Colorado State University’s Institute for Entrepreneurship to Host Second Annual Women Entrepreneurs’ Leadership Summit

Women entrepreneurs face many challenges in today’s economic environment. The Women Entrepreneurs’ Leadership Summit, hosted by Colorado State University’s College of Business and Institute for Entrepreneurship, will address those challenges through practical advice, consultation and network connections to encourage the growth of women-led businesses.

The summit will be held from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the West Ballroom of the Lory Student Center on campus. The event will include a light breakfast, luncheon and an evening networking reception from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

“We are so honored to have the amazing caliber of speakers and sponsors participating in this year’s event,” said Charisse McAuliffe, co-director for the Women Entrepreneurs’ Leadership Summit – or WELS. “It shows a true commitment from the university and the community to help foster the growth of women-led businesses.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Campbell McKeller, the founder and chief executive officer of Loosecubes, a private global office sharing network. Loosecubes was recently named by Time as a top 10 New York City start-up to watch for 2012, and has been featured in Entrepreneur, USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Fast Company.

In addition to the keynote luncheon, the program will feature several short form talks from presentation speakers, including Libby Cook, founder of Wild Oats and Sunflower Market, and 12 other top women entrepreneurs. Debra Benton, author and CEO of Material, will conclude the day with her presentation. Panel discussions will include topics such as social impact driven companies, women in engineering and science, restorative leadership and organizational strategy.

Registration for the event is $60 for the entire day, and a student/faculty rate is also available. Visit www.entrepreneurialwomen.org to register for the summit. The site will be continually updated with new information about speakers and the schedule. Visit the WELS Facebook page to stay up to date with new information.

Sponsors of the event include KUNC 91.5, KRFC 88.9, the City of Fort Collins and Mack Web Solutions.

About CSU’s Institute for Entrepreneurship

The institute is working to bring entrepreneurship education and training to students across the university. Through both an expansion of its curriculum on the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as a series of new extracurricular programs, the institute’s goal is to significantly grow the number of new ventures created by students and faculty.
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