In mid-January, the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership hosted its annual entrepreneurial workshop, known as Winterim. The event brought 29 students to campus prior to the start of spring semester for a week of learning, networking, and mentoring, which culminated in a pitch competition for $13,000 in prizes.
Lena Essak BA ’24 spent her summer as a paid community relations intern in the Portland office of EDP Renewables. Thanks to the Bates Center Summer Sustainability Internship course, she was able to learn, grow, and gain hands-on experience while working alongside two supportive Lewis & Clark alumni.
Applications are now open for limited spots in the Bates Center’s flagship programWinterimwhich features 60 speakers, mentors and judges for 30 students in a fast-paced week that culminates in a pitch competition with $8,000 of cash prizes.
No prior entrepreneurial experience is required or expected. Priority deadline is November 15.
Four Lewis & Clark basketball student-athletes participated in the sixth Winterim program The Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership put on during the second week of January.
From January 8 through January 13, nearly 30 Lewis & Clark students immersed themselves in Winterim, a fast-paced and supportive experience that culminated in a pitch competition with $6,000 in cash prizes.
Aldebaron Levin BA ’23, with support from the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership, has launched an analog watch company. The company’s first watch design is inspired by the koi pond at Lewis & Clark.
In collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University and the University of Oregon, psychology professors Jerusha and Brian Detweiler-Bedell conduct research to help Oregonians identify and respond to the risk of melanoma.
Members of the Lewis & Clark community can now benefit from streamlined admission to graduate programs at Babson College, the leader in entrepreneurship education, through a new 4+1 pathway program.
From January 9 through January 14, nearly 30 Lewis & Clark students immersed themselves in the study of entrepreneurship and leadership through Winterim, a fast-paced and supportive experience that culminated in a pitch competition with $6,750 in cash prizes.
During the pandemic, Ochuko Akpovbovbo BA ’21 used her time in isolation to create Parachute Media, a growing digital publication and community organization created by and for Gen Z and millennial women and nonbinary people of color.
Join us this spring for virtual career treks to companies in the Pacific Northwest. This is a perfect opportunity to explore career field opportunities and learn firsthand about a career field, from the comfort of your own home!
From January 11 through January 15, 21 Lewis & Clark students immersed themselves in the study of entrepreneurship and leadership through Winterim, a fast-paced and supportive experience where students collaborate in small groups to research, create, develop, and pitch a venture. After four days of virtually learning, brainstorming, prototyping, debating, networking, and rehearsing, students presented their start-up ideas at Winterim’s annual pitch competition.
Ramez Attia BA ’21 and Matthew Brown BA ’21 were named the winning team at the annual Invent Oregon Collegiate State Finals, earning $10,000, plus an additional $2,000 as People’s Choice winners. Their invention is a cost-effective and tech-savvy device programmed to stop drunk driving before it happens.
Fall 2020 is different for all of us but the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership continue to be your advocate in Portland and beyond. Use our office hours to learn more about what we have to offer.
Brothers and alumni Stein and Thor Retzlaff trained for years to survive one of the most remote areas in the world. The expedition to the Atomfjella mountain range in Norway tested their survival skills, while also allowing them to ski incredible peaks and couloirs (steep mountainside gorges). They captured the experience in their short film, “AREA 11.”
Do you have some time on your hands and skills that need exercising? Remember Emma McIlroy, Wildfang CEO, who served as a mentor at Winterim? Bet you do. Like many small businesses Wildfang is really scrambling with this COVID/recession cocktail we’re all swimming in. HOWEVER, here’s a chance for you to shine
The faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences voted unanimously on March 3 to approve the creation of a minor in entrepreneurial leadership and innovation. The strong support for the new program underscores the fact that the liberal arts and entrepreneurship share a common interdisciplinary approach rooted in understanding people, systems, and methods of creating positive change.
From January 12 to 17, 33 Lewis & Clark students from around the United States and across the globe immersed themselves in the study of entrepreneurship and leadership. A perennial favorite offering of the John E. and Susan S. Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Winterim is a weeklong experience bringing students, speakers, and mentors together to explore what it means to be an entrepreneur.
After building a 3D printer for a class during his senior year, John Kray BA ’17 enlisted the help of Zach Rose BA ’18 to build and sell innovative desktop 3D printers. Their most recent model is so easy to use that Lewis & Clark purchased one for the physics lab.
Tuse Mahenya BA ’21, an English major and political economy minor from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is organizing Lewis & Clark’s first TEDx event, “Deconstruct.” Scheduled for October 9, the event will give students a platform to share their ideas and hear from others about times their preconceived notions were challenged.
Renee Allums BA ’18 won the fifth annual PitchBlack business competition with her idea #tag that aims to highlight and compensate digital content creators who have previously gone unrecognized and uncompensated.
Alumna Renee Allums ’18 speaks to why she didn’t quit on Portland. Over the last four years, Emerging Leaders, the nonprofit Ryan Buchanan helped found, has placed 322 students of color in paid internships in the Portland area.
Roommates Nick Lombardi and Shvetank Prakash became partners of an InventOR finalist team. The Z-Tracker team is serious about safety for the firefighters who are risking their lives to save others. With an innovative technology that can track a firefighter’s location in real time, Z-Tracker aims to roll out its invention at fire stations across the country.
Nick Lombardi BA ’21 will appear on the upcoming season of NBC’sAmerican Ninja Warrior, which airs at 8pm on Wednesday, May 29.Lombardi, a student-athlete and entrepreneur, talks about his experience, his shave-ice food truck business, and how his love of Lilo and Stitch helped him get noticed in a sea of applicants.
From January 13 to 18, 30 Lewis & Clark students from all corners of the globe took a deep dive into entrepreneurship and leadership. The flagship program of the John E. and Susan S. Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Winterim is a weeklong experience bringing students, speakers, and mentors together to explore what it means to be an entrepreneur.
As sustainability becomes increasingly relevant in all academic and professional arenas, a new course offered in conjunction with the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership gives students of any major an introduction to the challenges of running a sustainable business and the laws and technicalities of sustainability in the business world.
For 5 days, 30 Lewis & Clark students joined faculty and mentors to learn about entrepreneurship from the ground up, connecting their liberal arts training with tools for identifying problems and developing solutions. The driving philosophy behind Lewis & Clark’s Winterim experience? Leadership and entrepreneurship are lifelong mindsets.
Trustee Paula Hayes BA ’92 has been named a recipient of a Portland Business Journal Small Business Innovation Award for her cosmetics company Hue Noir, which develops makeup designed for women of color.
On October 19, a board of trustees dinner turned into a celebration when Susan Bates announced that she and her husband, Life Trustee John Bates, were making a one million-dollar gift for entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark.
Renee Allums-D’Espyne is featured in the popular Portland blog Silicon Florist regarding her inspirational speech about Emerging Leaders Internship (ELI).
Gifts Announced by John and Susan Bates, Stephanie Fowler MA ’97 and Irving Levin, and Pat Mahaffy BA ’85. And the Center for Entrepreneurship gains a new name.
Max Clary ’18 has been using his education and skills to advocate for social change throughout his time at Lewis & Clark, and now he’s secured a nomination for the 2017 Wyatt Starnes Battle of the School Award. Given by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, the prize recognizes young leaders committed to improving the world through entrepreneurship.
Environmental studies majors and varsity track and cross country runners, Frances Swanson ’17 and teammate Kori Groenveld ’18 linked their passions for environmental sustainability and social justice. Their partnership yielded a project to help combat gentrification and the unequal distribution of renewable energy infrastructure in downtown Portland.
A team of three Lewis & Clark students has been awarded a grant from 100 Projects for Peace, an organization committed to supporting student initiatives for conflict resolution. The students will implement a two-month vocational training program in Uganda this summer for the rehabilitation of former child soldiers and young adults affected by war.
On June 1, Samir Parikh will take the reins as the new director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark College. The center’s mix of academic and real-world offerings give students from all disciplines the chance to explore various subjects through an entrepreneurial lens.
In the few short years since graduating with a degree in international affairs, Matthew Rugamba ’13 has become a rising young star in African fashion. Rugamba’s Kigali-based fashion line House of Tayo was recently featured in the CNN series African Voices, with Rugamba recognized for his artistic innovation and nod to authentic African design.
A team of five Lewis & Clark students have qualified for the final rounds of the 2016 Cleantech Challenge. The competition, held at Portland State University, invites student entrepreneurs to showcase their inventions and compete for a $10,000 grand prize.
For the third year in a row, Lewis & Clark has teamed up with Breakside Brewery to offer a course in brewing and the business of beer for students interested in the craft beer industry.
A zest for adventure, the desire to advance the common good and the resources of the Center for Entrepreneurship have merged to launch Lewis & Clark’s first International Entrepreneurial Scholars, Stein Retzlaff, ’16 and Erich Roepke, ’16.
What happens when you put 22 students from all academic disciplines together for a week with seven speakers, seven mentors and six judges? You get a deep dive into the principles of entrepreneurship, and everyone learns and creates together!
Lewis & Clark student, Jhana Taylor Valentine (’16), interviews entrepreneur Elliot Hoffman of REV Sustainability for her final research paper in EINV 201.
Here are excerpts from Gina Bianchini’s question and answer session for the Dinner with an Entrepreneur Series in April. Over sixty students attended this event with the CEO of Mightybell software platform and co-founder of the Lean In online community.
Several of the I+L “Incubator+Launch” Seed Fund Teams had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Angel Oregon Showcase event in April, and see start-up companies in action pitching their ideas for venture capital investment.
Michelle Lantow, CFO of New Seasons Market, was the speaker guest for the Dinner with an Entrepreneur Series on February 26th, 2015. Throughout her varied career, she communicated the message that you don’t have to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial.
During the dinner Ms. Parkin gave a speech about defining, pursuing, and realizing your personal “all.” She walked us through her journey from being a teacher to showing up to interviews unprepared to becoming the Global Chief HR Officer for Adidas. The entire time she emphasized the importance of dreaming and pursuing those dreams with tenacity.
Football and baseball player Stein Retzlaff ’16, former football player Erich Roepke ’16, and their three business partners—Hunter Meece ’15, Kyle Roepke, and Trent Martin—were recently awarded an Incubator+Launch Seed Fund grant. They are now eligible for up to $20,000 to fund their venture.
Lewis & Clark Alumni, Parents and Students convened to enjoy delicious cuisine provided by Boke Bowl, a Portland based restaurant group founded by L&C alums, Patrick Fleming ’92, Brannon Riceci ’92, and Tim Parsons ’91. The crowd heard from several speakers about their personal entrepreneurial journeys.
On November 6th, 2014, the Center for Entrepreneurship hosted a dinner with Marshall Kirkpatrick, CEO and co-founder of Little Bird. Kirkpatrick discussed his journey that led him to create Little Bird, and how it happened through his passion for blogging.
On September 23rd, 2014 the Center for Entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark hosted Amber Case ’08, Board of Trustees member, and director of R&D at ESRI. She shared her story, the valuable lessons she learned, and ended the talk with a Q/A with Michael Kaplan, the director of the Center.
Jim Knapp spoke with Lewis & Clark students for the first EOC - Entrepreneurs on Campus event in the new “eLab”. He built a $100 million company that creates and crafts digital content for some of the most well known companies in America.
Sam Thompson, who helped create the Center’s Winterim program and general partner of Progress Ventures, and his firm are taking a close look at Portland investments.
After discussing counseling services that were missing in the Portland area, the founders of PorchLight Custom Counseling—Justin Cox M.A. ’12, Llew Richards M.A. ’13, Mica Richards, Holly Roland M.A. ’12, and Siddarth Venkatachalam M.A. ’12 —had an idea to offer their many counseling specialties at affordable rates, around the clock.
A team of seven Lewis & Clark students took home top honors at Portland Startup Weekend. The Spoke.Coffee team won best customer validation at the event, with their coffee delivery by bike business that’s facilitated by a simple web application.
Forge Portland is the latest incubator space to emerge on the scene. But with its focus on nonprofit and social entrepreneurship, founder Robert Bart thinks he has found an underserved niche. Forge Portland was a finalist in Lewis & Clark’s first venture competition, which featured ideas from students in the law school and graduate schools.
On January 31st, 2014, Lewis & Clark College hosted Amazon.com’s Distinguished Engineer, Allan Vermeulen. After a one-hour talk, he stayed to speak with students and other attendees during a food and beverage reception in Gregg Pavilion.
Among the Lewis & Clark alumni ranks are many graduates who have pursued entrepreneurial ventures. The Chronicle caught up with four of them who have forged their own paths in the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.
As their businesses begin to boom, two teams that competed in Lewis & Clark’s inaugural venture competition are gaining media attention for their entrepreneurial efforts.
The mission of the Portland Mushroom Company is to provide high quality locally produced oyster mushrooms to the Portland metropolitan area and lead the way in urban mushroom cultivation in the Northwest.
RootED Recovery is a clinical mentoring program for adults with eating disorders, established in order to bridge the gap of care between higher and lower levels of care.
The mission of the company is to develop websites and native applications that enable users to share resources and connect with like-minded individuals on practical terms.
For the past three months, 11 teams of student and alumni entrepreneurs have been busy developing business plans as part of Lewis & Clark’s first venture competition. At Pitch Day, five teams were selected to receive continued mentoring and further seed funding to support their ventures during the summer.
AquaLoan is a non-profit organization that will work to promote clean water and sanitation by providing affordable microloans to individuals and groups in rural and urban Ethiopia.
Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (“OVLA”) will help Portland’s artists create fearlessly by providing legal services and education, while fostering synthesis between lawyers, students, and creatives.
Invested Energy matches crowdfund investors with clean energy projects. We provide low-cost capital to project developers and owners, enabling individuals in the community to earn returns from investing in local sustainability projects.
For centuries, the Berbers of Southwestern Morocco have used the seeds from argan trees to produce a golden oil that is rich in flavor and lush with curative nutrients. It is our mission to support the women that have traditionally processed the seeds by selling their oil and additional related products to the appreciative customers of Portland and other progressive markets that value organic and fair-trade food.
David Stoller B.A. ‘74 was recently inducted to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Oregon and Southwest Washington Hall of Fame after a decade of work with the organization.
Fitz majored in studio art with an emphasis in drawing. He is currently the Main Community Organizer at Collective Agency, a democratically organized and community focused office and event space in downtown Portland. Read how he is putting his liberal arts skills to work!
![1st and 2nd Place Pitch Contest Winners with Center for Entrepreneurship Directors: [Left to Right] Peter Lahti (Undeclared, '19), ...](/live/image/scale/3x/gid/416/width/90/height/90/crop/1/src_region/279,0,1818,1539/57527_winterim_pitch_winners.rev.1453456056.webp)
