Accelerate South Jersey seeks to help those in Camden and Gloucester counties facing economic or other hardships to start and grow businesses of their own. The program lasts 12 months and is offered in partnership with the McKena Center for Human Development and Global Business at the University of Notre Dame. Rowan University manages the program in close partnership with local nonprofit groups, government offices, small businesses, and other university partners throughout the Southern New Jersey region.
We seek to:
Accelerate South Jersey is an integrated, multi-faceted program that involves six core elements:
1. Registration opens in June 2023.
2. Registration closes in August 2023.
3. Boot camps begin in September 2023.
Program participants will benefit immensely from the Community Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs - an intense, hands-on exposure to the fundamentals of launching and growing a successful venture, taught by seasoned faculty, subject matter experts, and successful entrepreneurs. The bootcamp occurs on six consecutive Saturday mornings in the fall.
Topics covered in the Community Bootcamp address all facets of a successful venture, ranging from the development of a viable business concept to understanding your market, designing your profit model, setting up operations properly, marketing your venture, and understanding the basic numbers. Our underlying focus is how to think and act in entrepreneurial ways—including how to do more with less—and how to grow a venture when you have little in the way of resources. The approach will be interactive, so participants will be encouraged to bring business ideas and challenges into the weekly discussions.
Six consecutive Saturday mornings, 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.*
*Most Saturdays will also include an extra session from 12:00-1:00 p.m. that digs deeper into a particular topic with local experts (lawyers, bankers, social media professionals, experts in government contracts).
Week One: September 9th
Week Two: September 16th
Week Three: September 23rd
Week Four: September 30th
Week Five: October 14th
Week Six (Final Session Graduation): October 21st
Joint Health Sciences Center
201 Broadway, Camden, NJ 08103
Apply by August 4, 2023. After applying and receiving acceptance into Accelerate South Jersey, participants will begin their experience with the Community Bootcamp for Entrepreneurs.
Anyone in the community who suffers from adverse economic, physical, or related circumstances is eligible to participate in the program. We focus on supporting community members living in poverty who have a dream of starting and growing a venture, including those who have already started a venture but are struggling.
The cost of the program is $500. However, scholarships of $475 are available for anyone with financial need. All applicants are considered for scholarship. The $25 fee is due on the first day of the program. Payment information will be made available upon program acceptance.
We welcome the involvement of community members as volunteers, mentors, and donors. Please contact program director, Mike Dominik, at dominik@rowan.edu to learn more.
Contact the program director, Mike Dominik, at dominik@rowan.edu