Stevens as an educational institution encourages innovation opportunities for their students and professors in their business, educational, and research endeavors. Stevens’ own programs, Launchpad@Stevens and iStem@Stevens, are about to benefit drastically from a new Innovation and Commercialization Lab at Mission 50 in Hoboken, which has recently been opened. This lab is located on the second floor of the boutique office building, at 50 Harrison St., which has also recently been renovated. On November 8, 2021, Stevens’ own President Nariman Farvardin was able to attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony along with select Stevens students.
The previously mentioned programs, Launchpad and iStem, are opportunities for students to be guided through becoming entrepreneurs and designing their own start-up companies. These start-up companies start as ideas that incorporate each student’s own personal values, and then through Launchpad and iStem, develop into professional companies that could lead them into a lifetime of work and dedication. Founder and director of these programs, Professor Mukund Iyengar, works to bring students together and closer towards their company creation goals. Students who are a part of Launchpad or iStem, will have free access to this laboratory space in order to enhance their opportunities further.
Stevens, along with three other universities located in northern New Jersey, Saint Peter’s University, New Jersey City University, and Hudson County Community College, will have their own designated workspaces for their students inside the Mission 50 Lab. Along with these four offices, each school will also have access to a collaboration space in the lab’s coworking hub. This lab is designed for students to get intel and advice from peers and entrepreneurship professionals in their company goals. Along with each school’s designated workspace, they will also have meeting and conference rooms that contain equipment for video conferencing and other services.
Mission 50’s goal is to help Hoboken students, professors, and researchers connect with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors, so their company ideas can be launched. This space is designated for coworking with future entrepreneurs, in order to hopefully get large companies to be kickstarted in Hudson County, New Jersey.
Furthermore, in the spring, Mission 50 is hosting a pitch competition across Hudson County, which has a prize of $5,000. Also, the four schools are set to be given $5,000 each in order to lead student business pitch competitions inside the individual schools. The winner of each competition from the four different schools will then be invited to compete in the county-wide competition.
Overall, this new laboratory space is said to provide many opportunities for students and professors at Stevens to launch new companies and advance their communication skills with peers and other entrepreneurs. Stevens Launchpad and iStem will be given the space and opportunity to continue to thrive and inspire the next generation of students into becoming successful entrepreneurs.
Be First to Comment