A boot camp for entrepreneurs in north Baton Rouge has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 24. The event—cosponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Baton Rouge North Economic Development District and Conscious Venture Lab—was originally to be held earlier this month, but was postponed in anticipation of the U.S Department of Justice decision in the Alton Sterling case.
BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp says the delay turned out to be a good thing because it has given more interested entrepreneurs an opportunity to participate in the event.
Approximately 10 entrepreneurial teams of between three and five individuals will be selected for the intensive, daylong event, which will be run by Conscious Venture Lab. So far, 13 small businesses have applied and applications are still being accepted through Friday.
“We want to encourage more businesses to apply, even though we’ve had a very good response so far,” Knapp says. “We want it to be competitive and want the companies that participate to get a lot of recognition for having gone through the process.”
The boot camp will focus on the tenets of operating a business with a higher purpose. Conscious Venture Lab is a nationally renowned organization that has developed training programs for socially conscious entrepreneurs. Participating teams at the boot camp will be provided tools to help their companies achieve deeper impact and higher profitability, according to Conscious Venture Lab Executive Director Jeff Cherry.
“We know entrepreneurship is the backbone of our economy,” says Jeff Cherry, executive director of the Conscious Venture Lab. “Conscious entrepreneurship is the backbone of a more prosperous and equitable Baton Rouge.”
Participants will also have the opportunity to win $10,000 at the “Pitch North Baton Rouge” competition following the boot camp sessions.
The boot camp will take place from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on May 24 at the Ardendale Campus at Baton Rouge Community College, 1969 North Lobdell Blvd.
Companies interested in attending the boot camp and participating in pitch competition can apply online. Community members interesting in attending the pitch competition can also register to attend online.
—Stephanie Riegel
