By Branden Matassa ‘22, staff writer

LVC and the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce are collaborating to host “The Great Lebanon County Idea Pitch”.

The virtual event is an opportunity for those interested to share ideas and gain access to resources for entrepreneurial ventures. The Idea Pitch will give participants the chance to gain advice from expert business coaches for direction, idea development and resources.

“This event allows students to share their ideas, get feedback, make contacts and pursue next steps in business,” Kimberlee Josephson, associate dean of the Breen Center for Graduate Success and assistant professor of business administration, said.

In participating, students will have up to 20 minutes to talk to coaches in a private, virtual room allowing participants to present in a casual and conversational setting.

Josephson used her personal experience with business students to express the growing need of a platform for students to convey their ideas.

“As a business professor, students have naturally reached out to me when they had an idea and although I’ve been teaching for well over a decade, it’s only in the past year or so that I have received more ideas than ever and many of them are quite impressive and worth pursuing,” Josephson said. “LVC students harnessing their creativity is inspiring and I’m excited to play a part in LVC’s collaboration with the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce to further innovative thinking.”

Also instrumental in organizing the event is the Center for Entrepreneurial Success. The center focuses on providing resources, mentoring, education and networking opportunities to people in the Lebanon County entrepreneurial community.

Josephson also shed light on what students should keep in mind about entrepreneurship.

“It is important for students to remember that you don’t need to be an inventor to be an entrepreneur,” Josephson said. “An entrepreneur is someone who can capitalize on an existing idea, improve upon that idea and commercialize their efforts.”

To give as many people as possible access to this opportunity, the center is providing bilingual sessions for those who need them. There is also no entry cost to participate.

The Idea Pitch is happening May 3 to 7 and is open to anyone in Lebanon County. Interested students can sign up for the event through this link: The IDEA PITCH — Signup Sheet | SignUp.com.