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Greetings!
The Program for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship has seen many successes this year. From classroom knowledge to learning by doing, we have provided transformative experiences through the many opportunities we offer.
In April, one of our own amazing student teams competed in the inaugural ACC InVenture Prize Competition held at Georgia Tech. In May
, yet another team of Wake Forest students will take on the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge - an annual team competition that addresses critical sustainability issues with nature-inspired solutions.
The past month has certainly been a time of celebration as we honor the accomplishments of our talented student entrepreneurs, wonderful dedicated faculty, and another super-successful alum, Ricky Van Veen '03, co-founder of College Humor, Vimeo, and BustedTees. Ricky is our 2016 Excellence in Entrepreneurship award winner this year!
In addition to what our current students are doing, we are also highlighting one of our own recent graduates in this issue, who seeks to level the playing field in education through her non-profit organization, Mission: Educate Bahamas.
From WFU to the Bahamas, our entrepreneurs inspire and improve the world around them!
Polly Black
John C. Whitaker, Jr. Executive Director
Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship
Professor of Practice, Business and Entrepreneurship
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Ricky Van Veen, Co-Founder of College Humor, Busted Tees, and Vimeo, wins 2016 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award
Van Veen ('03) was the keynote speaker at the Annual Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Excellence Celebration on April 21. Provost Rogan Kersh presented Van Veen with the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award for his success as an entrepreneur and innovator, as well as for being an inspiration to students, faculty, and staff at Wake Forest University. Read more about his inspiring address as well as other award winners
here.
In addition to Van Veen's Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, one faculty member and six students were also recognized for their entrepreneurial excellence at the event. Click
here
to read more about these award winners.
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Dr. Bill Conner receives Hobbs Faculty Award for Exceptional Support of Entrepreneurship
Congratulations to Dr. Bill Conner, who was honored with the
Russell D. and Elfriede Hobbs Faculty Award for Exceptional Support of Entrepreneurship!
Dr. Conner was one of the original contributors to the Kauffman Grant awarded in 2004 to seed entrepreneurial activities at Wake Forest University.
He served as Program Director in charge of Curriculum and Faculty Development from 2004 - 2010.
Since 2010, Dr. Conner has been the Lelia and David Farr Professor of Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, overseeing all academic initiatives, including the minor in Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise and faculty development and engagement opportunities.
Dr. Conner has been a strong advocate for the ICE Program for the past 11 years! The success of this program is in large part because of his tireless efforts.
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The ACC's Entrepreneurs Battle it Out in the Inaugural ACC InVenture Prize
 On April 5th and 6th, 2016, Georgia Tech University hosted the inaugural ACC InVenture Prize, an innovation competition featuring the best student teams of the ACC. Arthur Willson ('19), the creator of EZ Cork, along with Hannah Shows ('19), represented Wake Forest at the event. You can read more about the ACC Inventure Prize and Wake Forest's representatives
here.
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Wake Forest Students Compete in Biomimicry Global Design Challenge
 On Wednesday, May 11, five Wake Forest University students will participate in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, an annual team competition that addresses critical sustainability issues with nature-inspired solutions. "We have learned how to be creative and innovative while using biological principles and knowledge from unrelated disciplines," explained Sumi Mahajan ('16), one of the lead team members on the project. Read more about the project
here.
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Mission: Educate Bahamas - ESE Graduate Makes a Difference
 Five years ago as a senior in high school, Alexis Tsavoussis ('15) and her siblings founded Mission: Educate Bahamas, a non-profit organization designed to improve literacy in the primary school system of the Bahamas. Since then, the organization has grown drastically and by August of this year, they will be in every primary school in Nassau. To read more about Tsavoussis and Mission: Educate Bahamas, click
here.
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Quotes from Ricky Van Veen's Inspiring Address
"If everything you do is a success, I'm willing to bet you haven't risked much."
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"I started CollegeHumor in 1999, then the Dotcom Crash hit in 2001, but I had a safety net: my meal card."
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"To come up with good ideas, you need a little knowledge from a lot of areas. That's the benefit of a liberal arts education, so absorb as much as you can and take it all in."
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