From corporate innovation to arts entrepreneurship, there was something for everyone interested in Entrepreneurship the Princeton Way at Princeton Entrepreneurship Council’s 2019 Tiger Entrepreneurs Conference, held in the Bay Area from April 11th through 13th. In Sunnyvale at Google and in San Francisco at Gap Inc., Salesforce and DLA Piper, conference attendees experienced many ways to be educated, inspired and engaged with the Princeton entrepreneurial ecosystem.
PEC thanks our partners Keller Center, Corporate Engagement & Foundation Relations, Lewis Center for the Arts, Office of Career Services and Campus Life.
Educate
In keeping with the educational mission of the University, Princeton Entrepreneurship Council brought Princeton classrooms to the Bay Area, focusing on the history of entrepreneurship, business ethics and social entrepreneurship. Read more about each classroom session:
- Keller Center’s Derek Lidow ’73, History of Entrepreneurship
- Princeton Faith & Work Initiative’s David Miller, "How a Startup Can Succeed Without Selling Its Soul"
- Keller Center’s Marty Johnson ’81, Social Entrepreneurship
The final day of the conference was devoted to workshops for startup founders and other entrepreneurially-minded alumni and friends. Rooms full of enthusiastic Tigers enjoyed content-rich sessions on:
- Arts Entrepreneurship: Tigerwood 101, with Ted Gagliano ’82, Bill Wescott ’85, Loic Bailly and Ben Wolstenholme
- Capital Fundraising, with Matthew Cooper ’05, Cack Wilhelm ’06 and Laura Melahn ’07
- Discovering a Successful Product Strategy, with Julia Macalaster ‘12
- High-Performance Team Building, with Ed Zschau Jr. ’86 and Ian Thomson ‘09
- Mindfulness-Based Wellness, with Jaclyn Long ‘98
“Thank you SO much for organizing such an amazing event last week. It was wonderful being able to connect with fellow Tiger entrepreneurs from all over the US and the lineup of speakers and panelists was phenomenal.”
Inspire
The programming designed by Princeton Entrepreneurship Council purposely reflected the wide range of activity being undertaken by various members of the Princeton entrepreneurial ecosystem. Read takeaways and view photos from each alumni panel discussion:
- Corporate Innovation Models for Success
- Social Impact Entrepreneurs
- Capital Fundraising – Opportunities and Trends
- Exciting Initiatives in Ed Tech
- Founder and Investor Insights in Consumer and Med Tech
- Life Sciences – Perspectives of Founders and Investors
- Emerging Opportunities in Tech
- The Fast Lanes of Transit Tech
- Startup Experiences of Younger Alumni
- Arts Entrepreneurship – The Intersection of Creativity and Innovation
The 2019 Tiger Entrepreneurs Conference also featured two dynamic keynote speakers, Kathy Ireland P21 and Tom Siebel P11. Attendees heard fascinating insights on building businesses and the keynote speakers’ view of the entrepreneurial landscape. Read takeaways and view photos:
- Kathy Ireland P21, in fireside chat with PEC executive director Anne-Marie Maman ‘84
- Tom Siebel P11
“Just wanted to send you a HUGE thank you for an incredible conference. I was touched by all of the mutual exchanges of support and inspiration that I witnessed throughout the weekend. Truly makes me feel proud to be a Princetonian!
Engage
A key component of the Tiger Entrepreneurs Conference is providing ample opportunities for alumni to network and engage with each other and with the fast-growing Princeton entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Startup Showcase highlighted the evening networking reception on Day 1, co-sponsored by Princeton’s Office of Campus Life and Career Services. On Day 2, the evening networking reception was co-hosted by the Lewis Center for the Arts.
The conference also included a panel discussion of campus partners for alumni to learn how they can engage with Princeton on entrepreneurship. Read takeaways and view photos from these sessions:
- Startup Showcase, featuring six of Princeton’s most exciting startups
- Day 1 Networking Reception at Google
- Day 2 Networking Reception and Arts Party at Salesforce
- How Can Alumni Engage with the Princeton Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
“Just wanted to let you know that was one of the best Princeton conferences/events I’ve attended.”
Continuing the Conversation
Building on this momentum, several events for entrepreneurially-minded Tigers and friends are already on the schedule for the rest of 2019 including:
- TigerTalks in the City: AI, Alt Data and the FinTech Frontier (May 9, NYC)
- Reunions 2019 (May 31, Princeton)
- Thrive: Empowering and Celebrating Princeton’s Black Alumni (October 3-5, Princeton)
- NYC Tiger Entrepreneurs Conference (November 8, NYC)
Ian Thomson '09 with the school spirit. (Photo by Wright Seneres)
Ian Thomson '09 with the school spirit. (Photo by Wright Seneres)
Acknowledgements
Princeton Entrepreneurship Council is extremely grateful for the glowing feedback already received from attendees and panelists, as well as for the tremendous support from our volunteers, venue partners, conference partners and investor partners. PEC also would like to thank Jon Lawson ’99 of Batiste Rhum for our signature cocktails during the networking receptions. PEC also thanks intern James Johnson '21 for his assistance with the conference booklet.
Volunteers
Andreas Beckmann
Samuel Jordan ‘16
Dalia Katan ‘15
James Mister ‘10
Michelle Moon ‘99
Joelle Rauh ‘02
Ian Thomson ‘09
Venue partners
X (Karen Roter Davis ’94, Nick Sexauer, Jessica Chavez)
Gap Inc. (Jessica Fortier '03, Vivian Wang ’15, Andrea Porfirio-Arnold)
Salesforce (Elliott Robbins ’87, Abby Robertson)
DLA Piper LLP (Brad Rock ’80, Christina Storniolo)
Conference partners
Campus Life
Career Services
Corporate Engagement & Foundation Relations
Keller Center
Lewis Center for the Arts
Investor partners
Chaac Ventures
Fitz Gate Ventures
Nassau Street Ventures
Princeton Alumni Angels
To learn how you can get involved in future PEC events, please contact Don Seitz '79, Assistant Director, Alumni Engagement at donseitz@princeton.edu.
