College of Business ready to launch inaugural Innovation Week

(October 15, 2024) - Student innovation and business prowess is set to shine on Clayton State’s campus in the College of Business’ inaugural Innovation Week – a four-day series of special events for students to directly hear from thought-provoking speakers, participate in interactive workshops, and engage in transformative opportunities to connect with forward-thinking leaders.

Jalen Teal, manager of the College of Business’ Innovation Center, says the anticipation for the week is soaring among both the College’s faculty and students, who can’t wait to bring Innovation Week to life for the first time.

“It kind of fell together,” Teal said. “All of the events throughout the week have a common goal to unite students, the community, entrepreneurs, innovators, and just start conversations around creating the entrepreneurial mindset, sustaining your businesses, and sustaining the entrepreneur entrepreneurial mindset.”

Teal further said that two of the “biggest,” and most personal, topics to be discussed during Innovation Week are success and failure – how one has to sometimes go back to the drawing board and “reimagine” one’s business mind, partners, etc. all while not “not being discouraged” and learning to move forward.

Teal also hopes that students who are already practicing small business tactics leave Innovation Week realizing that they’re already actively running a personal business!

“I think some of our students fail to self-identify as business owners,” Teal said. “They’ll say, ‘oh, I just do this thing, I do hair, I do nails.’ You’re a business owner and you have to think of yourself as such! Legitimize yourself by getting an LLC to establish a business name, some type of domain, or a separate business account so you can track your expenses during tax time.”

It's a mindset Teal said the College of Business intends to help their students attain throughout the week’s series of events.

The first day of Innovation Week kicks off with an inspiring Jim Wood Speaker Series event, featuring Jay Bailey – President and CEO of the H.J. Russell Center for Innovation.

Bailey will provide insights on leadership, innovation, and driving change in today’s evolving business landscape.

The keynote event will take place on Tuesday, October 22, from 5–7 p.m. at the Innovation Center, complete with refreshments, a networking hour, and more.

Wednesday, October 23, will play host to a virtual event featuring social media culinary influencer and personality Justin Brown, also known as @therealfoodstalker, who has nearly 1,000,000 collective followers on various online platforms.

Brown will host an interactive session on maximizing the online impact of one’s brand from 6–7 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.

Day 3 of Innovation Week will see Shark Tank winner Kristen Dunning come to the campus’ Innovation Center on Thursday, October 24, from 3–7 p.m.

Dunning, the founder and CEO of Gently Soap, will share her inspiring journey and insights into entrepreneurship and social impact with students from various institutions, including CSU, Mercer University, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University, and more.

Teams from these and other universities will also compete in the highly anticipated STEM Social Innovation Challenge, where students will present groundbreaking STEM solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing social challenges.

Challenge winners will be announced later that the evening.

It’s an event that both Teal and Dr. Stacey Reynolds, an assistant professor of Management in the College of Business, are particularly excited to see.

"The Social Innovation Challenge empowers students to use their creativity and skills to address real-world issues,” Reynolds said. “This challenge is more than a competition; it’s a platform for students to transform ideas into actionable solutions. We are excited to see how their innovations will impact both local and global communities.”

"The Challenge is designed to inspire the next generation of leaders to tackle social challenges with innovative, sustainable solutions,” Teal said. “We are proud to collaborate with institutions across the state, creating a platform for students to showcase their talents and ideas. Most importantly, we are extremely proud of all the students participating, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact they’ll make.”

The Innov8 Georgia Fall Conference will follow and close out Innovation Week at the Harry S. Downs Center on Friday, October 25, from 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

The conference will present a unique opportunity for students, the south metro Atlanta community, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders to discuss trends, collaborations, and business opportunities among each other in a celebratory manner to close out Innovation Week on a high note.

Teal said the final preparations for Innovation Week are being made, and the enthusiasm couldn’t be any higher.

As the College of Business prepares for the first-ever series of events, the Innovation Center manager hopes the week’s festivities provide the perfect motivation to not just Clayton State University students, but to students all throughout the Peach State.

“We want to use this week to inspire and get more people in the entrepreneurial mindset, just self-identifying [as an entrepreneur] and using the resources that are out there and available to them,” Teal said.

To RSVP for the event or for more information on the College of Business’ inaugural Innovation Week, visit their website here.