out what their next steps would be.

They didn’t have to look far. As interns at Lighthouse Labs, a local business accelerator, Ware and Green had experience working at five different companies. One of them, Painless1099, had won a spot in 43North, the largest business idea competition in the world. Along with $500,000 in prize money, Painless, founded by three former VCU students, won a year of incubator space in Buffalo, New York, mentorship opportunities, resources and tax breaks.

As Painless was getting ready to move to Buffalo at the start of 2016, it needed help. Ware and Green knew the company founders needed to hire experienced business developers, but that they would have a hard time finding qualified workers on such short notice.

“At this point, we really knew the business well and we really worked with the team well,” Green said. “We pitched ourselves as, ‘Look, we're going to work harder than anyone else. We already worked well with the team, we know the team. This would just be a really easy transition.’”

Venture Creation University At VCU, innovation and entrepreneurship are part of the University culture. According to a recent survey 50 percent of VCU students, across the university's 13 different schools, are interested in starting their own company. Venture Creation University is VCU's strategy for ensuring all students are exposed to innovation and entrepreneurship and have access to entrepreneurial pathways. For more information, visit: http://entrepreneurship.vcu.edu/

The company founders agreed, due in large part to the pair’s experience as Lighthouse interns. They joined the company on Jan. 1 and moved to Buffalo two days later.

The Lighthouse internship was invaluable, Ware said. It piqued his interest as soon as he heard of it.

“Working for an accelerator was kind of like a dream at that point,” he said. He met with Jay Markiewicz, executive director of Entrepreneurship Programs in the VCU School of Business, to learn more about the position.

“This program is designed for VCU students looking for hands-on, real life, startup experience,” Markiewicz said. “By supporting multiple startups at a time, students will get a wide range of experience in working on an integrated team that is solving problems, designing creative solutions and bringing those solutions to a customer market. This is the type of experience that builds the personal skills necessary for success in today’s diverse career paths."

It’s important to note that the Lighthouse Lab internship is open to all VCU students, regardless of their major. With positions in everything from business development and marketing to graphic arts and social media, it was best to pitch a wide net.

“This is a great opportunity for students to work alongside real-life company founders as they immerse themselves in the fast-paced world of startup culture,” said Joanna Pheil, program manager at Lighthouse Labs.

The most valuable thing Ware learned was communication.

“Being able to understand what the founders are looking for on a project and being able to communicate what you found back to them,” he said. “Seeing if you’re on the same page and can proceed to get the objective done … as well as just living in the nebulous world that is entrepreneurship where there is no guideline or rule on how to get things done. It’s more exploring what needs to be done and figuring out how to do that.”

Placing students into an accelerator environment is probably one of the best ways to get them ready to work for any kind of company, Green said.

An accelerator is about growth. It's literally a place for growth. 

“An accelerator is about growth,” he said. “It's literally a place for growth. Companies go there not only to grow but really to create this infrastructure needed to be able to grow.

“Getting such a well-rounded wealth of knowledge coming through and being able to grow with the company and create that infrastructure, that’s the goal for the business, but that's really what ended up happening for me as well.”

The Lighthouse Labs 13-week fall internship program is designed for self starters with a variety of skillsets and experience levels ranging from freshmen to Ph.D. students. All project team members will be paired with one or more Lighthouse Labs startup companies and expected to complete a series of impactful projects. Interested students from any school can apply by visiting https://business.vcu.edu/career-services/ and clicking on the “Students” button. Interviews will be held Sept. 15 and 16. This year’s interns will have the opportunity to work at the following Lighthouse Labs companies. 

• Glass Smith provides on-demand smartphone and mobile device repair.
• GoGo Band is a wristband-like device that uses biometric sensors, radio-frequency identification technology, and computer processing to help parents monitor the condition of their children.
• Fenris accelerates the digital transformation of insurance providers.
• Skraach connects interior design students with clients.
• Spira is developing a new protein shake using spirulina. 
• Map My Customers is a map-driven customer relationship management tool.
• Trilogy Mentors matches high-achieving college students with elementary school students for tutoring and mentorship.

 

Subscribe for free to the weekly VCU News email newsletter at http://newsletter.news.vcu.edu/ and receive a selection of stories, videos, photos, news clips and event listings in your inbox every Thursday.