This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The first group of Front Range Community College (FRCC) student celebrated the completion of the first Innovate Campus program on July 12, 2019.
The Innovate Campus program is a business accelerator program that assists students in building, launching, and growing their own startup business.
“Innovate Campus gives our students the opportunity to learn critical business ownership concepts directly from local experts,” said Elena Sandoval-Lucero, vice president of FRCC’s Boulder County Campus. “This program reinforces and enriches our students’ learning, and we’re grateful to LEDP for partnering with us to provide this valuable experience for them.”
This 6-week program is the result of a partnership between FRCC and Longmont Economic Development Partnership (LEDP) to give students a more in-depth look at the business world. Students were given the opportunity to participate in community-led workshops focused on ideation, lean canvas, understanding customers and target market analysis, creating a minimum viable product, financial modeling, and pitch practice.
The students participating in the 2019 summer program included Lindsay Anderson, Katie Bustillos, Megan Collins, and Esther Peter. Among them they created a mobile hair salon and a business that sells African meals in Longmont.
Both FRCC and LEDP feel that the Innovate Campus accelerator program was a success. They plan to organize a second program for the summer of 2020. Details on the program are expected to be released later this year.
