Entrepreneurship Education Center
PVCC Student BIG Pitch 2023 Winner!
PVCC Student, Beth Eckel, won First place ($5000) in this year's Big Pitch Competition held at CEI in their Phoenix downtown facility last night (11/2/2023). Beth's business project, Anatomy Art Gallery, creates and curates a large collection of anatomically accurate art pieces that cater to the needs of patients, healthcare professionals, medical institutions, and interior designers.
Here is the feedback from Big Pitch Organizers:
"Beth did great and the judges were really impressed, including the Angel Investor."
Today’s students need the communication, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial skills to compete in the real world, and many are gravitating toward build-it-yourself careers and need the skills to pull it off. With this in mind, Paradise Valley Community College’s Entrepreneurship Education Center (EEC) has created a program to support self-starters throughout the north valley, offering educational support and resources not only for our students, but also PVCC’s surrounding entrepreneurial community, including valley-wide women, minority-owned small businesses, and new and emerging businesses in the Northeast Valley. The EEC also provides faculty advising, business intelligence research, brainstorming sessions and networking opportunities for entrepreneurial learning and growth.
- Forty-one percent of Gen Z'ers plan to become entrepreneurs in their lifetime, and almost half believe they will invent something that will change the world, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, January 15, 2019
- Nearly three-quarters of today’s students think it’s important for colleges to teach students entrepreneurship, according to a survey by Northeastern University and American Public Media’s Marketplace.
Want to set your own schedule and be your own boss?
The EEC wants to help our students create jobs, not just train you for them. Our certificate program provides a well-rounded learning experience for aspiring entrepreneurs. The goal: develop your entrepreneurial DNA by facilitating critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be used in any area of business.
Interested in starting your own business? The EEC can help!
- Assist with your Business Plan and Exit Strategy
- Network with local business leaders
- Access experienced faculty with business, consulting, research, and teaching experience in a wide range of business disciplines
- Use latest technology and computer systems
- Participate in forum discussions with other like-minded students from various disciplines and backgrounds
- Experience tailored tools, resources, support, and creative outlets
- Apply up-to-date research analytic and statistic databases
- Receive expert advice on the feasibility and sustainability of your idea, product, or service
- Prepare and practice your presentation with advisors for possible future investors and / or funding sources
A - Advise students, small businesses, and entrepreneurs in navigating business landscape.
S - Support entrepreneurial activities and projects that offer a positive social impact.
P - Partner with faculty, entrepreneurs, business leaders, economic development agencies, and other support organizations.
I - Innovation through coursework, seminars, workshops, and panel discussions.
R - Resources provided to students such as computers, databases, faculty knowledge, capital, and experiences.
E - Educate students to start their own venture, identify business opportunities, join entrepreneurial ventures, or work for an established organization and evaluate the viability of entrepreneurial ideas.
What makes EEC different
- Our goal is to develop your entrepreneurial DNA by facilitating critical thinking and problem solving skills that can be used in any area of business.
- By combining specific entrepreneurship courses with other business and technology application courses, our certificate program provides a well-rounded learning experience.
- You can gain insights needed to get your business off the ground and onto a solid start.
- Business development seminars and workshops covering diverse industries.
- Multidisciplinary research projects including market analysis and strategy formulation.
- Networking opportunities with local business leaders.
- Experienced faculty with business, consulting, research, and teaching experience in a wide range of business disciplines.
- Latest technology and computer systems.
- Forum discussions with other like-minded students from various disciplines and backgrounds.
- Tailored tools, resources, support, and creative outlets.
- Assistance with your Business Plan and Exit Strategy.
- Up-to-date research analytic and statistic databases.
- Expert advice on the feasibility and sustainability of your idea, product, or service.
- Prepare and practice your presentation with advisors for possible future investors and / or funding sources.
Greater Phoenix SCORE
Here are the instructions for scheduling a SCORE appointment.
Entrepreneurship Resources Guide
This guide is designed for use by PVCC students and community-based/affiliated entrepreneurs to help them in their entrepreneurial and educational endeavors. - https://paradisevalley.