SUNNYVALE, CA — Cogswell College (www.cogswell.edu), an institution that offers a unique curriculum fusing digital arts, engineering, and entrepreneurship, has launched a brand new program, “The Silicon Valley Immersion Experience” (www.entrepreneurship.cogswell.edu/immersion). Now available to entrepreneurs and students on a global scale, Cogswell’s Silicon Valley Immersion Experience program just hosted its first group of participants — a team of entrepreneurs from Turkey. The announcement was made by Dr. Deborah Snyder, president and chief academic officer, Cogswell College.
Spearheaded by John Duhring, Cogswell College’s education technology specialist, five entrepreneurs from the Turkey-based Sabanci University’s “SUCool” Pre-Incubator Program, very recently visited the Cogswell College campus. The group also attended a series of meetings, workshops, showcases, meetups and presentations, including trips to Stanford University, IDEO, and the Institute for the Future; such top Silicon Valley-based companies as Google, Skype, Flipboard, and Eventbrite; financiers and incubators including StartX, the Founder Institute, Hackers/Founders, and Hanhai Investments, and start-ups including Good Eggs, gThrive, NVT, Diya TV, and others.
The five entrepreneurs from Turkey who participated in the Silicon Valley Immersion Experience have already had varying degrees of success in their native country with their new start-up companies.
According to Kutlu Kazanci, director of Sabanci University’s Entrepreneurship Committee and “SUCool” Pre-Incubation Center, “Through our adventure with the Cogswell Silicon Valley Immersion Experience, our team learned a great deal about the different stages of the entrepreneurial life-cycle, through successful, failed, and in-between examples. They learned what it takes to fundraise; how large, successful ventures operate; how to overcome a variety of challenges, and the importance of focus, teamwork, and developing a specialized company culture. A few of our entrepreneurs even had the chance to meet other, Silicon Valley-based inventors, who were doing very similar things. This program provided us with a series of fun, educational, and inspiring moments, and exposed us to a variety of new points of view. I would definitely recommend this adventure to other entrepreneurs based around the world.”
“Cogswell College is uniquely positioned as the only educational institution that captures the spirit of innovation — and the mechanics and culture — that is Silicon Valley,” adds Dr. Snyder. “We have the ability to share with entrepreneurs and students from around the world insight into the ‘start-up’ mentality of new enterprises. Our new Silicon Valley Immersion Experience program has been custom designed for recent entrepreneurs with new products and services to bring to market, emerging entrepreneurs with new ideas who are looking for guidance and direction, and executives who may wish to send their leaders, engineers, and marketers to Cogswell to broaden their exposure to the Silicon Valley culture of innovation.”
