2023 Summer Business and Innovation Boot Camp

On June 5th, the Summer Business and Innovation Boot Camp officially commenced on Furman's campus as The Hill Institute's first 10-week, in-person program.

The first three weeks of the Boot Camp curriculum focused on essential topics such as business foundations, accounting, finance, marketing, design, and career foundations. Students refined their skills in these areas, setting the stage for the next phase of an exciting six weeks of consulting work. This immersive program promises to equip our participants with the knowledge and tools to thrive in business and innovation.

This past week, students transitioned from classroom learning to working in teams with four startup ventures that have recently completed an Accelerator course with NEXT Upstate.

Our dynamic "Business Boot Campers" are excited to bring their expertise to these high-potential, tech startups over 6 weeks as they finalize their Summer Business Boot Camp experience.

Thank you to the following startups that are working with our Summer Bootcamp students over the course of the next six weeks:

SkillsGap seeks to change the game in workforce development by combining youth outreach, educational marketing, and digital gaming programs that help youth identify opportunities for personal growth and job acquisition.
Custom Donations is a personalized and streamlined online giving platform that quickly delivers email campaigns to users, allowing for easy donating to organizations from a smartphone.
Tested HQ uses real-time, user-driven data to help develop products by providing companies with insights and feedback that help with product launch success.
Vicinity Capital seeks to support thriving local economies by helping stakeholders and lenders invest in their local communities through a digital platform similar to crowdfunding.

After gaining a wealth of information over the curriculum portion of the Summer Bootcamp, the students are looking forward to applying this knowledge throughout their consulting experience.

Max Berhold '25 has enjoyed "learning the valuable lesson that any job or business will require a high amount of adaptability. Many facilitators have talked about their business aspirations not working out as planned but that there is no failure in business. Rather, just many new opportunities to explore". Max plans on pursuing a career in accounting or finance but is now considering what it would look like to be a business owner someday.

Monica Seitz, '25, a rising sophomore, is excited about the upcoming consulting experience. She says, "I would like to manage or start my own business in the future, and I believe the skills learned through the consulting experience will prepare me for navigating this path one day". Monica's favorite part of the boot camp has been the speaker series, where entrepreneurs or business owners explain their career paths and the lessons they learned along the way. Monica has enjoyed connecting with each of these individuals and feels that "the most valuable lesson I've learned from the boot camp so far is that connections and networking matter when it comes to opportunities in the business world. A million-dollar opportunity could be a conversation away, and your connections can be the most valuable part".

Thank you to the following individuals for helping facilitate Boot Camp lessons:

Niki Kim, CPA and Owner of Village Accounting
Carolina Buxton Avinger, Founder/CEO of Protocol SC
Chuck Ellingsworth and Trey Casey, Raymond James
Courtney Beasley, CEO/Founder of Cobe Agency
Molly Inclán, Program Manager at NEXT Upstate
Chris Edwards, Partner at Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP
Susan Maddux, Vice President for Finance and Administration at Furman University
Charles Davis, Adjunct Professor of Business and Accounting at Furman University
Andy Welchel, Undergraduate Evening Studies Faculty at Furman University
Angélica Lozano-Alonso, Co-Faculty Director of the Office for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Professor of Spanish, Spanish Language Coordinator at Furman University
Ross McClain, Co-Faculty Director of the Office for Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Associate Professor of Art at Furman University
Jeanine Stratton, Associate Professor of Business and Accounting at Furman University
Susan Dunnavant, Director of Learning Technologies at Furman University
Sam Konduros, Founder/President of SK Strategies

July 25, 2023: 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Join us for the Entrepreneurs Mindset Workshop in downtown Greenville on Tuesday, July 25. This free, 90-minute workshop helps answer the question: Are the skillsets commonly attributed to successful entrepreneurs something an individual is born with or something that can be trained? Click here to register now.

July 25, 2023: 5:30 - 7:00 pm

GVL Starts Launch Party will be held in downtown Greenville to celebrate the milestones reached by GVL Starts graduates. These graduates applied to receive a "Hill Hustle Award" and will be recognized for the milestones they have reached with their new venture. Register here if you would like to attend this celebratory event.

August 30 - November 1, 2023

Clemens Angel Analyst Fellowship (for Furman students) Accepted Fellows meet every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30 pm in downtown Greenville. This 10-week program provides the skills, experience, and network to accelerate their learning in early-stage venture capital and angel investing. In partnership with VentureSouth, the program is taught by one of the largest angel investment groups in the United States.

August 24 - October 12, 2023

GVL Starts Fall 2023 Cohort: Our 9-week transformational experience for local, aspiring Founders includes mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and business owners, coaching from experienced design thinkers, instruction from distinguished university faculty, and connections with an investor community that's engaged and committed to supporting aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners.

October 19, 2023

GVL Starts Demo Day: Make plans to attend and network with 25 entrepreneurs who are a part of the GVL Starts Fall 2023 cohort as we award $5,000 checks to the best technology venture, the best product venture, and the crowd favorite. It's an evening well spent!

What is

The Hill Institute?

We help you LAUNCH.

We not only help aspiring entrepreneurs and founders launch new ventures, but we also help develop the skillsets they need to be successful entrepreneurial leaders.