Trine Revs Up Mentoring
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTrine University is partnering with two organizations to increase mentoring in its incubator and accelerator. The Angola-based university has joined forces with Innovation One and Service Corps of Retired Executives Angola. August 26, 2014
News Release
ANGOLA, Ind. — Trine University’s Innovation One and Service Corps of Retired Executives Angola (SCORE) have joined forces to bring SCORE’s mentoring experience to the school’s incubator and accelerator for creativity, invention and design.
“Innovation One’s partnership with SCORE adds yet another facet to the complement of resources available for educational and economic growth available at Trine University,” said Jason Blume, executive director of Innovation One (i1). “We can use the real world experience of SCORE volunteers to help businesses we are partnered with and students we are educating.”
SCORE provides real-world experience in building business capabilities, including startup, business expansion, finance and marketing counseling. “We are very excited about the Innovation One partnership,” said Steve Rinehart, SCORE Fort Wayne/Angola chairman. “The partnership combines the knowledge base and facilities of Innovation One with SCORE's extensive membership business experience in marketing, sales, finance, technology, product development and more.”
Trine launched i1 in August 2012 to help spur economic growth in the region and provide even greater experiential learning opportunities for students of all disciplines. Since its inception, i1 has completed more than 40 projects with and for various local and regional businesses.
Housed in the Jim and Joan Bock Center for Innovation and Biomedical Engineering, i1 offers expertise and support for new and existing business and industry. Laboratories in the Bock Center provide for computer aided design (CAD), 3D printers, electron microscope, metal tensile testing, and biomechanics capture and analysis systems. University faculty and students work with i1 to complete projects that have ranged from research and development to testing to market research.
One of i1’s best-known projects is a hands-free shower system created for a Fort Wayne man who was born without arms and with partial legs. The shower system was installed in the man’s home in July 2013 and a year later, he still considers the automatic shower to be a life-changer. Before getting the shower, which was built and tested by a team of Trine engineering students, the man needed assistance to shower and had to schedule a time to be bathed.
For more information about i1, visit trine.edu/innovation
Free Workshop
Innovation One will host a free Sales & Marketing Workshop conducted by SCORE from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, in Best Hall. To register, send your name via email to scorefw50@frontier.com or call Guy Rhoades at 260.833.1329.
About SCORE
SCORE has been mentoring new and existing businesses for more than 40 years and has a network of 13,000-plus national volunteers who donate their time to help entrepreneurs.
As successful and experienced business professionals, SCORE mentors deliver valuable, timely and practical advice. Whether a startup or an existing business, the mentors help with steps for startups to follow, analysis of existing business operations, ways to establishment of business plans and options to achieve goals and help reach new markets and customers.
Source: Trine University