Entrepreneurship in Residence Program / en 鶹Ƶ launches Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program in partnership with Arlington Economic Development /news/2023-10/mason-launches-entrepreneur-residence-program-partnership-arlington-economic <span>鶹Ƶ launches Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program in partnership with Arlington Economic Development</span> <span><span>Colleen Rich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-10-18T13:39:44-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 18, 2023 - 13:39">Wed, 10/18/2023 - 13:39</time> </span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text"><span lang="EN">鶹Ƶ has established a new Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Program to bolster the start-up market and opportunities in the greater Washington, D.C., region and across the Commonwealth of Virginia.</span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span><span>“鶹Ƶ is redefining the role of a modern university—leading and networked with community, business, and government in an ecosystem that encourages collaboration, exchanges knowledge, and accelerates technical breakthroughs,” said 鶹Ƶ President Gregory Washington.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span><span>The goal of the university-based program is to enhance entrepreneurship in the region. The program has three main features:</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span lang="EN"><span><span>Industry Expertise:</span></span></span></strong><span lang="EN"><span><span> Eminent influencers from the defense, biohealth, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence sectors will serve as mentors and coaches, sharing their invaluable knowledge, experience, and insights with entrepreneurs, as well as expand 鶹Ƶ’s partner network. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span lang="EN"><span><span>Cutting-edge Innovation Center:</span></span></span></strong><span lang="EN"><span><span> Based out of 鶹Ƶ’s Fuse pilot space at </span></span></span><a href="https://masonsquare.gmu.edu/"><span><span><span>鶹Ƶ Square</span></span></span></a><span lang="EN"><span><span> in Arlington, the program will move next year, upon completion of the 345,000-square feet Fuse at 鶹Ƶ Square building in summer 2024. The facility will host 12 advanced laboratories, including robot assembly, testing beds, augmented and virtual reality, and multimedia studios, fostering innovation across various disciplines.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span lang="EN"><span><span>Collaboration Hub:</span></span></span></strong><span lang="EN"><span><span> The program will act as a hub for collaboration, connecting startups, federal innovators, venture capitalists, researchers, and thought leaders from 鶹Ƶ in a dynamic and cohesive ecosystem.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span>“This is a testament to 鶹Ƶ's unique innovation model to drive scalable impact,” said Farhad Chowdhury, serial entrepreneur, CEO of</span></span><a href="http://www.vianova.ai"><span><span><span> Vianova AI </span></span></span></a><span lang="EN"><span>and founder of the Entrepreneur-In-Residence Program. “This program puts 鶹Ƶ and local entrepreneurs at the forefront of a unique innovation platform. The EIR program positions 鶹Ƶ at the center of an innovation triangle that brings together federal innovators, startups and strategic capital. With our federal and defense partners, we are collectively pushing the boundaries of AI and engineering to solve the greatest challenges of our time.”</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span><span>Led by the 鶹Ƶ Enterprise team, 鶹Ƶ is currently inviting successful entrepreneurs to the program with hopes to on-board five members by the end of the year. With initial funding from Arlington Economic Development (AED), the Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program leverages the robust 鶹Ƶ Enterprise team, funded by federal, state, and local government and corporate partners.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span><span>“Programs like the EIR help bolster the innovation ecosystem in Arlington and the region by connecting early-stage founders with experienced entrepreneurs to enhance their likelihood of success,” said Ryan Touhill, director of Arlington Economic Development (AED). “Funded through the new Arlington Innovation Fund, AED’s partnership with the EIR program is reinforcing our focus on supporting early-stage tech startups to establish Northern Virginia as one of the nation’s leading innovation ecosystems and drive demand for our world-class office market.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span lang="EN"><span><span><span>“</span></span></span></span><span lang="EN"><span><span>鶹Ƶ and our partners are attracting top talents<span>, groundbreaking startups, and industry giants to the region to spur innovation and economic growth,” said Paula Sorrell, associate vice president of innovation and economic development at 鶹Ƶ. “And we hope many 鶹Ƶ alumni and 鶹Ƶ supporters who are successful in their fields will be among the first to join this program, passing on their knowledge to future generations of entrepreneurs.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:feature_image" data-inline-block-uuid="38725d39-7339-46b7-b18c-19263551a550" class="block block-feature-image block-layout-builder block-inline-blockfeature-image text-overlaid"> <div class="feature-image"> <div class="narrow-overlaid-image"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2023-10/fuse%20night%202023%201x1.jpg?itok=GxlCJo35" srcset="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_small/public/2023-10/fuse%20night%202023%201x1.jpg?itok=xTHIqh0R 768w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_medium/public/2023-10/fuse%20night%202023%201x1.jpg?itok=GxlCJo35 1024w, /sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/feature_image_large/public/2023-10/fuse%20night%202023%201x1.jpg?itok=htznyo83 1280w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 80vw,100vw" alt="A computer generated rendition of the future Fuse building."> </div> <div class="headline-text"> <div class="feature-image-link"> <div class="field field--name-field-feature-image-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://masonsquare.gmu.edu/fuse">Learn more about Fuse</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div><div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="7a030eb6-398f-43fb-abd7-56b1517309b4" 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class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18661" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship in Residence Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18666" hreflang="en">鶹Ƶ Enterprise</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15406" hreflang="en">鶹Ƶ Square</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/16766" hreflang="en">Fuse at 鶹Ƶ Square</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17356" hreflang="en">Strategic Direction</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6691" hreflang="en">entrepreneurship</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 18 Oct 2023 17:39:44 +0000 Colleen Rich 109211 at