By Kayla Sosa Starting a business was not something Maliesha Pullano always intended to do, but was something that kind of fell into place at the right time. In 2014, Pullano was unemployed and looking for an opportunity. She soon…
Category: entrepreneur
Spreading ‘LIT’-eracy with We Are LIT
By Kayla Sosa We Are LIT is more than just a book shop, it’s a movement within the community to bring more diverse books and reading to everyone. The “shop” is actually online, and offers new, multicultural selections to readers…
The state of black business in Grand Rapids
What a local advocacy organization is doing to support black entrepreneurs By Kayla Sosa Jamiel Robinson is the founder of GRABB – Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses – an organization that supports and assists black business owners and entrepreneurs in…
Student entrepreneur club president’s five takeaways from national conference
By Kayla Sosa Back in November, the Grand Valley State University Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to attend the national CEO conference. Club president and GV senior Ben Parsell learned a lot as a leader and…
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Spotlight: A Q&A with Calvin’s Lawn Care
By Kayla Sosa Calvin Pimpleton is a 16-year-old student at Innovation Central High School with a passion for business. Last winter, he saw a need in his neighborhood for shoveling services and he wanted a little extra cash in his…
Five entrepreneurs win prize money at first MVE Pitch Competition
By Kayla Sosa Five entrepreneurs with military background or connection took home prize money at the first showcase and final pitch competition for the Michigan Veteran Entrepreneur Lab. Produced through the Grand Valley State University Center for Entrepreneurship and…
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Spotlight: Immersive Language Learning
By Kayla Sosa After being immersed into the Portuguese language studying abroad in Brazil, Grand Valley State University student Olivia Seaver was trying to think of ways she could keep up with learning and retaining languages once she came back…
Malamiah Juice Bar, Royal Jelly Foods take home funds in Business Bootcamp Pitch Competition
By Kayla Sosa In September, owners of Malamiah Juice Bar and Royal Jelly Foods participated in the Grand Rapids Business Boot Camp Pitch Competition. This endeavor is lead by Michigan Good Food Fund, a “thirty million dollar loan fund created to provide…
TESA impact
The Teen Entrepreneur Summer Academy (TESA) has influenced hundreds of high school students in West Michigan over the course of the past ten years. We recently got in touch with some of our past participants to hear first hand how…
Q&A with Start Garden Community Relations Officer Laurie Supinski
Since 2012, Start Garden has played a large role in Grand Rapids' entrepreneurship ecosystem by giving entrepreneurs a stage to present their ideas to the community while they compete for the opportunity to win $5,000. Neu spoke with Start Garden…
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