TU announces Tiffin Innovation Program to inspire young entrepreneurs

Tiffin, Ohio — Tiffin University is to launch the Tiffin Innovation Program (TIP), with a student information session on October 27 at 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Chisolm Auditorium.

For entrepreneurially minded students who want to start their own company, the TIP program is a three-month program designed to inspire and educate. Starting in January, 2022, selected on-campus and online students will meet once a week to learn how to develop and launch an innovative start-up company. Speakers will include established high-profile entrepreneurs like TU Board Member, Danial Jameel, Founder & President at Ready Education, a leading student engagement platform for higher education.

Students are encouraged to create teams, that may include non-students. Classes will be every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m., starting January 26, 2022 and run through April 27, 2022. After completing the program, one winning team will be selected to receive funding in start-up costs for their company. Students must apply for the program and pitch an idea to get accepted.

TIP allows students to gain real-world experience, learn from failure, take calculated risks, develop grit and collaborate in diverse teams – essential skill sets that cannot be learned inside the classroom.

“This program is something that I’ve always hoped that we would have at TU – inspiring and teaching students entrepreneurship from the ideation stage. Not only are we providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our students with established, nationally renowned entrepreneurs, like Danial Jameel, we are providing start-up funding for students with the best business idea,” said TU President Dr. Lillian Schumacher.

Ready Education is a leading student engagement platform for higher education, which serves over 350 colleges and universities in North America. Jameel is a lifelong advocate for education and is a member of the leadership council at the Brookings Institute Center for Universal Education (one of the premier policy centers focused on universal quality education). He is a serial entrepreneur, an advisor to several technology start-ups and has won numerous business and technology awards. In 2015, he was selected on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Jameel studied Economics, Political Science, and Computer Science at the University of Toronto.

Ron Lonzo, Vice President for What’s Next – Strategic Innovation, said “TIP enables students to develop real-world collaboration and problem-solving skills. This is a great compliment to the learning skills acquired during their regular degrees. These students will work in an age of increased automation and innovation. Students who can effectively operate in these environments will have a clear advantage over those that don’t.”

TIP will also help to improve the Tiffin economy, as well as promote an entrepreneur ecosystem in the community. There will be a demonstration day to present projects to the wider Tiffin community and potential investors.

For more information, please email [email protected].