Society Spotlight: Illini Entrepreneurship Network

This past week we sat down with Matt Gornick, a member of Illini Entrepreneurship Network (IEN), a new organization on campus set out to promote entrepreneurship on campus and encourage students to create their own ventures.

What does IEN do? IEN provides a very open atmosphere of networking with other students, a Student Startup Incubator (SSI), and consulting opportunities for students interested in entrepreneurship.

What is the most interesting thing you do? We just recently launched our Student Startup Incubator (SSI) which gives any UIUC student startups access to resources such as office space, computers, server hosting, and potential stipends for the teams. Additionally, any startups that enroll in the program are exempted from the IP policies of the University. The application is very easy and only requires a dedicated team and a great idea.

What drives your group members? All of our members are dedicated students with common entrepreneurial drive. Many members want to change the world with the next big idea and others simply want to experience the startup culture and see if they like it. IEN welcomes any student with an entrepreneurial drive to take part in the various resources IEN has to offer.

What is the most important thing you do? IEN addresses the frequent problem of finding the most dedicated and inspirational students on campus to work on a startup. Many of our members are looking to start their own companies and they need the opportunity to network and find people that believe in their idea. IEN helps students turn an idea into a company!

How big is the group? We have ~50 active members with 400 people on our mailing list. We currently have ~10 student run startups registered to take part in the Spring 2009 Semester SSI Program.

We are very decentralized, structure-wise. Anyone with a passion for entrepreneurship can take part. We have executive members ranging from Freshmen to Seniors. Students choose the areas that they are best suited for and actively work in those areas.

How many hours a week does a typical member give? Anywhere from 0 to all of their time. We have members that attend several meetings to get a better understanding of entrepreneurship and we also have members that spend every waking hour working on their startups. Members can easily find people and teams that they can relate to within IEN.

How could one of our readers join? Visit our website and click on the Join IEN link. You’ll be added to our mailing list for all of our announcements and programs.

Now we have some questions that are “just for fun.”

If your group had to choose a favorite campus building, what would
they choose? Siebel Center because it has amazing chairs and is a perfect place to hatch out some startup ideas.

If you were bringing a snack to a group meeting, what would you bring? Coffee, we love coffee.

How was your organization created? IEN was formed as a merger between two on-campus groups: University Business Developers and CEO. IEN’s founders agreed that entrepreneurship at UIUC should be united and easily accessible to students. We are all united in the same mission so we naturally joined forces.

What do your group members do for fun outside of working for your organization? Work on startups and come up with the next big idea to change the world. Ask some of the SSI teams and they’ll agree.

This has been part of our Society Spotlight series, featuring student groups around the Illinois campus. If you’d like to take part, send us an email.