Why the Career Combine is Important

When I was a freshman in college, I took a seminar on entrepreneurship. It was the kickoff program for the then-new School of Technological Entrepreneurship. They brought in CEOs and founders of great local companies to speak to students. One speaker, Russ Wilcox (now former CEO of E Ink), made a lasting impression. After graduation four years later, I started working for E Ink and now I'm an entrepreneur on my own. This was not an accident.
 

To inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs in our community, startups must get involved and connected with our student populations.

I can't really explain what made me fall in love with the E Ink concept.  I think it was the combination of Russ's passion for the technology and the fact that he gave a room full of eager freshman the same pitch he gave VCs.  7 years later, I still remember parts of the presentation...especially the video he showed where they crumpled up an E Ink screen while a logo was moving on it and it never stopped working. 
 
After that presentation, I would regularly keep up on E Ink and their progress to see how the company was doing and if there were any internships I could take. I never had an opportunity for a co-op while an undergrad at Northeastern, but it led to me applying for a job when I graduated.  
 
One of the fun things about being a fan of a local startup for a long time is that you know a lot about them. I remember the interview process they were surprised at my depth of knowledge of the company. I'm pretty sure it was a big reason I got my job even though I was a little lighter on the experience than they were asking for.  
 
While I worked there, I saw first hand how a great CEO runs a company. From the company culture they had to his quarterly presentations to show every employee how the company was doing (i.e.- sharing the vision).  I even had the chance to talk to him about being an entrepreneur once. All of those experiences had a great impact on me and definitely contributed to my current drive to be an entrepreneur.  Hire young talent to your team and inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs.
 

Taking chances on young people can pay off

I was talking to a local veteran entrepreneur last night and he talked about how he would pair older, experienced employees with a young, new hire all the time.  The combination would always spark new creativity as the young person would bring fresh ideas and the veteran employee could share their knowledge and mentor the new hire.  
 
When you work on a problem long enough, it can lead to tunnel vision; it's hard to see all the problems and potential solutions. It's the proverbial challenge of how to "think outside the box."  The best people to think outside the box are the ones that haven't learned the rules of the box.  Bring in some young talent to your company and you'll get fresh ways of looking at problems and it will also help you; as you teach them concepts, it forces you to rethink what you're doing and can help you with some "Aha!" moments as well.
 

Reaching students has never been easier

Every CEO and founder does not need to go on a roadshow to all of the schools hoping to inspire students. Not every company leader is an uber-charismatic presentation master and not every company will resonate with every student.  I'm pretty sure I was the only one at the seminar at Northeastern in 2003 who was so excited by Russ's presentation that I tracked them for this long, but if we all inspire just a few more students to head to the path of entrepreneurship in Boston, the ecosystem will be stronger for it.
 
So if you aren't going on a roadshow to reach out to and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, then consider the Career Combine.  This is about bringing together students that may not have known about these opportunities and getting them excited about entrepreneurship and making great contributions as new employees for your company. 
 
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The info you need about the Career Combine:

Who Part I: Great entrepreneurial companies looking for talent.

• This means anything from 5 employees to 500+. If you have that entrepreneurial culture in your business and have built a great company, we want you there.
• I joined E Ink when they had ~100 employees and had a great experience to kickoff my startup career...I could have had a similar experience at many larger and smaller companies.
• Interested in your company being a part of the event? Contact us or complete this form.

 
Who Part II: Graduating seniors, Graduate students and recent graduates looking to join the innovation economy.

• Interested in attending? Register/Sign up here.

When: April 13, 2010 12pm to 5pm
 
Where: The Back Bay Events Center
 
Together, we can bridge the divide between our talented students and the vibrant entrepreneur community. The leaders of tomorrow are cultivated in the companies they work for today.