Hello everyone,
As we gear up for another exciting TYE program this year, wanted to share with you the plans and an outline for the program. For those that are new to the program, TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) is TiE’s (The Indus Entrepreneurs) global initiative, targeted at nurturing entrepreneurship among high-school students. The Dallas chapter conducted its first ever TYE program last year with much success.
Overall flow
- We will follow a structure similar to last year of
- Part I – Classroom/Case-Study sessions on each of the 6 themes of THINK, PLAN, SELL, MAKE, CHECK, and WIN
- Part II – Team workshops to build on an idea, assisted by coaches
- Part III – Preparation and presentation to a panel of VCs, Academics and Entrepreneurs
- Each session in Part I will be a classroom lecture, followed by a case-study from an entrepreneur (young and old!) and group exercise among the team
- In Part II, the class will be split into groups of 4 or 5 students each. Sessions might include short intros from guest speakers followed by teams working on their specific projects and assisted by a coach
- Part III will be a timed presentation to a panel who will judge each team presentation for the idea, detail of the content, and the effectiveness of the presentation. Winning teams will be awarded prizes.
Schedule/Logistics
All sessions will be held on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The dates and details are below.
- Feb 2, 2014 – THINK – Intro to the Program, what is entrepreneurship, the process of idea generation, conceptualizing ideas from life experiences; Ideation/Thought case-study/exercise
- Feb 9, 2014 – PLAN – Once you have an idea, where do you start, what is the product/service, what is the market, what are the steps you have to take, how do you plan; Design/Prototyping case-study/ exercise
- Feb 16, 2014 – SELL – How do you sell your idea to your partners, to investors, to customers, sales channels, dos and don’ts, effective communication, need for passion in entrepreneurship; Sales case-study/ exercise
- Feb 23, 2014 – MAKE – How do you make a product, deliver a service, manufacturing, supply chains, business operations; Operations case-study/ exercise
- Mar 2, 2014 – CHECK – The business of money, what does it take to bring ideas to fruition, how do you get the money, debt vs equity financing, valuation; Business financials – Revenues, costs, profits; Keeping books; Finances case-study/exercise
- Mar 9, 2014 – WIN – Structuring the business, legalities, corporate governance, ethics in business, social responsibility, what is success – wealth creation, leadership, impact
- Mar 16, 2014 – WORKSHOP1 – Team formation (if not already formed); Coach assignments; Finalizing ideas
- Mar 23, 2014 – WORKSHOP2 – Focus on creating the marketing pitch, a sales plan and a prototype of the idea
- Mar 30, 2014 – WORKSHOP3 – Iterate on the marketing/sales plan, prototype and a financial plan
- Apr 6, 2014 – WORKSHOP4 – Complete the presentation draft and rehearse for final presentation
- Apr 13, 2014 – PRESENTATIONS/REGIONAL FINAL – Presentation by teams, followed by awards
The venue is still being decided and will most likely be one of the following places
Essential Info/Links
- Main Site ( www.tyedallas.org) – All information about the program is at this site and will continue to be populated here. (Certain sections of the site are restricted to students, alumni and coaches).
- Link to 1 page brochure about the program
- Link to Application Form for the 2013-2014 session
Enrollment
- For those who have already sent in their applications, please make a note of the above schedule and await further communication. If you have not received an acknowledgement yet, please contact us.
- There are still some spots available for students interested in joining the program. The only requirements are that you complete the application, become a student member of TiE (through this link) and are fully committed the program.
- Feel free to spread the word (such as to your school district coordinators) and have interested students complete the application and send it over (we can admit students as long as we have spots open)
- This year we are planning to open a few spots for middle school students who have the qualifications and want to participate. This will be a group by themselves and will not be judged along with the rest of the class at the competition but separately.
Volunteering Opportunities
We have had the good fortune of support from the TiE membership, from several successful entrepreneurs who want to get involved with the program, as well as from the community at large. TI (Texas Instruments) is a monetary sponsor this year. Most if not all of it, will go towards prize money. Otherwise this is a volunteer activity for those interested in getting engaged and does require some commitment. Working with our youth in an initiative like this can be extremely fulfilling and rewarding. If you or anyone you know may be interested, please forward this email to them and let us know. We can explore the possibilities. The following volunteering opportunities exist. Please let us know how you would like to volunteer.
- Lectures and Case study presentations for consideration in Part I of the program (area entrepreneurs)
- Coaching for teams during Part II (needs consistent assistance for the 2nd half of the program, every week for the 5 weeks)
- Managing logistics at each session; Facilitating student exercises (TYE alumni – please note!)
- Reviewing participants’ applications, maintaining participants’ list and communicating with them and the coaches
- A/V handling during the sessions; photography and audio/video recording of the sessions
- Snacks for the students
Cheers and look forward to a great program !
Ram
Ram Viswanathan
214-507-0015