SFC Entrepreneurship | St. Francis College
Creating Small Innovations for Big Dreams
The Center for Entrepreneurship champion’s creativity and innovation, encourages calculated risk, celebrates critical thinking, energizes the creative spirit, and above all, is infused with social responsibility. We strive to support the development of sustainable businesses and successful careers informed by the Franciscan tradition.
Our values help define the entrepreneurial mindset and shape the way we interact with our students and alumni, integrate ourselves in our community, and achieve our educational and social goals.
Entrepreneurship at SFC
Minor in Entrepreneurship
Spotlight & Lecture Series
Annual Pitch Contest
Entrepreneur Speaker Series
2018 Entrepreneurship Award Winner Saudia Davis
At the 134th Charter Day Convocation, St. Francis College honored Saudia Davis, Founder and CEO of GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning with the 2018 Entrepreneurship Award.
After the death of her grandmother from long-term exposure to toxic cleaning supplies, Davis left behind a life as a movie publicist to create a cleaning company that avoids the use of harmful chemicals.
"My one recommendation is to fail quickly. Put yourself out there... there's a lot to learn in failure," said Davis, who stressed the value that entrepreneurs bring to communities by employing local workers and helping create a sense of stability.
About the Center
Mission
Engage with our academic and community partners to grow a collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem. Foster our students’ efforts to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Support our students in becoming ethical and socially responsible leaders. Help turn great ideas into great realities.
Vision:
The Center seeks to create an environment that champion’s creativity and innovation, encourages calculated risk, celebrates critical thinking and energizes the creative spirit. Above all, our center is infused with social responsibility. We envision the support provided will result in development of sustainable businesses and successful careers informed by the Franciscan tradition.
Values:
Our values help us define the entrepreneurial mindset and shape the way we interact with our students and alumni, integrate ourselves in the community, and achieve our educational and social goals.
Our Values
- Embrace Accountability and Integrity
- Be Motivating and Supportive
- Act with Ethical Behavior and Social Responsibility
- Drive Creativity and Innovation
- Work with Commitment and Responsibility
- Focus on Collaboration and Empowerment
Entrepreneur Spotlight & Lecture Series
New York is home to some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Hear their stories and be inspired by their innovation in our Entrepreneur Spotlight Series featured on this site.
You'll also learn about groundbreaking research in entrepreneurship and best practices for operating small businesses.
Research & Academic Involvement
Our professors participate or have participated in the following academic organizations and conferences that advance entrepreneurship research and education.
Organizations
- The Academy of Management
- The United States Association of Small Business & Entrepreneurship
- Eastern Academy of Management
Conferences
- International Conference on E-Banking and Global Marketplace
- Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society
- Social Entrepreneurship Conference, New York University, Stern School of Business
2017 Entrepreneur Pitch Contest
Thomas J. Volpe Accepts Entrepreneurship Award
Center Highlights
Meet the Team
Our center is led by a management team possessing unique qualities and backgrounds that complement each other and effectively facilitate the Center's day to day operations.
The unique backgrounds of the Center’s leadership and staff ensure the reflection of diverse perspectives on entrepreneurship and operational excellence that will benefit our student body and regional community.
Dennis Anderson, Chairman
Dr. Anderson is a strong advocate of technology-enhanced learning, emerging technologies, sustainable technologies and knowledge entrepreneurship.
Dr. Anderson has presented at numerous international conferences; received numerous grants, including National Science Foundation grants; and served as a reviewer/referee for numerous grants, fellowships, and academic publications. He is a Senior Specialist in information technology for the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and has served on the advisory boards for several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), entrepreneurial startups and conferences. Dr. Anderson brings a wealth of experience, keen strategic insight and the capacity to lead effectively to the Center.
Read Dr. Anderson's full profile.
Mary Gelormino, Executive-in-Residence
Professor Gelormino has more than thirty years of experience in banking with an emphasis on marketing and new business development in the New York metro area. She has served as a Board of Director for many organizations whose mission is to increase economic productivity and social impact. She brings a wealth of corporate intrapreneurial experience to the Center, as well as numerous corporate contacts from within the New York community. Professor Gelormino also serves as an adjunct instructor of Entrepreneurship and has more than twenty years of experience leading seminars and teaching in College.
Professor Gelormino holds a Bachelors of Science and an MBA from New York University, is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the American Institute of Banking and is a certified instructor for the National Association for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Katja Schroeder, Assistant Professor, Director of the SFC Center for Entrepreneurship St. Francis College, Management, and IT
Katja Schroeder holds a M.A. in Communications and Business Administration from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, and a M.A. in Communications and Information Sciences from CELSA, Sorbonne, Paris, France. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Global Leadership at Troy University.
Marie Segares, Terrier Innovation Clinic Advisor
Dr. Segares earned her AB in Sociology from Barnard College, her MPH in Sociomedical Sciences with a concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from Columbia University, her MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Leadership & Change Management from New York University, and her EdD in Organizational Leadership Studies from Northeastern University. Dr. Segares has taught business, entrepreneurship, human resources, management and organizational behavior, marketing, health education and public health, and health care management courses at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate levels in traditional/face-to-face, online, and hybrid learning environments. She joined the faculty of St. Francis College in 2017 and is the founding director of the MS in Management.
Dr. Segares is also an artisan entrepreneur, creating digital content to self-publish and for major crafts manufacturers and publishers. Her areas of research interest include artisan entrepreneurship, creative business, microenterprise, leadership, small business marketing, and gender and diversity in entrepreneurship and organizations. She primarily conducts qualitative research using interviews, qualitative survey, and online methods with case study, narrative inquiry, and qualitative description approaches.
Dr. Segares is currently board secretary of the Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education and on the editorial board of The Qualitative Report.
Dr. Chang Xia, Terrier Innovation Clinic Advisor
Advisory Board
| MEMBERS | MEMBERS | EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS |
| Lou Pastina Chairman | Prof. Jonathan Askin Director Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship Brooklyn Law School | Dr. Dennis Anderson |
| Jerrold B. Spiegel Partner Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC | Jocelynne Rainey Chief Administrative Officer Brooklyn Navy Yard | Prof. Mary Gelormino Executive in Residence Center for Entrepreneurship St. Francis College |
| Ita Ekpoudom CEO Founder of Tigress Ventures | Andrew Hoan President and CEO Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce | Eda Sanchez-Persampieri Director/Lecturer Center for Entrepreneurship St. Francis College |
| Michael MacIntyre Global Head HSBC | Dennis Lacognata Partner PromptDirect | Jennifer Lancaster Vice President for Academic Affairs/Academic Dean St. Francis College |
| Rick Russo Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce | Ms. Jennie Baik, CEO and Co-Founder Orchard Mile | Bro. Gregory Cellini St. Francis College |
| Mr. Landy Guevara Corporate FP&A CCAR Analystat Citibank | Mr. Julian Sale CFO QVT Financial LP | |
| Ms. Lisa Shalett Retired Partner Goldman Sachs | Ms. Nicole Terzulli Associate -Global Markets Deutsche Bank |
Our Partners:
- Athletic Avenue Bid
- Brooklyn Chamber
- Downtown Brooklyn
- NYSE Euronext
- Brooklyn Hispanic Chamber
- Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
- Blip Clinic
- Dogfish Accelerator
- Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC)
- Young Biz
- EWVIDCO
- The Women's Center - St. Francis College
- Accion
- National Academy of Television and Science
- National Center for Women & Information Technology
- NYBDC
- Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Project Enterprise
- Start It Up
- Catalyst Network Foundation
Minor in Entrepreneurship
Pursue a Minor in Entrepreneurship
Our 15-credit hour program is open to enrolled students of any major and takes a cross-disciplinary approach to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship education enables students to develop skills that are easily transferable to any workplace or business sector.
In our entrepreneurial courses, students learn how to:
- recognize and develop opportunities, secure resources and build effective teams
- build sustainable economic value and social value
- excel as both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
Coursework focuses on conceptual understanding of real-world problems or situations. The classroom serves as a venue for experiential learning through direct interaction with our entrepreneurial community and hands-on projects.
Coursework topics include developing a business model, selecting an appropriate business form, initial business planning, protecting intellectual property, target market selection and marketing planning, strategies for new product commercialization, effective cash flow management, obtaining venture capital and business financing, business management ethics and social responsibility.
Required courses:
ENT 1001 Introduction to Entrepreneurship
ENT 2001 Entrepreneurship Marketing and New Product Innovation
ENT 3001 Small Business Finance
ENT 3002 Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable New Businesses
ENT 3003 Using Technology in Entrepreneurship
Clinic & Resources
Explore Your Opportunities
Pursue Your Passion
Launch and Grow Your Business
Fall 2017 Drop-In Clinic Hours
Monday: 2PM - 3PM
Tuesday: 3PM - 4PM
Wednesday: 2PM - 3PM
Thursday: 3PM - 4PM
To make an appointment, email [email protected]
The Clinic is held in room 5008
Download the Business Model Canvas
Prior to your Innovation Clinic appointment , please complete, as best possible, the attached Business Model Canvas. Please bring a printed copy with you.
Entrepreneur Resources
- NYC Economic Development Corporation
- Crain's New York Business - Immigrant Entrepreneurship Stats
- New York Division of Minority and Women's Business Development
- State of New York Division of Small Business Services/Business First
- U.S. Department of Labor, Entrepreneurship and the US Economy
- The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, Small Business Facts
- OECD, Entrepreneurship and Business Statistics
- Business Mentor NY
2018 Contest Videos
2018 College-Wide Entrepreneurial Pitch Contest
St. Francis College proudly hosted its 2nd Annual College-Wide Entrepreneurial Pitch Contest April 12, 2018, bringing together 9 student-entrepreneurs to compete for $3,500 in prizes.
Each entrepreneur made it through several rounds of competition to reach the final where they had five minutes to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in hopes of winning seed money to bring their business plan to life.
The event, sponsored by Investors Bank, included plans for an iPhone-connected razor, a fashion reseller, graveside maintenance, and more.
- First place and $1,500 went to Joshua Dezil '21 (Management) for his company Jdbundles which sells hair extensions.
- Second place and $1,000 was awarded to Samantha Scarlett '18 (Management) for her company Luxury Snob, a high-end fashion reseller.
- Third place and $750 went to Miranda Stark '20 (Sociology) for her company Eternal Care Grave Maintenance.
St. Francis College Entrepreneurs Share Business Experiences
The St. Francis College Entrepreneurship Club welcomed three current students to talk about their businesses for a Peer to Peer workshop on March 8, 2018.
Sydney Bell '19 (Sydney Bell Photography), Fallon Raimo '18 (Infamous Vigilante), and Josh Dezil '21 (Jdbundles) offered tips on how get a company started, their inspirations and their hopes for the future. Arianna Sartzetakis '19 (Uncover More) moderated the discussion.
Build Your Brand - Funding a Start-Up Venture
Many entrepreneurs rely on the support of various angel investors, but imagine the impact a 'Super Angel' can have on launching and growing your start-up venture? St. Francis College welcomed Rodolfo Bellesi (Co-founder & Principal, Ikove Venture Partners) and Ian Sosso (Founder & Managing Partner, Monte Carlo Capital) to talk about Funding Your Start-Up Venture on January 31, 2018.
The lecture focused on the differences between the start-up ecosystem in the United States and across the Eurozone as well as the role of a Super Angel. President of St. Francis College, Miguel Martinez-Saenz offered opening remarks at the event which is part of the St. Francis College Center for Entrepreneurship's #buildyourBRAND lecture series.
"Unlike the customary VC method of providing substantial funding to a few potential 'unicorns,' the super angel model seeds many high-potential startups with less funding and significant mentoring. During this nurturing process, the super angel determines which start-ups have the highest probability to successfully scale. Super angels are ideal partners for college-based entrepreneurs," remarked President Martinez-Saenz.
The #buildyourBRAND series brings leaders in business and industry to campus to share their expertise with the growing St. Francis College student entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ikove Venture Partners bridges the gap between R&D funding and VC funded rounds by providing not only capital, but also by acting as a "Startup Nursery TM" and installing a multi-layered due diligence process aimed at vetting the most promising technologies and creating the right teams to bring those technologies to market.
Monte Carlo Capital is a group of business angels that has built an ecosystem of active co-investors and experienced advisors. They have a significant deal flow and look to select the best teams with a unique and disruptive business model. MCC has investments in Europe, Asia and North America. They focus on Seed and Series A and typically like to be the lead investor.
Study Entrepreneurship
Minor in Entrepreneurship
Coursework Topics
Required Courses
- ENT 1001 Introduction to Entrepreneurship
- ENT 2001 Entrepreneurship Marketing and New Product Innovation
- ENT 3001 Small Business Finance
- ENT 3002 Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable New Businesses
- ENT 3003 Using Technology in Entrepreneurship