Katherine Olives
Many of you are aware that the Zahn Centers mission is to inspire the entrepreneurial mindset in students at The City College of New York, but many dont know about our program that extends outside of campus. Sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank, the #Bossgirls Bootcamp at the Zahn Innovation Center aims to make the future of entrepreneurship more equal.
In 2017, only 17% of startups had female founders and 2% of venture capital went to female founders. Likewise, the tech field is still male-dominated (although some companies are bridging the gap). Standard Chartered Bank & the Zahn Innovation Center are trying to change that by creating a pipeline of young women who not only embody the entrepreneurial mindset, but own the fact that they can create change in the world through their business initiatives. In that regard, Standard Chartered created the Womens Technology Incubator at CCNY and the company supports one of our competition tracks–Women+Tech4NYC. Soon though, we found that we needed to start sooner–the students we were reaching sometimes didnt see themselves as founders. We were doing a lot to prove to them that they should be here…so we thought, why not start a little younger?
Thats how the #Bossgirls Bootcamp began. Now, the #Bossgirls Bootcamp is a summer entrepreneurship program for high school girls serving students across the five boroughs from a variety of different schools. Its designed to introduce high school girls to tech entrepreneurship and the startup life. Students learn the ins & outs of running a business while working on their own startup idea, and by the end of the program, theyll pitch their ideas for prizes (like in a mini-shark tank). From the start, students learn to discover the problems others around them face, and they brainstorm solutions to these problems. They research areas that interest them, and then head out into the community to learn how to create products and services their customers will actually use! All along the way they engage in workshops around customer research, marketing, financials, and product development. Expert mentors (from Standard Chartered) work with them to develop their business plans.
This years mentors are particularly impressed because the students are leaning in faster than ever before. The current cohort is focused on subjects they care about. One team aims to make your commute safer, and encourages busy, young New Yorkers to make new friends along the way. Another wants to make it easier for those with food allergies or intolerances to eat out at restaurants (and for busy restaurant owners & workers to be better informed about how to cater to customers with severe allergies). A third team, inspired by their own many cultures, aims to share natural hair and skin care ingredients through subscription boxes. The final team, fueled by their love of food and travel, is introducing the average foodie to traditional cultural cuisines with an educational and immersive eating experience.
Not only are these students coached by mentors, but theyre taught by Jana La Sorte, an adjunct professor at Northeastern University and founder/creative director at Ambassadora. La Sorte has over 25 years of experience in arts management, strategic issues consulting, marketing, and communications. Selected for the inaugural National Arts Strategies Chief Executive fellows program, La Sorte re-imagines what arts and social impact organizations can be, can do and how they can contribute to communities. She advises clients on strategic planning, organizational management, fundraising, program initiatives, marketing and communications. La Sorte is joined by current CCNY student Shaimaa Habib, who is the programs TA. As a former Bossgirl herself, Habib brings unique perspectives and guidance to the students. Shes currently studying business management.
If youd like to learn more about the program and see our students pitch, please join us at their finale on August 15th. Details & RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-bossgirls-bootcamp-finale-sponsored-by-standard-chartered-tickets-65570255399