First year Events Management students recently organised a successful awareness function for the Dream Lab Incubator, a project that aims to develop entrepreneurship among CPUT students.
Tania Petersen, a Marketing lecturer and the initiator of the Dream Lab Incubator approached the Events Management students to organise the function.
CPUT employees, students and former students, attended the function, held at the Granger Bay Hotel School on 22 October 2009.
The guest speakers were two alumni from the former Peninsula and Cape Technikons.
Rhiyaan Cupido completed his Marketing Diploma at the former Peninsula Technikon and worked for six years before deciding to start his own project management business, Anix Consulting.
“As black people, we are always judged as being not good enough until the job is done, so starting my own business and excelling at what I do was key for me,” said Cupido.
He shared how his business had grown from having no salary to employing more than 100 people.
“I started taking a salary home, which was just R5 000 in my sixth year. Many people are good at planning, but very few will implement, so I encourage the students not to fall into that trap,” Cupido added.
Casper de Villiers, who is an alumnus of the former Cape Technikon, as well as Operations Director and a founder member at Clickatell, was the second guest speaker. Clickatell is a world leading communication provider specialising in bulk messaging services and SMS gateway connectivity, situated in Bellville.
Petersen was also one of the speakers at the function.
“Because we want to develop entrepreneurs from CPUT, our target market is third and fourth year students. We decided to use the skills inside and groom the first years. One of the Graphic Design students designed the Dream Lab logo,” she said.
The project will provide students who want to become entrepreneurs with premises and resources, entrepreneurship advice and mentoring, improved business skills, services and networking, assistance with funding and cost saving techniques.
Petersen said: “I learnt about the concept while I was in Sweden through a lecturing exchange programme with Dalarna University.
“Dalarna University introduced me to the entrepreneurship incubator concept and I decided to import the idea. After that, I decided to write a proposal, which was later approved and I started with the work.”
Initially, the programme will be piloted with students from the Business Faculty, but could be extended to all students at a later stage.
In 2009, the Dream Lab Incubator will run a business plan workshop, followed by a competition.
From the business plan competition, the Dream Lab team will select 10 students who will be assisted in becoming entrepreneurs.
“After that, a Needs Analysis will be conducted in order to determine which areas the entrepreneur needs mentoring in,” said Petersen.
The Dream Lab will assist with the registration of the business, patenting and in developing the branding of the business. It will also implement a dual mentoring system. The first part will be offered by a pool of specialists drawn from the Business Faculty.
The second part will attach a student to an industry specific mentor, where the student would spend a month with this particular mentor to familiarise themselves with the industry in which the business will operate.
By Andiswa Dantile
Written by CPUT News
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